Page 115 of The Vow

What kind of justice was that?What kind of future was that?

So, I’d swallowed down my wrath like it was the sharpest knife, burying the deadly end deep in my chest along with my resistance. The Remington I wanted them to see had just sold the idea that his wife was a commodity, one that could be bought and one that could be loaned out for the sake of the deal.

“What’s one night, Remington, for the sake of the deal? You said yourself the marriage was transactional.”

I’d been backed into a corner, and though I wasn’t sure if Belmont knew it, Shazad certainly did.

My fucking wife.

I’d told Belmont I was tired of being fucked with every time I acceded to another of their demands and that I needed the rest of the day to consider it.

Maybe the threat of this deal falling through would make him sweat enough to stand up to Shazad.Probably not.

My footsteps that clicked like shell casings falling on the hardwood floor slowed. Belmont’s guard swore under his breath as he almost ran into my back.

The bones in my fist creaked and cracked as I drew my hand from my pocket and stretched my fingers apart. My muscles protested, wanting to snap back together and take my anger out on the man looming like a heavily breathing shadow at my back.

“If I could borrow your phone, old sport, I need to make a call,” I said to my hulking escort with a pleasant but demanding smile.

With a grunt, a black cell materialized in his outstretched hand. “Make it quick.”

“Thanks.” I tipped my head, hovering my finger over the screen as I eyed him for someprivacy.

His lip twitched, and he took a single step back. My brow arched, and then I chuckled; it wasn’t like the call wouldn’t be monitored anyway, but apparently that wasn’t enough. I wasn’t an enemy, but neither was I to be trusted.

The phone felt like a thousand pounds in my hand, my thumb stiff as I tapped out the number.

I’d prepared for whatever card Belmont could play—even the riskiest one of bringing me here only to take me out. This card, though, hadn’t even been in the deck until Robyn walked through the doors.

Fortunately, I was well-versed in this kind of destructive decision-making. The FBI had equipped me with the skill, which I’d then honed during my decade in the criminal underworld. Many times, I’d come face-to-face with the unexpected. Many times, I’d had mere minutes and sometimes only seconds to assess my options and choose the one with the most acceptable outcome.

And the choice in front of me only had one option: there was no way in hell I was letting anyone else touch my wife.

But if I refused outright, the deal would tank, and Belmont wouldn’t let Robyn and me just walk out of here. So, I pretended to consider it because it would buy me time. Not enough time for Pat to coordinate some other escape. No, that was never in the cards. Even if I tried, Belmont would have his men on me before I even signaled for help.

There’d only ever been two ways this was going to end. The way I’d hoped: with me walking out of here with the details of Belmont’s and Shazad’s operations as my bargaining chip. Or in a nuclear fucking catastrophe.

And as soon as they brought my wife into this, I’d turned on the one-way street toward catastrophe.

I tapped to call Pat before I could convince myself otherwise. Every choice had a consequence, and it killed meknowing how this would hurt her. But I didn’t have another option. There was no outcome worth fighting for if it meant risking her.

The line started to ring, and the band around my chest ratcheted tighter.

“Damon.” The lilt in his voice hung even heavier; we’d been working together too long for him not to know this call didn’t signal anything good.

“Pat, the cleaners are on their way to the house. Can you disarm the security system?”

I wasn’t sure how long his silence lasted, but I felt it like the weight of decades stretched through the line.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Another pause. “Of course.”

“Thank you, Pat.” My voice trembled.

“No, Damon…thank you.” His voice split with emotion over the words, and then he hung up. There was nothing left to say.

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