Page 18 of Bound in Promise
My lips tremble and a broken sob breaks free from my chest. Dante slowly lowers me, letting me find my feet before he pivots sharply.
My body lurches forward, chasing his as he wrenches Liam from the ground and steers him forcefully into the house.
But not before gently grabbing my hand and taking me with him.
Inside, Dante leaves me by the kitchen counter as he shoves Liam into one of the empty dining room chairs, almost sending him and the furniture toppling backwards.
Liam catches his balance, steadying the chair, before barking out, “What the fuck are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be—” Dante coldcocks Liam and the shock of the blow shuts the prick up.
Then my husband pulls some zip ties out of his back pocket, cinching them tightly around Liam’s wrists. “Move,” he warns, “and I’ll fucking kill you.”
“No, you won’t,” Liam taunts carelessly, spitting blood onto the floor.
“No?” In the next second, Dante’s palmed a gun from a holster tucked under his arm. Two shots follow and blood blooms from fresh holes in each of Liam’s thighs.
My ex hollers out in pain, curling in on himself before he begins to rock back and forth, continuing to wail. “You piece of shit! I’m gonna kill you for this!”
“Should’ve hired better hitmen,” Dante returns, holstering his gun. “I can’t tell you how easy it was to notice them.”
He did it.
Liam actually hired men to have Dante killed?
My brain spins into overdrive imagining the danger Dante’s been in. How did Liam even manage to find someone willing to commit murder? But my mind screeches to a halt when my husband turns me and I take an instinctive step backward as the full weight of his attention lands on me.
His eyes are filled with dark emotion, and anger and violence are pouring off him in waves.
If Dante notices my hesitation, he doesn’t acknowledge it. He ignores Liam’s panting as he sucks in air and growls obscenities, instead focusing on my body, lifting me by my hips and setting my ass on the edge of the counter.
His large frame wedges between my knees, forcing my thighs wide, and he cups my face. I can’t help the hiss of pain that escapes me, and his grip instantly gentles even as his brows lower with fury.
“I need you to do something for me,” he says, low and deliciously sweet, while he stares deep into my eyes. Despite the brutality of his actions, his gaze centers me. This man came after me, saved me. Whatever my husband has done today, he’s done for me. “It’s important, princess.”
“Anything,” I whisper, not even pausing to consider what he could need from me. His eyes shift, and I glimpse worry mixed in equal parts with the rage.
I can’t believe he’s actually here. It’s like a dream, something I can’t quite trust to be real.
“Grab my gun.” I hesitate, but he lowers one hand to pull mine to the holster cinched across his chest. The last time I touched a gun didn’t end well for me. Still, I trust Dante. “I need you to keep it on Liam no matter what, okay?”
Both our asses are on the line, and Liam has been the furthest thing from a kind kidnapper. He not only abducted me, he tried to attack me, tried to sell me… All that to say, I don’t trust Dante’s nephew as far as I can throw him. So, with a bravado I’m not really feeling, I tighten my fingers over the butt of the gun and slide it free. I can do this.
“You got him?” Dante asks, staring hard at my right cheek before lightly skimming his fingers over my scalp. He seems to be cataloging every bump and bruise marring my skull.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Good girl.” He returns his hands to my face, his thumb hovering over my cheekbone, barely brushing my skin with an almost heartbreaking tenderness. And then Liam starts spewing his bullshit again like the reckless idiot he’s always been.
“You really think she’d shoot me, Uncle D?” Liam snarks, clearly choosing to ignore the fact I’ve already shot him. Just this afternoon, actually. “You’re a fuckin’ idiot.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” Dante murmurs into the shell of my ear. The light puff of his breath sends goosebumps down my arms. “He moves, and what do you do?”
“Shoot,” I reply, steel in my voice. This isn’t a game. Dante has his back to Liam—the enemy—and he’s trusting me to keep him safe.
“Fuck you, Vee,” Liam snarls, his face twisted in hateful rage.
“Even towards the door.” I swallow at Dante’s words. The only reason for Liam to move toward the door would be to escape. He wouldn’t be trying to hurt us. “He’s a threat, princess. Even if he runs. I don’t want to have to chase him down.”
I turn my focus on Liam. I don’t want to disappoint Dante. Protecting us is my mission now. “Okay.”
