41. Phoenix
Chapter 41
Phoenix
I straighten the deep-red bow tie around my neck and stare at my reflection in the mirror. Besides the dark circles under my eyes, the hardness in them, and the red, angry flesh circling my wrists, no one would be the wiser that I’m being forced to marry my fiancée at gunpoint.
I’ve wanted to call her my wife for so long that it’s more than just a little unfortunate how things played into my deepest desire in such a fucked-up way.
Tyler steps into the small bathroom. He brought me here a while ago to get cleaned up and dressed for my wedding day.
My wedding day.
This guy is so screwed up, I don’t even know where to start.
Fear is still a constant—both for Eve and me—but I’m also slowly getting frustrated. The anticipation of not knowing what his endgame is, or why he’s doing this in the first place, has me on edge. I’m fidgety and jumpy .
“You clean up nicely.” He smirks at me like we’re best buddies. “Are you excited?”
I don’t respond, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it, laughing to himself.
“Fine. Have it your way and pout.” He grabs my dangling handcuffs and clicks the second one in place. This time, without the chain though. Waving his gun toward the door, he hollers, “Let’s roll. Your bride will be here soon. Back downstairs.”
I pause when I walk through the doorway into the basement, and blink. Black balloons are tied to some of the wooden beams, and a congratulations banner is hanging from the ceiling. A chill coils up my spine. It looks terrifying.
“Do you like it?” Tyler gives me a shove from behind. “I wanted to make it special for you.”
“You’re sick.” The words are out before I can keep them in. I know better than to make him angry, particularly when he presses a gun to my back.
Tyler chuckles. “Is that what you think? That I’m sick?”
I whirl around and lift an eyebrow, trying to appear unbothered. He doesn’t need to know that worry and alarm are clawing at my throat.
Straightening my spine, I sweep my arms to gesture to the morbid wedding scene. “Why else would you do something like this?”
He shrugs like I’m overreacting. “Maybe I have my reasons.”
I want to close the distance between us. Spit in his face. Make him cower in fear. Instead, I force my feet to remain in the same spot. “What reason could you possibly have for something fucked up like this? And I’m not just talking about kidnapping us. I’m talking about all the games you played with us for years . You killed Connie. You killed her, Tyler. You put me in prison. You tortured Eve for years, and then you planted a bomb on my car that almost killed us.”
He rolls his eyes. He fucking rolls his eyes. “You’re a little dramatic right now, don’t you think?”
I’ve never wanted to murder someone with my bare hands like I do right now.
If I wasn’t handcuffed, I would take my chances and jump him. And he knows that.
I still can’t help but lean closer. “You think I’m a little dramatic ?”
The words come out low and menacing, and Tyler sighs. “I’m marrying Evie and you. Isn’t that what you wanted? To be honest, I thought you’d be happy about the wedding.”
This son of a bitch.
He knows getting married under duress is straight out of a nightmare.
“Fine.” His chest heaves on an inhale, and he checks his watch. “The girls will be here soon, so let’s make this quick. You’re clearly hung up on this, so I’ll let you get in one hit. That’ll make you feel better.”
I rear back, unable to hide my surprise. “What are you talking about?”
He puts the hand with the gun behind his back and beckons me forward with the other. “Come on, I’ll give you one freebie. Hit me.”
Shaking my head in disbelief, I stare at him. He can’t be serious.
He shrugs. “Fine, I’ll go first.”
Before I can register his words, he swings his fist at me. He catches me so off guard that I don’t have time to move out of the way entirely, and he connects with the side of my head. Shit .
Since I’ve participated in countless prison brawls, instinct takes over, and I push him back far enough to hit him with my cuffed fists. Once. Twice. Three times. He gets another hit in too, this time clipping my nose before cold metal touches my temple.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He tsks and taps my temple with the gun prior to hitting me hard enough with the butt of it to force me to my knees.
“Naughty, naughty. I said one .” His breathing is harsh as he paces back and forth.
When I stop feeling like I might pass out, I glance up at him. It takes a herculean effort to keep my mouth in a straight line at the sight of him. Blood is trickling from his nose onto his white shirt, and his left eye is slightly swollen.
Satisfaction courses through my veins strong enough to dull the pain of my injuries and that I probably don’t look much better than him.
“Well,” he raises his hands and drops them back to his sides, “do you feel better now?”
This guy is seriously unreal.
The only way I’d feel better is if he was dead at my feet.
Footsteps sound on the level right above our heads, and Tyler gasps.
He smiles at me, bloody teeth and all. “Here comes the bride.”
The short-lived satisfaction of making him bleed disappears, as excitement to see Eve blends with worry.
We will survive today. We will fucking survive today .
Pushing back on my feet isn’t easy, but I manage. The handkerchief from my breast pocket is the only tissue alternative I have, so I use it to wipe as much blood from my face as possible. It’s quite the task without a mirror.
The footsteps are on the steps leading to us now, so I give up on my face and jam the fabric back into my pocket.
My gaze is zeroed in on the doorway because, despite the sickening circumstances, I don’t want to miss a single glance of my bride.
Eve turns the corner, and my breath catches in my throat.
Her deep-crimson gown matches my bow tie, and her dark hair frames her face in silky waves. She’s absolutely breathtaking.
Our gazes collide, and the shy smile vanishes the second she gets a good look at me.
“Oh my God, what happened?” Without pause, she grabs two handfuls of her thick skirt, lifts it, and hurries over. “Phoenix, are you okay?”
Her focus is entirely on me, and since Tyler’s clearing his throat, I’m guessing he doesn’t like that fact.
We both eye him, but his gaze is on Eve only.
“Get out of line again like this, and you’ll regret it. Are we clear?”
Eve swallows and nods, her focus dropping to the floor.
Tyler motions behind him. “Come on, babe, we don’t have all day. Let’s get this party started.”
Ruby steps closer, and I narrow my eyes at the state of her face. That bastard put his hands on her? One moment is all I need. One moment without handcuffs where I won’t risk anyone’s life, and this guy is dead .
Tyler pulls a stack of note cards from his back pocket and clears his throat. “Everyone in position.”
Ruby makes her way to a spot near the end of the room and motions for Eve and me to follow. We join her, and Ruby glances at us.
“Just pretend you’re walking down an aisle toward him from here. First groom, then the bride.”
Something unspoken passes between Ruby and Eve, and I wonder if they had a chance to talk. Were they able to come up with a plan to escape? Ruby squeezes Eve’s arm and hurries toward Tyler.
Eve studies me and whispers, “You okay?”
I nod. Instead of answering her question, I say, “You look beautiful.”
What if this is the last time I see her? We both know Tyler isn’t marrying us out of the goodness of his heart. He must have something else planned, but what? This could be his grand finale. I just don’t know what happens after, which is incredibly nerve-racking.
Eve does a crap job hiding her worry and fear too.
She barely manages a smile because of her trembling chin. “Thank you.”
“Phoenix, over here.” Tyler’s voice grates on my ears.
I hate that I wasn't able to finish the job and beat his face in.
Grabbing Eve’s hands, I squeeze them and mouth, “I love you.”
This is not the end. We will get out of here. We will survive.
I walk toward Tyler, with my hands curled into fists in front of me.
Showtime.
Once I’ve taken my spot, we all turn our heads toward Eve. I feast my eyes on my beautiful bride, committing every detail to memory.
Tyler ruins the moment when he curses under his breath.
“Stop.” He barks something at Ruby, who runs into one of the sectioned-off rooms and rushes to Eve with something in her hand.
Eve gasps.
Ruby holds out the item to her. Eve’s hands shake, but she accepts the dark bundle. I have a good guess what it might be.
That sicko.
“Perfect.” Tyler’s voice is giddy. “Music, please.”
I detest him more with every passing second
Ruby uses her phone, and after a few seconds, the “Bridal Chorus” fills the air.
Eve’s chest heaves as she ambles toward me. Despite the situation, there’s a flutter in my stomach, and I watch her every step. She’s a vision in her nontraditional dress, which is quite fitting, considering the majority of our relationship has been pretty nontraditional too.
The fairy tale version of us I told Eve about yesterday is so far from reality it’s laughable. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get the ending we want.
Many roads lead to a happily ever after, and if ours is tainted by violence and murder, so be it. I’m happy to bathe in the blood of our enemies if it means I’ll have her forever.
It will be well worth it to kill Tyler to get Eve out of here alive.
Eve reaches us, and now that I get a better glimpse, my guess is confirmed. A bouquet of dark-red wilted roses. The same ones Tyler sent Eve before.
I cannot wait until this asshole is as dead as these flowers.
Ruby takes the bouquet from Eve, and Tyler clears his voice.
“We’ve gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two lovebirds.” He smiles as if he’s genuinely happy.
Eve intertwines her hands with mine, a luxury I’m glad the handcuffs allow.
“Did you hear that, old man?”
I frown at Tyler’s words. Did he just call me old man?
He grins at us and rubs his hands. “My bad, I totally forgot about the other surprise.” He rushes to the chair next to his little podium and turns around a laptop.
My mouth falls open when I get a look at the screen. “Dad?”
Tyler waves me off. “He isn’t allowed to talk right now, as you can see, so don’t bother.”
Duct tape covers my dad’s mouth, and his murderous gaze glares straight at the camera.
“What the fuck is going on?” I slowly feel like I’m losing my mind with all of Tyler’s damn “surprises.”
Tyler narrows his eyes at me. “I’ll tell you what’s going on later. Right now, we have a wedding ceremony to complete first.” He gestures with his gun toward Evie.
I swallow and face Eve. Slowly, I unclench my teeth. I just need to focus on her and zone Tyler out. I can do that.
“So, where were we?” Tyler scowls at his cards. “Oh yes, we’re gathered here today. Yada, yada, yada. Until death do us part.” He wiggles his eyebrows and smiles at his last words.
Is that supposed to be a hint at what’s to come? Bile bubbles up from my stomach at the prospect. He throws card after card on the floor until he gets to the last one.
“Evangeline Caldwell, do you take Phoenix Montgomery to be your lawfully wedded husband, and so on?”
Eve looks at me with so much turmoil in her eyes, my heart stutters, followed by this falling, spinning-down feeling.
When she doesn’t answer immediately, Tyler approaches her and puts his gun to her temple. She flinches and closes her eyes.
I’m immobilized. One wrong move. One wrong word, and he might shoot her right in front of me.
A realization clicks into place. I would follow her.
Tyler’s jaw tics. “I said, Evangeline Caldwell, will you —”
“Yes, yes, yes, I do.” The words rush out of her mouth, her eyes shining with a layer of moisture that wasn’t there a moment ago. She takes the unfamiliar ring Tyler holds out and slips it on my finger, a single tear running down her cheek.
Another thing this bastard will pay for. How many tears has she shed because of him? He’ll pay for every single one of them.
Tyler grins. “Good pet.” His attention shifts to me. “Your turn. Phoenix Montgomery, will you?—?”
“I do.” There isn’t a single ounce of doubt in my voice as I glide the engagement ring I got for her back on her finger. Where it belongs.
Tyler chuckles. “So eager. I love it. Tenacity undoubtedly runs in the family, doesn’t it? By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
While I can’t take my eyes off Eve, my brain is still hung up on what Tyler said.
“I said, kiss the fucking bride.” Tyler aims the gun at me again. “Or do you need me to show you how it’s done? I know exactly how she likes it, don’t I, Evie?”
Red-hot anger courses through my veins at his words.
It’s one thing to have a suspicion and another to have it confirmed, especially in a moment like this.
Eve hisses, trying to tug her hands out of my too-firm grasp.
“Sorry.” I immediately let her go.
Tyler chuckles like the psycho he is. “I’m sorry. Is that a sore spot for you, Phoenix?” He waves his gun around. “Why don’t you show me how it’s done? Theoretically, you’re supposed to teach me stuff, right?”
Tyler distracts me on purpose, feeding me these little hints and riddles that drive me insane. I’m about to turn to him to tell him to just spit it out already when Eve gets in my space. She cups my cheeks and presses her lips to mine. We stay like this for several moments before we pull apart.
Tyler moves so close, his breath drifts over my neck. “No, that was not it. You can do better. Now.”