20. Victoria
20
VICTORIA
Thursday, September 12, approximately 2:00 AM
I wake up to the shock of my knees slamming into the hardwood floors of my dorm room. Before I can scream, a large hand slams over my mouth and I’m being dragged toward the door.
I panic and flail my arms out, searching for anything I can use as a weapon. Giving up on that, I slam my elbow back as hard as I can, earning a grunt.
One that is unmistakably Liam’s.
What the fuck is he doing?
I should probably try asking a better question, since obviously he’s kidnapping me, but I can’t be expected to be at my best when I’ve been ripped violently from my sleep. Still, I can’t seem to reconcile this new, dangerous Liam with the Liam I’ve known for years. Not knowing how entitled and immature he is.
Oh God, where’s Ellie?
He shifts his grip as we clear the door, shoving me through the empty hallways of the school but keeping a hand wrapped tight around my bicep. The stillness of the hour and the silvery light filtering through the windows mean it’s very late—or very early, depending on your perspective. Liam must have planned this out, making sure no one would be around to catch him.
Liam steers me toward the closest exit. The cool night air hits me, cutting through my thin pajamas. I spot a black SUV idling at the end of the sidewalk. The reality of my situation is starting to sink in, and I begin shivering uncontrollably as dread sweeps through me.
As Liam pulls me toward the waiting car, I attempt to shift my weight and dig my heels into the concrete. I don’t know whether the pain of my feet scraping against the sidewalk or the too-tight grip of Liam’s hold on my upper body is worse as he forces me to continue moving forward.
He’s able to easily overpower me, but I don’t want to go for this ride. The further we get from the building, the more desperate I am to escape. This is, quite literally, life or death.
The back door of the SUV pops open and Liam half lifts me in his arms, moving to toss me inside.
Fat chance.
Lifting my foot, I wedge my heel against the side of the vehicle and push back into Liam.
“Knock it off, Vee,” he grunts out, cursing more under his breath. “Get in the damn car.”
“Abso-fucking-lutely n—” Liam suddenly shoves me forward, making my knee buckle, and he takes advantage, tossing me through the door and into the back seat.
My legs slide against cool leather before my head crashes into the arm of another body. Guess someone else is joining me for this ordeal.
Steady hands grip onto me as I quickly glance up to see who it is, and my heart slams into my chest when I see his face.
“Dante?”
“It’s alright, princess,” he mutters softly. “Yell, scream, go ahead and fight this shit. I’ve got a plan.”
My lips part to ask him why he’s here, why he’d allow Liam to drag me out of my dorm in the middle of the night, but each of the front doors open. Liam smoothly slides in behind the steering wheel, but I can’t see who’s riding shotgun.
“What the hell is going on, Liam?” I bark out, unleashing my temper when he buckles his seatbelt. “Where are you?—”
“Shut up, Vee,” he gripes, throwing the SUV into gear before pulling away from the curb. “I’m not in the mood for your bullshit tonight.”
“ My bullshit?” I yell back. “You just kidnapped me?—”
“I don’t give a shit what I just did,” he bellows. “Sit back and shut up.”
I lean back and try to get a grip on the whirlwind of questions filling my head. “What did you do to Ellie? Where are we going?”
“Jesus Christ,” Liam mutters. “Can you believe this bitch?” He directs the question to the guy in the passenger seat, causing the man to twist around and giving me a good look at his face.
Chase Gladden.
“Hey, Vee,” Chase chirps, seeming to think I might be happy to see him. “Don’t worry about Ellie. She’s still out partying. We’re gonna go take care of some of those problems for you right now.”
“What problems?” This asshole snitched on me to my ex, the man who definitely isn’t my fiancé. No, that honor belongs to the guy sitting beside me and not saying a word. “The ones that you made?”
“Listen,” he concedes softly, raising both of his palms in defeat. “You came to me and it sounded like you were in trouble. I didn’t want you to deal with it all alone, so I consulted Liam?—”
“Am I not a goddamn adult? Can I not do things independently ?”
“It’s not like that. Liam should be in the loop if you’re in trouble. He’s your fiancé, Vee. He should know everything. That’s how relationships go and—” My palm cracks across his face so hard that I hear it before I feel it.
And I barely feel the sting. That’s how pissed I am.
“Are you seriously trying to give me fucking relationship advice right now?” My adrenaline is sky-high and I’m ready to launch myself across the middle console to deliver another blow to this asshole who thinks that having tits means I can’t do anything by myself, but I’m stopped by a heavy arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me back.
“Get a handle on her,” Liam orders with a sneer. “I can’t believe I have to marry this bitch.”
I open my mouth to tell him that he doesn’t need to. That I’d rather he didn’t, actually, but I’m stopped by the feel of a warm, muscled body pressing into my back. Calloused fingers cradle my head.
“Enough, princess,” Dante whispers right above my ear. His thumb gently brushes my neck and his fingers lace through my hair, stroking lightly.
“Get away from me,” I protest, wiggling in his lap and trying to work myself free. His grip on my hair tightens, stopping just short of causing me pain.
“Stay here,” he orders flatly, sounding almost bored. “And don’t give us any trouble tonight.”
If he hadn’t told me he had a plan before Liam got in the vehicle, Dante would be receiving a sharp elbow in the gut as well.
Instead, I sulk against him, scowling at Chase until he finally gets bored of my tantrum and turns to face forward.
I can’t believe I trusted him. His decision to go to Liam proves he’ll rat anyone out at the first sign of trouble.
That won’t be good for his reputation with the student body of Thronewood University. Especially if I end up marrying Liam tonight.
You’re not. Dante said to play along.
“What is going on?” I ask again, because being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night doesn’t seem like the start of a fun little road trip. Not getting any answers is really making me panic. “Why isn’t anyone telling me anything?”
“We’re getting married,” Liam drones, sounding as excited about it as I am. “Your mom is gonna be pissed, but oh well. I couldn’t help myself, just couldn’t wait to tie the knot.”
He’s desperate. Something changed.
“Breathe,” Dante whispers, still running the pads of his fingers through my hair and along my scalp in a soft massage. His tone is relaxed and I feel it in my bones, soothing my anxiety and helping me calm down. “That’s not happening.”
You’re going to marry me, princess…we’re going to do it my way.
That’s what Dante told me hours ago.
I have no choice but to believe that he has something up his sleeve. I just need reassurance. Something I can’t ask for in words—not with Liam and Chase in the car.
I reach my hand down, needing more than just the semi-relaxing movement of his hand on my head to tell me that I’m not marrying Liam Moretti. Not tonight, not ever.
Dante wraps his free hand over the top of mine, twining our fingers together briefly before curling my hand into a fist and covering it with his own. It’s a small thing, but it makes me feel protected.
Dante would never be this gentle with me—a major departure from his usual disdain—unless he was trying to tell me something.
I’m not marrying Liam.
But I have no idea how in the world he’s going to stop this.
Inhaling deeply, I try to relax and trust Dante to take the lead. He’d never have gotten in this SUV if he didn’t have a way to take control of the situation. I don’t know whether this was a last-minute effort of Liam’s that he caught wind of or if this was part of his strategy all along, but if I’m going to make it out of this alive, I have to accept that Dante’s the dark hero in this story.
I’m not sure how long Liam drives for, but eventually we leave Thronewood far behind and arrive in a backwoods town I’ve never been to. Warning bells start screaming in my head when he pulls into a church parking lot.
“I’ve got you,” Dante whispers before stepping out of the car.
Cold sweat beads on my forehead as Dante reaches back for me and I know that this is the moment my life changes forever. None of my careful plans will come to fruition.
I imagine this is what innocent people feel like when they’re sentenced to life in prison for a crime they didn’t even commit. Neither of these Moretti men asked for the mess they’ve inherited, but everything in me screams that it isn’t fair that I’m their solution. I wish my parents had never created a trust fund to help me get ahead in life.
Not that it would have ever been a help to me. I was never going to get married, never really planned on kids, so I was only ever going to get the small portion that unlocked when I turned twenty-five.
But I would’ve been free. Ellie and I would’ve gone to Paris and I would have knocked on a million kitchen doors until I found someone willing to take me on if I’d had to. I would’ve even been willing to take my violin to try my hand at busking on the street corner if it came to that. I could’ve fallen in love with some European guy who would’ve treated me like a queen.
My hopes and dreams may have been small by some standards, but they were mine. I would’ve been happy living in a cramped Parisien apartment with my best friend, living on cheap wine and buttery croissants. I didn’t need this. I may have been born a socialite, but this life never fit me. I’ve always stood apart, a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
Still, I never expected my life as part of society’s elite to turn into such a nightmare.
“Let’s go, Vee,” Liam snaps. I try to shake off my melancholy, blinking rapidly as I struggle to bring my mind back to the present.
To Dante’s hand, outstretched and waiting for me to take it.
With a shakiness I feel in my soul, I rest my palm in his and slowly step down to the pavement. Dante drops my hand the moment I’m safely on my feet. The sudden loss of his touch leaves me bereft and oddly chilled.
You have to endure this. We’re going to find a way out. His words spin through my head on a loop. I have to believe in him. Have to believe that he can get us out of this.
The guys lead the way up the stairs to the intimidating exterior. The light brown brick is weathered, appearing to be centuries old, and the tall double doors are a dark oak, scarred and stained from years of use. I barely have time to appreciate the large purple and blue stained-glass window, a portrait of the Virgin Mary, centered over the entrance before Dante pulls one door wide and waves me in.
I steal a glance at him, praying for him to give me some clue as to what we’re really doing here—with Liam, no less—but his carefully blank face tells me nothing.
Liam gives me a small shove when I don’t move and I stumble over my own feet as I enter the stuffy interior of the church. For a brief, desperate moment I have the thought that I must truly be worth nothing if even God won’t see fit to save me. Almost as soon as the thought forms, though, I dismiss it as unfair all around. God granted us free will to make our own choices, after all. I can’t expect to receive divine intervention for something like this.
I’m strong enough to find my own way. I have to be.
“Mr. Moretti,” the greeting echoes through the room, bouncing off the high ceilings and drawing my attention.
A man stands at the opposite end of the chamber, in front of a draped altar flanked by flickering candles. He’s dressed in black pants with a crisp shirt buttoned right to his throat, a pressed white collar circling his neck.
A priest.
I come to a grinding halt, but I’m propelled forward again by my ex-boyfriend’s impatient hand. I’m ten seconds away from committing a crime on holy ground if he continues to touch me.
“Father Charles,” Liam greets back. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”
The priest steals a quick glance at me before giving Liam a short nod. “It’s not a problem. I’m always happy to serve the Lord’s flock?—”
“There’s been a change in plans, Father,” Dante interrupts from behind me, making my stomach flip over itself in anticipation. “We’d appreciate it if you’d do this as quickly as possible.”
Father Charles sends Dante a confused look, folding his hands together as he takes a breath. “Of course. I’d be more than happy to resolve this matter promptly.”
A warm hand grips mine, and I know whose it is without looking down. He may not realize it, but having Dante here is the only reason I haven’t truly panicked or lost myself to my fury. We’re in the same position, both looking for a way out and realizing we need the other if we have any hope of getting through. But we still need to find an additional two million dollars.
He says he has a plan to get what we need, but until he decides to share it with me, I won’t be able to fully believe we’ll be safe.
Dante steps forward, towing me with him as he approaches Father Charles and puts distance between us and Liam. I swear I can feel Liam burning holes in the back of my head with his eyes.
“What the hell are you doing?” Liam snarls, his anger echoing through the room and every one of my bones.
Dante waits to respond until he’s standing next to the priest. I keep silent too, wanting to see exactly what Dante has up his sleeve. I hope I haven’t misplaced my trust, that he steps up in a way that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that we’re in this together, just like he’s said all along.
“Watch your language, boy, we’re standing in a church,” Dante chides. He shifts so that he is standing in front of me, Father Charles between us, and you’d have to be a dumbass not to pick up on what’s about to happen.
Liam has been replaced.
And he’s been too much of an idiot to register that fact before this moment.
“Uncle Dante,” Liam protests, taking a step forward. “What the fuck?—”
“Stunt’s over,” Dante claims, finally making eye contact with my ex. His face and body language make it clear that he doesn’t give a flying fuck how Liam feels about losing me. “You’ll get us all killed the moment you get your hands on Victoria’s money.”
Liam scoffs incredulously but everyone in the room knows exactly what kind of asshole he is. “What are you talking about? She has enough. Lombardi is going to get paid and I’ll get to leave?—”
“Go on, Father,” Dante orders, not wasting another second. There’s no point explaining the details of my trust fund to someone who will never see a penny of it in the first place.
“Wait a minute! This wasn’t the plan. We were gonna get out of here. You were gonna help me!”
“You didn’t do your research,” Dante retorts. “And this conversation is over. I’ll take care of Lombardi—you can go ahead and start forgetting about it.”
“You’re not about to marry my girlfriend.” Liam begins, stomping closer. My heart plummets, falling somewhere in the region of my stomach, but a metallic click stops Liam in his tracks.
My eyes scan to the source of the sound and I see Dante, standing with his arm extended and a black gun clasped casually in his hand.
It’s pointing straight at his nephew’s chest.
“Then take her from me,” Dante taunts simply, keeping the weapon trained on Liam. “Because I’d just as well shoot you now and skip dealing with whatever drama you’re about to lay on the table…” his voice trails off and he tilts his head, a considering frown on his face. “Or you can sit down and be a witness for my wedding. I’m good with either one, but make your choice quickly.”
Holy shit.
I know Dante isn’t fighting for me for any romantic reason, but that doesn’t change the fact I’ve never had a man stick up for me like he just did. I feel a flutter in my chest and a buzzing in my ears. Is this really my life?
I can’t help but be grateful to be standing on holy ground, even if Dante is waving a gun around at the altar. I say another prayer, hoping I can sway God to our side. Because whatever happens next, I have a feeling Dante and I will need His help to escape the Italian devil knocking at our door.