Page 4 of Ruthless Beasts

“Who is stopping you?” My hand jutted forward, ready to push the veil away, and she flinched.

I hated that her immediate reaction was to flinch away from me. I’d never hurt a female. But then again, she did just see me put a bullet through a skull without hesitation.

“You will leave the girl out of this,” Accardo growled, and it only made me want to touch her more. “She’s innocent.”

“You will leave my daughter out of this,” a voice, so familiar, shouted as the man stomped up the stairs. My head whipped to the side, my eyes burning at Vinnie Crusiaux.

“She’s yours?” I stood, already having my gun pointed at the man.

“You will not touch her.”

Oh, that’s where he was wrong. My two greatest enemies in a single place, their daughter and son here at the church altar, likean offering to me. “Move closer and you’re dead. I didn’t come here to have trouble with you. Our past isn’t relevant here.”

It’s not relevant, but I’d be damned if I didn’t use this moment to get some payback.

“She’s my only child. Please.” He held out a hand, letting his weapon fall to the floor, showing me he’s no threat. Except I’ve lost men to him. People I cared about. A gun in his hand now or later won’t change what he is capable of.

I let my eyes fall to the burning emeralds of the girl’s eyes. “You’re a Crusiaux.”

She didn’t speak, didn’t need to. The truth of it was written on her face, and it was then I made a split decision. Break the heart of one of my enemies and forever hold the other in the palm.

“Father Anthony. We have a ceremony to complete.” I spoke to Father Anthony without turning my gaze away from the girl, giving an order as I stood.

Vinnie Crusiaux sighed his relief. His relief was short-lived. Mercer was behind the girl in an instant. His arm already hefted her up by the waist. “Boss?”

I knew what he was questioning. I hadn’t made this new turn of events clear. My only intent was to get in here, kill the son of my enemy, and let him feel the years of pain he had caused me. Everybody we dropped in the process was collateral damage. But plans changed. My motives did. Why hurt one enemy when two were presented to me with a bow?

“Father, proceed,” I ordered.

“No!” Vinnie lunged forward, but Drew stepped in his path, preventing the movement.

“Move another inch and we’ll start killing your guests,” Drew informed him.

It wouldn’t be hard. Fuck, look how easy it was to hide out and wait. The moment we showed up, their men hardlyfought, probably still hungover from a night on the town. But we overtook them effortlessly. Now they begged on their knees, hoping for a life we’d not honor.

With Max and Ace guarding the father and son, and Drew blocking my future father-in-law, Father Anthony continued speaking the expedited words of matrimony. I didn’t know what I was doing. It didn’t matter. My heart died long ago, and the words were powerless to affect it.

Still, I can’t say that speaking the simple phrase didn’t somehow tug at the pit of my stomach. “I do.”

“And do you, Bellamy Crusiaux, take Adam Ferrari…” His words died out with her panic. I couldn’t hear Father Anthony speak. Her head shook from side to side, denying me what she had no choice but to give. A single utterance of my name, and the girl was nearly hysterical.

Not enough to hurt her, Mercer gripped her jaw, gripping her head in place so he could mutter in her ear. “Say yes or your father dies.”

I saw the contemplation, when she debated her father’s life for her own. Then rejoiced in the moment she caved and acceptance took hold. “I…do.”

Father Anthony didn’t bother telling me I could kiss the bride. My lips were on hers before she could blink. A hard, chaste kiss. Before I pulled away, I whipped my gun out and shot Jonny Accardo dead. The act signaled my men to do the same, removing every threat of their men, leaving bodies slumped where they once kneeled. Sparing only Joseph Accardo and Vinnie Crusiaux.

And as I followed Mercer out of the church, my wife slung over his shoulder, the only sound that followed were the wails of women in the pews, praying for the dead.

CHAPTER TWO

BELLAMY

No. No. No.

This couldn’t be happening. Not to me.

But here we fucking were, and when his lips crashed to mine, I knew it was, in fact, a reality. I couldn’t dream it up if I tried. How had I gone from the arms of one enemy to the other in a blink of an eye?

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