Page 12 of Betrothed in Fury
The next fewdays are uneventful, but I’m anxious as fuck. Well, more than usual. I assume it’s a trauma response from the abduction, a part of me waiting for more guys to break in at any moment and tear me away from my family. I’ve had a few dreams where I’m in a wedding dress, heading down the aisle toward Killian, who stands in a tux with a priest at the altar. One would think it’d be difficult to secure a Catholic priest for a gay wedding, but they probably don’t know the Wildes or the Lordes.
“The good news is, nothing about this is legally binding,”my attorney, Finter, assured me after reviewing the contract, which, no shit, but that’s not really the issue.“As far as protection goes, it’s contingent upon this wedding.”
Of course it is. Just my luck. I’m sure one of the Lordes’ best lawyers came up with this. Old Terror was brutal, not an idiot.
Outside of the contract, I’ve gone through our finances with our accountant. Repaying the debts written off because of our arrangement with the Lordes would be, short of a miracle, something we would never recover from. And even if we could get out of our debts, that would still leave our enemies. Our family earned every one, and the moment this forcefield around us disappears, they’ll descend upon me and my brothers in a storm of vengeance and blood.
Killian is smart enough not to bother me while I mull over everything he said, and on Friday, I’m in Dad’s study, catching up via FaceTime with Malaki, who’s rambling about his friends and school.
“You there, bro?” he asks, shaking me out of my daze.
“Sorry, just a lot on my mind.”
I haven’t mentioned any of this arranged-marriage BS to him or Rory. Their education and futures are my priority. Unlike Wrath, Masters, and me, neither of them has any interest in this life, so I consider it my duty to ensure they never have to deal with it any more than their birthright forces them to. But I must admit I envy how they can make plans for something bigger and better. Because for me…well, I never had a chance to dream of another life. This was always my fate. It’s not something I allow myself to dwell on usually, mostly because it doesn’t do me any good. It’s different now, though, and I’ve been letting myself indulge in self-pity. I’m a cornered animal, right where Killian wants me.
“I’ll be fine,” I tell Malaki, not sure if that’s even the truth.
He angles his head, issuing an accusatory glare. “Okay, I’ve been gone for a few months. That doesn’t mean I can’t read when something’s up with you.”
“Fair enough. Something is going on, but it’s just business. My responsibility.”
He studies my expression. I want to shift the phone so he won’t be able to get too good of a read on me. But even if he tried, I can’t imagine he’d clock what’s really going on.
“You know, you don’t have to do this,” he says, and the way he words it…does he know? Wrath is a little snitch, so it wouldn’t surprise me.
“Do what?” I ask, cautious in case I’m wrong.
“Be all quiet and broody, keep it all packed in and not ask for help. It’s nice to talk about things. I actually have a counselor here, and we talk about a lot of things.”
“A counselor? What do you talk about? You aren’t telling them family secrets, are you?” My words come out more hostile than I intended, a consequence of being obsessed with secrets allmy life. I bite my lip. “Sorry, I know you wouldn’t do that. I don’t know why I reacted that way.”
“I think you just demonstrated what I’m talking about. This isn’t healthy, Logan. To keep things buried like that. I’ve just been talking about some stuff that happened when we were younger. Like…” Even before he says it, I already know where he’s going. “With Mom.”
Vivid images flash through my mind—bright-red blood, being gripped by terror as I seize my gun, rushing through the house, desperate to make sure my family’s okay…
I clench my fists, trying to will away the thoughts of that fateful day. The day our mother died.
“Obviously, just the event,” Malaki assures me. “And once I got it out, it didn’t feel as heavy. It didn’t feel so scary.”
I glance around Dad’s office, searching for a way out of this conversation. “I think I have some things I need to get to.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Logan.”
“You didn’t. I just, I need a minute.”
It’s not that the memory is too much for me. Hell, there hasn’t been a day since then that I haven’t gone over it, whether I wanted to or not. It just feels like I can’t deal with it while I’m already stressed out of my mind over Killian.
I tell Malaki I love him before hanging up, and I’m about to head out of the study to mope about the premises when the door bursts open. I jump, half expecting Killian’s come to collect.
It’s only Wrath. “Whoa, bro. Why so jumpy? Guess being kidnapped will do that to you. You know, that last time I was kidnapped, it wasn’t so bad. Met some nice guys, and I had a good time before I killed them all.”
If only he was joking.
He slaps my back. “Relax. You’ve been too uptight the past few days.”
“I was just on the phone with Malaki, and it reminded me why it’s so important to maintain protection for our family. Everyone shouldn’t have to pay for this family’s mistakes.”Just me…
“I don’t think you get how the mob works,” Wrath says. “You don’t get a choice about it. It’s in our blood, and that includes the little artist.”
