Page 47 of Bound in Promise
Then I lock eyes with Angelo.
“Do not touch my men,” he spits. “Women don’t fight.”
This one does.
And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this asshole—or his men—hurt my husband while I stand around and do nothing.
“What are you doing?” I manage to get out, trying to breathe through the pain of his fierce hold on me. “What is this about?”
“Money,” he deadpans, finally loosening his death grip on my skull before lowering his hand to encircle my throat. “You’re worth quite a bit. Why would I ignore the opportunity to add a hearty bonus to the money Moretti owes? You’re an asset, and one I expect to cash in.”
My blood freezes in my veins and I swear my heart stops for a beat. This is exactly what Dante warned me about. That I’d be used for far more than my trust fund, at the mercy of men with cruel appetites and zero morals.
I reach a hand up to my throat, but Angelo uses his other hand to slap mine away, tightening his fingers over my windpipe. “Let go?—”
“I’ve been more than generous and endlessly patient while we settle the debt owed to me,” he snarls, baring his teeth. “But you and Dante are jerking me around, playing games. I cannot control your trust fund, not with how your idiot parents arranged things. And I don’t trust Moretti not to skip town, so it seems I must take matters into my own hands if I want things dealt with appropriately. I refuse to be made to look a fool!”
“I can’t control?—”
“Shut the fuck up, girl.” His icy tone sends another wave of fear through me and I fight a shiver. I will not show weakness to this man. “You had best learn to keep your mouth shut. Your pretty lies won’t sway me. I’m not negotiating anymore. Never wanted to in the first place.”
Angelo has been plotting this whole time, playing three-dimensional chess, and Liam’s stunt didn’t help matters at all. No, when he kidnapped me and left town all he managed to do was piss Angelo off and rouse his suspicion.
Now, Dante and I are in the hands of a selfish monster with an army at his beck and call.
“Let her go, Lombardi!” Dante bellows, his rage palpable. “We’re gonna settle this like men.”
Angelo doesn’t bother turning to acknowledge my husband, but I finally let myself seek him out. Looking beyond Angelo’s shoulder, I see three men flanking Dante, each one holding a gun aimed directly at my husband’s head.
My heart drops into my stomach. I can’t breathe. I’m desperate for some sort of assurance, but Dante is too focused on the man holding me by the throat to spare me a glance.
I let my eyes close, fighting back tears. There’s nothing he can do. He has to know that. We’re so, so screwed. Every second that ticks by makes it less and less likely that we will both survive this shitstorm.
“It’s already settled,” Angelo finally replies, his words cutting through the heavy silence as he finally releases me to readjust his suit jacket. “These men have come here to bid on your wife. And I would be a terrible host if I told my friends I dragged them all here for nothing. Can’t have that, can we?”
“If any of them touch her?—”
“Oh, they will,” Angelo chuckles, spinning on his heel to face Dante. “It’s a matter of course. Who would make such a large investment in a plaything without inspecting the merchandise first?”
“You’re fucking dead—” A gunshot rings out, slicing through Dante’s words.
I feel the shock of it as if I’m the one who took the bullet.
One of Dante’s legs buckles as a deep crimson stain spreads below his knee, but he catches himself and straightens his spine, clenching his jaw as he stares Angelo down. His eyes darken, filling with an ominous rage that speaks volumes of exactly what he plans to do once he’s free. Unfortunately, I’m not sure he’ll get the chance to act on those plans.
“You’re dead,” Angelo speaks. Those two words cause my stomach to twist in on itself and bile climbs up my throat.
He’s going to kill him.
Angelo is going to murder my husband right in front of me and there’s nothing I can do about it.
“I didn’t peg you as a swindler,” I blurt, attempting to redirect Angelo’s attention. Maybe I can talk some sense into him…
Or maybe I’ll make things worse.
“We’ve been following your rules. The money came through today. It’s in my account. If you kill me, it reverts to my parents. You kill him, and you’ll never see a penny.”
Angelo looks away from Dante and meets my angry glare with brows furrowed in confusion. It’s clear he doesn’t understand why I keep trying to get my way, not when I’m so clearly outmatched. “If I kill him, I will get your money. I have no intention of murdering you, bella. That choice will belong to whomever wins the auction, to which ever man buys you.”
