Chapter 44 Rylie
Rylie
How did I let myself get this far?
Thomas Thorn thought fear was enough to force me into marriage.
I’d played along—just long enough to find a way out. I told myself I’d escape before it became real.
Now I had two days left.
Thomas Thorn was a lawyer for the Mexican mafia. When he learned I’d been appointed District Attorney, he saw an opportunity. He wanted protection. Cooperation. Silence.
When I laughed in his face, he wrapped his hands around my throat and squeezed until the room went black.
When I woke up choking on air, he told me the cartel would descend on Eagle River if I didn’t marry him.
My dad said Trigger was back. Maybe he could help me.
Or am I too late.
Thomas watched me constantly. I wasn’t allowed anywhere alone. Someone was always there—across the street, in the lobby, outside my car.
The wedding was in Eagle River.
That was my one chance.
My phone rang, and I nearly dropped it.
“Hello?”
“Rylie, it’s Nora. We were supposed to meet at the library.”
Guilt washed over me. “I’m sorry—I forgot. Everything’s been… chaos.”
“Wedding nerves?”
“Something like that.”
She offered to come to the city. Panic flared.
“No,” I said too quickly. “Please stay in Eagle River. You’re about to have that baby.”
“The Magnolia ladies say babies come when they feel like it.”
I forced a laugh, but my hands were shaking.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days.”