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His chest puffed slightly and he leaned forward, reaching across the table for her hand. “I could spend the rest of my life watching you across the table from me. Your face beginning my day.” He shook his head. Man, am I screwing this up. It had sounded so much better during the rehearsals that had run through his mind all day long.

Her smile widened and the room brightened. “Be careful, mister. I might have to hold you to that.”

The hell with timing. “I hope you do.” He handed her the gift-wrapped box.

Cas’s eyes went wide and began to mist over. Tears slipped down her cheek as she opened it and took out the ring.

“I…” She seemed to be struggling for words. “You really mean it? I…oh, Justice.”

He reached up and brushed the tears away with a gentle touch. “Do you like it?”

“No, I love it. You’ve made me so very happy.” She turned the small gold band over.

The single solitaire was what the jeweler had called a princess cut. Along the entire band were smaller diamonds of the same channel cut.

Justice took the ring and slid it on her finger. It slipped and she turned the diamond back around. It was still a little too large. He could get that fixed soon enough.

Cas placed her hand on his. “It’s so perfect, Justice.”

“You still haven’t answered me.”

“You never really asked.” She grinned and dabbed at her eyes with the corner of the napkin. “Of course I will. I know a good thing when it falls in my lap. You can’t get away from me now. You realize that, right? No escape.”

“Life without parole.”

She held up her hand, studying the diamond sparkles in the lights. “It’s so perfect. I love you.”

“I love you too, more than anything else in the world.”

All through dinner, he caught her glancing down at her finger like she was checking to make sure the ring was still there. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t focus on any of her words. She was his to have and hold, in sickness and health, for the rest of their lives.

After dinner, they walked across the historic Landing. Against the dark skyline, the warning beacon from the top of the St. Louis Arch scanned the sky. The river lapped gently at the banks and people milled about the levee. Cas’s perfume, feminine, exotic and enticing, made his blood heat up.

At her side of the car, he pinned her between him and the door. “You are the most amazing, the most wonderful, and the sexiest woman alive. I’ll never know how I got so damn lucky.” He traced a finger down her cheek and pressed a deep kiss on her lips.

When he pulled back, he watched as her face went from filled with pleasure to terror.

He had just pulled away when pain shattered through his head and the world went dark.

* * *

Justice tried to reach up to touch his throbbing head, but his hands wouldn’t budge.

He slowly looked around the dark room, trying to get his bearings. Across from him, he made out a shape in a chair. “Cas?”

A moan floated back to him, and he jerked at his confining ropes again. “Cas,” he cried louder. With each pull, the bindings tightened on his wrists and ankles.

“Cas, baby, can you hear me?”

“Justice?” Her voice was soft and filled with confusion. “Justice? What happened?”

“I’m not sure, honey. I’m not sure. Can you move?”

A scuffling sound came from where she was. “No. I’m all tied up.”

“Damn.” He had to think of something quick.

Light cracked from a door across the room and a silhouette moved close to them.

“What do you want?” Justice demanded.

The shape moved closer to Cas. “I want to make sure you suffer. You’ve been a pain in the ass for too long, Bernard. Disrupting business, interfering in places you don’t belong. It’s time you pay the price for what you’ve done. Maybe then you and your friends will back off.”

“Just let her go and we can talk about this.”

“No, can’t do that. See, the way the boss figures it, you’ll suffer more by knowing what she’s in for. There’s a lot of arguing going on about you. Most want to just kill you outright, but the boss says no. He loves to drag out every ounce of pain.”

Cas whimpered slightly and Justice strained to see what was happening, but the darkness refused to lift. “You lay one hand on her and I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch.”

“Justice,” she cried.

The sound of skin on skin resonated through the room. “Shut up, bitch.”

“You bastard.” Justice pulled on the ropes harder. The thought of Cas in pain was enough to make him see red. “Keep your goddamn hands off her.”

“Don’t worry, Bernard, it’s not my hands that are going to be touching her. Think about all the things she is going to be used for. All the men who are going to get to taste her, touch her.” The man laughed, a harsh wheezing sound.

“No.” Justice tried lunging against the ties again. It was useless to struggle, but he had to stop them, he had to get her free.

The man laughed again, and Justice heard the sounds of a chair scraping against the floor.

Justice could barely make out the man’s shadow as it moved to the door, dragging Cas along with him.

Callye struggled in the man’s hands, trying to pull free. “Let go of me,” she shouted and kicked out her legs behind her, desperately trying to connect with any part of his anatomy. “I said, let me go.”

The puffing breath of his horrid laugh ruffled the hair at her ear. “No way, sweetheart. You look good enough to eat, and believe me, when it’s my turn…” He left it hanging, and her stomach pitched.

The thoughts of what would happen to her made bile burn the back of her throat. The man’s hands were rough on her skin and his body reeked of, was that garlic?

“Please. Let me go. Leave me alone.” Hot tears streaked down her face.

How had things gone so wrong? One minute she was happy and carefree, imagining a wedding day then a life with the man she loved more than anything. The next, some stinking maniac is dragging her through a warehouse.

“Leave me alone.” Her arms slipped. She pulled free and began running, but the connection with a man’s hard chest slammed her to a stop.

“Slippery little bitch, aren’t you?” He laughed.

She never saw the fist that connected with her head before the lights went out.