Page 38 of Hunted Vengeance

“And there will be a van at the church before it’s time to leave?” I ask.

“The van will be there, and I’ll be driving it.”

Nodding, I look around the room before my gaze finds Theron’s. He must sense my hesitation about him being here, about all of them being here. I don’t vocalize it because they wouldn’t let me say the words anyway.

But I watch as he stands from his seat and makes his way over to me. He pauses, tilting his head to the side, his gaze searching mine for a long moment before he speaks.

“You stood behind me when I was dealing with Lucille, the Willow Club, and everything else that entailed. So I’m not going anywhere, I’m here for this, and when Boden, Grayson, and the rest of the guys find their women, we’ll be at their side for that shit, too. We’re brothers, Merrick—forever.”

Yeah, he sensed my hesitation, and since he knows me better than I even know myself, just like I know him better than he does himself, he answered my unasked questions and responded to my unsaid words.

“Let’s get your woman and bring her home.”

COLETTE

I’ve losttrack of the days, but since there is a hustle and bustle that has not been normal around the cabin, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that today is my wedding day… or death day, because I can’t see how I’m going to survive any of this.

This isn’t going to be a marriage.

It’s going to be an ownership situation, and I don’t want to be owned by Malcolm.

The bedroom door opens, and the man who has been sleeping here and giving me food and water, all in complete silence, speaks for the first time. I try to take in what he’s saying, but I’m so surprised that he actually has a voice that I have to ask him to repeat everything he’s just said to me.

“Shower and use the bathroom. We leave in twenty minutes. The makeup artists and hairdressers will be at the church in an hour for your arrival. The wedding planner should be arriving in two hours to ensure that everyone is where they need to be. The wedding is in three hours.”

I can’t imagine a world where it takes me more than an hour to get ready, but I am also not in charge of any part of myself. Sliding my legs over the side of the bed, I stand and make my way to the bathroom.

The man walks out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. I’m glad since there is no door for the bathroom. Malcolm must have expertly measured this chain connected to the headboard because I can move around the bathroom but can’t go anywhere else in the cabin.

Once I shower, using the shampoo and conditioner left for me, I comb out my wet hair and brush my teeth before I put on another outfit. I’ve been wearing the same thing every day, just in different colors.

Thankfully, someone has been doing my laundry. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what I would smell like right about now. Pajama shorts and button-up pajama tops are all that’s possible for me to wear since nothing can go over my head with the collar around my neck.

Once I’m ready, I stand at the end of my bed and wait. I only stand there for a few moments before my usually quiet babysitter appears. I expect him to look at me, but he doesn’t. He looks right through me.

I watch as he moves toward me, reaching into his pocket and producing a key. I wonder how long he’s actually had this key in his possession, but I don’t ask. Instead, I give him a smile and wait to be released.

Although I know it won’t be for long. I’m going from one chain to another and probably to a physical one again after I’ve said my binding vows. After the last three weeks, I am expecting the worst to happen after today.

And then there’s tonight.

The man who is going to have sex with me. The one who paid for a night with me on my wedding night. I haven’t allowed myself to think about it or to focus on it, but now that it’s here, it’s the only thing going through my mind.

Tears well up behind my eyes. I try to blink them away but end up sending them streaming down my cheeks instead. I’ve cried so much the past few weeks that I assumed I had cried all possible tears out of my body.

But apparently, I haven’t since they’re falling down right now. It’s just because everything is becoming a reality. I was hoping with all my might that Merrick would come riding in on a white horse like a fairy tale and rescue me.

But I’m not the beautiful princess, and he is not the handsome prince. I’m a piece of property, sold to the highest bidder, literally. And Merrick is a man who has so much going for him that he doesn’t need my baggage.

I pushed myself on him, and while it was amazing while it lasted, we are not meant to be—ever. My time with him, even if it was short and he didn’t want much to do with me, were the best moments of my life.

“Follow me,” the man announces, breaking me of my inner thoughts.

Jerking my chin toward him, I follow behind him. As we walk toward the front door of the cabin, I stop. He turns his head, his gaze lifting to mine, and holds my attention for a long moment.

“Where are my bags?” I ask.

Just when I think that maybe, just maybe, this guy isn’t necessarily an evil entity, his lips curve up into a smirk, and he lets out a snort.

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