Page 67 of Bound in Debt
“What’s your name?” I bark out, suddenly filled with rage. This asshole shouldn’t have told Liam shit. Their supposed engagement didn’t give Liam the right to know what Victoria was up to. She still deserved respect and privacy. It wasn’t his secret to spill.
“Ch-Chase,” he stammers, not taking his eyes off my hands, clearly worried I’m going to decide to shoot him anyways.
“You ever rat my wife out again and I’ll kill you,” I warn, stopping when we’re standing in line with his pew. “For now, you should know I consider you in our debt for betraying her trust. But I can always act on that betrayal right now if you would prefer.”
“You can’t kill me in a church,” he whines. I can see why he’s Liam’s friend with that obvious sense of entitlement and epic stupidity.
“Would you like to watch me try? See if God steps in to save you?” His nostrils flare, but he’s smart enough not to mouth off again as he gives a slight shake of his head. “I’ll call you when I’m ready. If you mention my name or what happened here tonight, to anyone… Well, I don’t have a three-strikes rule. You won’t get a warning. Understood?”
“Fine.”
I’d love to teach the whelp some respect with a punch to the jaw, maybe a broken nose, but I refrain. My final goal for the night is to get Victoria somewhere safe so she can sleep and prepare for her classes tomorrow.
And we’ll need a car if we want to get anywhere tonight.
22
VICTORIA
Thursday, September 12, 5:40 AM
I’m married.
To a killer.
To my ex-boyfriend’s uncle.
To the professor who is determined to wreck my confidence and destroy my GPA.
To a man that refuses to give me a straight answer to anything.
After calling an Uber from the church steps, Dante booked us a hotel room for the night. On the way there, he explained that I would not be going back to my dorm tonight.
He wanted to keep Liam away from me at all costs. In fact, I was to keep my distance from my ex and all of his buddies as much as possible. That was rule number one, which he spelled out for me the moment the door closed behind us in our spacious hotel room.
Rule number two was that I needed to stay on campus. If I wanted to leave Thronewood, I needed to let Dante know. It seemed a little micro-managing to me, but I could swallow that one so long as he didn’t think I’d stop going to my classes at Graham.
Rule number three was that I could not speak to Chase Gladden at all, ever again, to infinity and beyond, forever. Dante was more than clear on that one. Again, an easy enough rule to accept.
And then rule number four was that I was to remain faithful to him for as long as we were married.
I admit, that last one tripped me up a bit. Really, who cares? It’s not like Dante and I are involved and while I may not have a line of dudes waiting to take me out on a date, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that I could meet someone.
Someone you’d bring into the middle of all this?
My nose scrunches in the dark as I continue listening to Dante breathing softly next to me. He stayed on top of the covers, choosing to lie on his back while I tucked myself under the duvet and settled on my side before we both drifted off to sleep.
But when I awoke at some ungodly hour, restless and uneasy, I found that he had turned to his side facing me. I haven’t been able to turn away from him since.
The soft glow of one of the wall sconces allows me to study his face. I’ve never seen him so relaxed, so peaceful. The shadows highlight his chiseled features, his strong jaw and cheekbones. Crows-feet are just beginning to form at the corners of his eyes. They should be a reminder of how much older he is, but they only underscore the air of confidence and authority he wears like a second skin. Dante may be twenty years older than me, but he is the most attractive man I have ever seen.
I have to remind myself that none of this is real, that it’s all an act, an elaborate lie to get us out of a bad situation. Nothing more, nothing less. The last thing I need is let my emotions get involved in this make-believe story. That would just complicate things.
Well, complicate them up more than they already are.
“Why are you up?”
I jolt a bit at the sound of Dante’s voice because his eyes are still closed. I know because I’m staring at them. “Don’t tell me you have eyes in the back of your head because you’d creep me out.”
