Page 65 of Bound in Debt
“Are you for real?” Liam shouts when Victoria doesn’t move toward him.
She stays by my side.
Loyalty doesn’t have to be declared through some showy speech. No, real action is more than enough for me. Victoria may have fucked up in trying to find her own way out, her desire for independence landing us in this very church, but the woman’s not stupid. She’s aware that Liam is incapable of following through, that my nephew is entirely undeserving of her trust.
“Take a seat,” I order, jerking my gun to one of the pews. “You’re holding up the priest.”
“I’m not staying for this shit,” he spits. “You double-crossed me.”
“I’m saving you,” I retort. “If you run from?—”
“Shut up,” he sneers.
If I hadn’t been lying awake in Marco’s guesthouse, unable to sleep, I wouldn’t have known what Liam would attempt tonight. If I hadn’t decided to get some fresh air, I never would have overheard him telling Marissa—his wild panic obvious in his tone—about Victoria’s attempt to get a passport and run.
His mother came up with this ugly idea to trap Victoria into a speedy marriage, speaking soothingly as she convinced her son to kidnap Victoria and bring her to her old family priest.
I didn’t even bother pretending that I hadn’t heard the whole scheme when I opened the backdoor and entered their kitchen, breaking up the sneaky little conference. Instead, I offered my services as backup.
Liam had resisted, but Marissa latched onto my suggestion, happy to send some extra muscle to support her son. Fortunately for me and Victoria, my nephew always seems to do what his mother tells him to.
Bet he won’t make that mistake again.
“Word of advice,” I say. “Make sure you stick with people you trust for things like this, you moron.”
My nephew glowers at me once more before nodding his head at his buddy and turning on his heel. The pair of idiots march back down the aisle and toward the doors.
“We need a witness,” Father Charles mutters from behind me, a slight tremor in his voice. I’m sure it’s the gun that has the priest worked up. I sigh, rolling my eyes.
“Hey, you,” I clip out, stopping Liam’s little snitch in his tracks. “Sit down. That pew right there is close enough. You’re my witness. Try and leave and we’ll get a chance to test my aim.”
He hesitates, obviously about to miss his ride back to Thronewood as Liam storms outside, but eventually he slides into one of the wooden benches.
Perfect.
Returning my gun to the holster strapped at my lower back, I check on Victoria. Her pupils are blown and she leans slightly away from me as she looks me up and down as if she doesn’t recognize me.
That makes two of us.
I never wanted to get married. Not after what Gabriella put me through.
Now I’m giving my last name to a twenty-year-old, an innocent bystander whose only hope of a savior is…me.
I didn’t sign up to be anyone’s hero.
If I had half a brain cell focused on self-preservation, I would’ve left the States the moment I found Angelo Lombardi waiting in my office. I was fully aware of how messy this could get, the lengths I’d need to go to get myself out of it, and what could—and more than likely, would—happen to Victoria. I knew Liam wouldn’t pull this off.
Not without screwing her over.
I’ve never had a hero complex, always accepting my role as the villain instead. This one attempt to shake things up may very well get me killed. How ironic to die the first time I try being the good guy.
“You ready, princess?”
I can see the reluctance and fatigue in her soft blue eyes, but I don’t know how to make this any better for her. Women usually want romance and love, things this girl absolutely deserves. Things I can’t give her. All I can do is keep her safe from the mob until we can put this shitshow behind us.
“I’m ready,” she exhales shakily before I reach for one of her hands in silent comfort and support.
Father Charles launches into the beginnings of the wedding ceremony and I let his voice fade to the background. The resolve in Victoria’s eyes keeps me rooted in place, grounding me and giving me the assurance I need that I’ve made the right decision. I won’t regret saving her, whatever comes next.
