Kidnapping His Bride

But that wasn’t very realistic or smart. So he needed to face their problems head on and solve them.

First one up? Annalisa.

The plane finally landed, Cat a little groggy from waking up not even twenty minutes prior and a lot nervous. Her mood agitated him, made him anxious and jumpy, and when they finally departed from the plane, he held her hand as they made their way toward the car he’d hired to take them to her family home.

“Are you okay?” she asked under her breath, clutching his hand tight.

Uneasiness washed over him, and he tried to ignore it. “I’ll be good once we get out of here,” he answered truthfully, releasing her hand so he could rest it at the small of her back. Something didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I don’t want to see Annalisa,” she admitted, her voice small. “I’m afraid of how she might react.”

“I feel the same way,” he agreed. “But the two of us together should be able to handle her, don’t you think?”

“Yes.” She sounded relieved as she sagged a little bit against him. “You don’t know how much I appreciate your support. I’ve been dealing with her alone for so long, I don’t know what it’s like to be able to rely on someone else.”

“You can always rely on me, Cat. I can assure you that,” he said, turning his head to the right when he heard a strange, loud banging noise.

And noticed the fleet of uniformed police officers headed in their direction.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, earning Cat’s attention.

“What? What’s wrong?” She turned to see what he was looking at and a sharp gasp escaped her. “Oh my God, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” he murmured, stopping just in front of the car. Unease slipped down his spine and he breathed deep, wondering what the hell could they want.

The police neared, their leader stepping out in front, a big hulk of a man with biceps the size of his head and dark sunglasses shading his eyes, expression unreasonable. “Are you Rafael Renaldi?”

Rafe stepped away from Cat, wariness settling over him. “I am.”

The policeman nodded. “I’m afraid we’re here to arrest you, Mr. Renaldi. I do hope you’ll be cooperative and not make a scene.”

“Of course.” He stepped forward, filled with regret at having to leave Cat’s side. “May I ask what I’m under arrest for?”

“Kidnapping.” He glanced at Cat. “Are you Catalina Campioni?”

“I am.” She moved so she stood beside Rafe once again, her voice firm. “And I left the country with Mr. Renaldi of my own free will. There’s no reason you need to arrest him, sir. There’s no kidnapping involved in this situation whatsoever.”

“According to your sister, a Ms. Annalisa Campioni, you haven’t been in the right mental state for years. She’s afraid for your safety. Both at your own hands and at Mr. Renaldi’s.”

“That is the biggest pile of garbage I’ve ever heard.” Cat stepped in between the two men, her posture stiff, her expression wildly defiant. “I refuse to let you arrest him.”

“That’s not up for you to decide, little lady,” the cop said, clearly irritated.

But Rafe’s Kitty Cat was enraged on his behalf. Pride filled him at seeing her like this, despite the fact that she might be hurting his chances at making bail any time soon. “My sister is making all of this up, sir. I swear to you, she’s lying. There’s nothing wrong with me or my mental state. I wanted to leave with him. He’s my fiancé. We’re going to be married soon.”

“I understand you’re upset, Miss Campioni, but I have legal documents in my car that declare you mentally unfit and that your sister is your temporary guardian.” The cop’s brow’s rose. “Do you want me to get them so I can show you?”

“What? Yes!” Cat threw her arms up in the air. “This is ridiculous.”

“Cat,” Rafe warned as the officer turned to one of his cohorts and asked him to grab the documents from his car. “Stop making a scene. Please.”

She turned on him, her eyes blazing with fury. “She’s making everything up, Rafe. You know this. Now she’s somehow had documents drawn up that claim my mental state is unstable? Next thing we know, she’ll have me locked up in an institution and I’ll never be able to see you again!”

“Calm down.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into him, giving her a brief, tight hug. “You keep this up and they really will think you’re mentally unstable. I need you to remain calm and quiet. Don’t get in the policeman’s face. He doesn’t like it. You’ll only prove Annalisa right. And you don’t want to do that, do you?” He gave her shoulders a little shake. “Can you do that for me?”