Page 61 of Promised Vows

“No. I won’t marry him,” I growled. “You will never make me marry him.”

The strike to my face was so fast and hard, it momentarily dazed me. Papa had never touched me in such a violent manner before.

“You’ll do as you’re told, Anna. If you don’t, I won’t be able to guarantee your safety. Marco will be your husband, and it will be out of my hands.”

I gritted my teeth. “Ari will come for me, and when he does, he’ll bring an army. He cares for me, unlike you.”

Cora groaned, and my father stood and walked over to her. He swept his hand down her body and smiled. “Clean and attractive. Most likely educated. I think we’ll auction her off.”

“No!” Jason fought against the ropes. “Don’t touch her.”

In one swift motion, my father flew across the small distance and bulldozed his shoulder into Jason’s midsection. The chair fell sideways with a sickening crunch and Jason was motionless.

“Jason!”

“We’ve got eyes on him,” a voice called behind me.

Papa stooped and patted my cheek. There was a wild look in his eyes. I was pretty sure my father had lost his mind. Perhaps Jason turning on him had driven him insane. “Sit tight, darling. I’ll be back shortly, and then we’ll take a short trip to meet your new fiancé. We can discuss the details of the ceremony then.”

He was crazy if he thought I was simply going to hang out on the floor like I was at a slumber party.

The office door shut.

Cora lifted her head. “The next time he touches me, I’m going to leave a dental impression.”

With a grunt, I said, “Be my guest.”

She craned her neck to look at Jason. “Oh, Jason.” She slowly wiggled her way over to him. “Jason?” She touched her nose to his cheek.

“Is he breathing?” I was afraid what I heard was his neck snapping.

“Yeah, but he’s hurt pretty badly. Your father has beaten him and had him tied to that chair for hours. His shoulder is at best dislocated if not broken.” Cora set her cheek against his. “I was desperate for a job, and he let me work here. He’s been the best boss I’ve ever had.”

I watched her. “You’re in love with him?”

“What?” she asked and looked at me. “No, I’m not. He’s been good to me, and I don’t like to see him hurt.” She returned her attention to him. “Jason, wake up. You need to wake up.”

His eyes fluttered open a minute and immediately closed.

Cora sighed and seemed to fight against her restraints. “We need to figure out a way to get out of these ropes.”

Well, duh. “Yeah, I know. I’ve got a knife in my bra, but I wasn’t planning on being kidnapped and tied up, so it’s buried a little too deep to casually grab with my teeth.”

The door opened again, and my father stood there with the light behind him. “Oh, so glad you finally woke up, Cora. Is my son still breathing?”

“Yes.”

“Too bad.”

Papa strutted through the door like a peacock. Trailing behind him were two men carrying an unconscious Ari.

My breath caught. “No,” I murmured. How had my father managed to capture him?

“I’d heard about Wick, but clearly his reputation was more lore than fact.” My father left the room and returned with a chair that matched the one Jason was in. “Tie him to it, and make sure it’s tight. I have a lesson to teach him, and I don’t need him escaping before I’ve finished.”

Once they had him secured, I finally had a good line of sight on him. It was obvious that Ari was in a fight. His face sported a few bruises, and his lip was busted. It didn’t make sense though. I’d seen him after being ambushed, and he’d looked worse. Something was amiss. Had they somehow surprised him or drugged him? Drugging wasn’t a stretch because it’d been done to me.

“Stand guard, and don’t let anyone in. I’m calling a family meeting.”

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