5. Evangeline
Chapter 5
Evangeline
“ I f they think I’m going to just lie down and marry Phoenix like a good little girl, they’re officially delusional.” I pace the length of our living room over and over. Back and forth. Back and forth.
“Babe, please, you’re making me dizzy. Sit down,” Ruby whines from the couch she and Mason are sitting on.
They’ve been there for the last ten or so minutes while I told them what happened. While I told them I was supposed to marry Phoenix. That I had to track down my parents to confront them, and that my dad expected me to marry him out of family duty . Those were his exact words. That it’s my job, part of the business. They’ve all lost their fucking minds.
Of course, he brought up the donations again, but there’s only so far I’ll take that. I’ll just have to find another way to help Doreen at the shelter. And the fact that Phoenix is going along with it like it’s totally normal to have an arranged marriage like this in the twenty-first century is insane, and to the sister of his dead fiancée, no less. What is he thinking?
I plop down onto the empty couch and stare at the coffee table, unable to look at my friends. I don’t want to see the pity in their eyes.
“You know, I’m not even too surprised about my dad pushing this. He’s greedy and has been very vocal about wanting to work with Montgomery Enterprises. This is his chance to get the piece of the pie he’s been wanting so badly. But to sell off his daughter for it? After everything that happened with Connie?”
I heave a sigh and drop back into the cushions.
The desire to throw a blanket over my head and pretend life isn’t happening is overwhelmingly high.
“Evie.” Mason’s gentle tone is accompanied by the couch dipping next to me, right before he wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me closer. “We’ll figure this out, okay? I mean, they can’t make you, right?”
No, they can’t.
That’s my only silver lining.
Am I going to lose my family and possibly more if I refuse?
It’s not like they hold you in high regard anyway.
No . . . no, they don’t.
Because they blame you for your sister’s death.
Because it was my fault.
It’s my fucking fault she died.
“Shh.” Mason rubs my back. “You’re starting to hyperventilate. You need to breathe.”
I gasp for air and close my eyes. I was so lost in my head, the past dragging me into its dark depths like so often, I didn’t even realize what I was doing.
Inhaling deeply, I try to calm my erratic breathing. Cold sweat runs down my back, and my eyes burn .
Sometimes, I really wish it had been me in that car accident and not my sister.
I bet she would have had a better shot at life and happiness. She always saw the cup half full instead of half empty, even when she was ruining her life.
“I don’t know exactly how, Angie, but it’ll all work out. You just need to trust me to do the right thing, even if you think I’m making a mistake right now. Phoenix is my saving grace, and I need him more than you’ll ever understand.”
I was shaking uncontrollably when she said those words to me, every word piercing my whole being once again. Like I was the problem in that situation and couldn’t see the beauty before me. Like she wasn’t the one cutting out my heart by marrying Phoenix.
I will not make the same mistake she did. No way in hell am I going to marry that man.
I can’t.
I wouldn’t survive it.
“Babe, look at me.” Ruby crouches before me on the floor and takes my hands into hers.
After a moment, I manage to lift my gaze.
“Breathe with me, okay?”
Shit. Did I lose it again? I pause and peer down at my heaving chest. Yup, way too fast.
“Evie, focus.” Ruby gets in my face again, her eyes narrowed. “I need you with me.”
It’s hard to read her face. She might be close to either slapping me or starting to cry. Fifty-fifty. Since I don’t want her to do either, I drive through the thick fog in my mind and focus on her as best as possible.
She nods. “Good. Deep breath in . . . and then out. ”
I stare at her mouth and follow her instructions.
When she seems satisfied, she sits back on her heels. “Shit, man. This is all really bad, isn’t it?”
I’m about to reply just as the doorbell rings.
We all stare toward the entryway like the Devil himself is waiting on the other side of the door, ready to collect our souls.
Mason gets up. “Stay here, I’ll get it.”
Since we’re seated around the corner, I don’t have an actual view of the front door or the visitor. The swoosh of the door is the only indication Mason actually opened it. Other than that, there are several beats of silence.
I’m about to jump off the couch to see what’s going on when Mason sighs.
“What do you want?”
“I’m here to get Evangeline.” The deep voice is laced with both amusement and authority. What a strange combination.
“She’s not going anywhere with you. Tell Phoenix the deal is off.” Mason’s voice is low and surprisingly hard.
My mouth drops open.
He’s usually so calm-mannered and gentle.
The other guy chuckles. “Good to know. Tell her she’s got five minutes.”
I’m out of my seat this time, ready to tell whoever’s at the door to screw themselves.
But by the time I reach the door, it’s already closed, with Mason sagging against it.
He presses a hand to his chest. “Shit. That guy is a scary motherfucker. ”
“Who?” I halt in front of him, rising onto my toes to see through the peephole.
Of course, I can’t make out anything but a black SUV parked by the curb.
Mason gives a shaky laugh. “That huge guy Phoenix was with at the party. He gives the impression he could snap anyone in half in less than a second.”
I think for a moment but shake my head when I come up empty. “I remember you talking about him, but I can’t remember what he looks like.”
“Probably for the best.” Mason checks all the locks and takes my hand to drag me after him through the open living room and into the kitchen. “I need a drink.”
“Already on it.” Ruby is in front of us.
She climbs on the counter with one knee to reach the shot glasses before lining them neatly on the island between us. Mason fills them with clear liquor. I have no idea what it is or where it came from. One of them shoves a glass into my hand, and I take it, working on autopilot. We clink glasses, and I down the shot. The liquid burns in my throat and all the way down to my stomach, slowly settling into a comforting warmth.
“Another one.” My voice sounds weird, even to my ears, but I ignore it. I need this.
After my third shot, the burning travels through my entire body. It feels incredible.
I hold out my glass for another refill at the same time as an ear-splintering noise fills the room.
“Fuck. Get down and behind the island,” Mason yells.
I’m frozen, unable to take my eyes off the massive man striding toward me .
His stride is casual like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
If he were walking past me on the street, I’d probably stop and stare too. It’s impossible not to. He’s dressed entirely in black, with his dark hair pulled away from his face in what seems to be a man bun. I can’t be sure from this angle. A thick, well-groomed beard covers the bottom half of his face, somehow accentuating his smile.
Why is he smiling at me?
“Your time is up, Princess.”
Without any preamble, he squats in front of me. With his body bent in my direction, I’m heaved into the air, my midsection hitting his hard shoulder.
My world turns upside down.
“Ooof.” I’m still trying to figure out what just happened when I sway around like I’m on a boat.
My stomach is unsure how to feel about that, but thankfully, it decides it’s okay for now.
Mostly.
Did this guy . . . did he seriously just throw me over his shoulder?
What the fuck?
“Let her go,” Mason yells from somewhere behind me.
Or in front of me? I’m not even sure anymore.
I stare at the floor as we move away from my friends.
No, no, no.
I finally find my brain again and pound on him with my fists. “Let me down.”
His shoulders shake underneath my stomach. Is he laughing at me ?
Hurried footsteps come closer, and I try to hit him harder.
“You can’t just take her.” Ruby’s voice is loud with the slightest slur to it.
The guy holding me stops and spins around. “Try and stop me.”
Another spin, and we’re on the move again. The guy steps over strewn pieces of splintered wood and walks outside.
What the hell?
Was that our front door?
Or rather, what’s left of it?
Who does something like this?
The Thing.
That’s what Mason called him yesterday. This first impression might have been spot on.
I stare at the damage in disbelief, and then Ruby’s collection of garden gnomes which has, thankfully, come away unharmed. She’d be livid otherwise.
“Watch your head.”
That’s all the warning I get. One of the man’s hands leaves my thighs and goes to my back, and two seconds later, I’m in the back of a car. I’m unsure how he managed to get me in here like this, but I’m too stunned to react. Then the door closes, and I’m locked in.
I blink.
He steps away from the door and intercepts Ruby and Mason, who are frantically trying to get to me, while I yank on the door handle, push every available button, and hammer on the darkened windows.
The stranger ignores me and talks to my friends for a moment. After that, he goes to the front of the car and gets into the driver’s seat.
I gasp, all I’m capable of, while my brain tries to force its way through the fogginess in my head. But to no avail. The alcohol has fully hit my system—hard and fast—just like the brute leisurely driving away from my house.
No screeching tires or speeding, like I’d normally associate with a kidnapping. This man is way too chill for my taste, which might be even worse.
There’s a partition between the front and the back, but it’s down enough for me to glare at the burly man behind the wheel. “Where are you taking me?”
He glances at me in the rearview mirror. At least, I think he is since his eyes hide behind his aviators.
“To Phoenix.”
Although I’m not surprised about the answer, adrenaline still shoots through my system. “I need you to let me go, please.”
He shifts his focus back to the road. “Can’t do that, Princess.”
I try again, pleading and begging, but he ignores me.
With every passing second, the overwhelming sense of dread grows.
I need to get out of here.
I’m not having Phoenix steamroller all over me like this.
He can’t do that. I won’t let him.
With each turn, hole, or bump we hit, my stomach complains, and my nausea grows to terrifying heights.
I don’t drink often, not liking the lack of control, but I usually handle my alcohol better than this .
A normal person would also make sure to eat something before you take shots like someone whose life isn’t blowing to shit.
Ugh.
How could I forget I’d barely eaten anything substantial in the last twenty-four hours?
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I stiffen.
Of course, I forgot I had it on me.
I pull it out quickly, excited to be able to call someone for help.
But the moment I see the name on the screen, a new wave of nausea hits me.
I click on the notification to open the message.
Freddy
I heard congratulations are in order. You’ll be a good fiancée and wife, won’t you, pet?
I stare and stare, and stare some more until the phone becomes blurry in my hands.
Freddy
We don’t want your friend’s career to end before it ever begins, do we?
A photo comes through. Ruby on stage during one of her rehearsals from last week.
My stomach gives a warning, wordlessly telling me that no one should drink several shots on a stomach that’s not just empty but also upset.
I have to agree. That was a really bad idea.
“Stop the car.”
The man ignores me.
“I’m going to be sick. ”
This time, he inspects me in the rearview mirror just as I slap a hand over my mouth.
The tires screech. He pulls the car sharply to the right, and we bump for several feet until we come to a complete stop.
He’s out of the car and in the back to open my door.
Just in time, too, because everything comes out in a big gush of liquids.