Page 116 of Ozzie

“Are you going to be okay to do this?” Ozzie asks him.

Durango clears his throat. “Of course. Let’s go inside.”

The guys go in first, and they show me where the other exit is, in case I need it. It’s through the door behind the altar and down a set of stairs.

We briefly go over the plan, which is simple. I need to get John to confess everything. If I question him enough, he’ll practically brag about his plans. He can’t help himself.

The guys get into place, and I sit in a pew, waiting. The front door is left open so John could walk in. The room is silent except for tires on gravel. He’s here. I wait for what feels like an eternity. Why isn’t John walking through those doors? I turn my attention back to the front of the church and count down from ten to calm my nerves.

Three, two—

“Piper, I was surprised to get your message.”

I bet he was. I turn in my pew, and John is standing inside the doors. “We need to talk because you seem to think we’re going to be together.”

He smiles. “We are.” His eyes take in the surroundings. “I’m curious, though, why you had us meet at this church. It was quite a drive.”

It is an odd place to meet, but apparently, Durango knows someone in charge and could guarantee we wouldn’t be bothered by anyone else showing up. It also has a balcony and an alcove that are hiding Ozzie and Durango, but they can see John and me.

“Why are you so intent on getting married? You don’t even love me,” I say.

He grins. “I do care for you. But you’re right, I have another reason. I’m sure your parents have mentioned we want to merge our family’s businesses.”

I stand and walk toward John but stop about ten feet away. “I’ve heard. If it is so important to merge the companies, then do it. There is no need for us to be together for our parents to work out some business deal.”

His smile drops. “Your father has made it very clear that the only circumstance he would consider bringing the businesses together is if we marry.”

I don’t believe him. My father has pushed this relationship, but I can’t imagine he’d risk a business opportunity over it.

Unless he doesn’t really want to merge and knows I would never marry John.

I shrug. “Okay, I guess there’s no marriage and no merger.”

John storms closer but stops a few feet away. “There has to be a merger.”

Why won’t John let this go? Is there something wrong with his family’s business? If there is, I’m sure my parents would be aware of it. None of this makes sense.

Suddenly, John runs at me and throws me over his shoulder. He takes off through the doors. I spot Ozzie chasing after us. But John gets the doors closed before Ozzie gets to them. Despite my trying to fight my way off John, he’s stronger than I remember. While holding me, he manages to get a chain around both doors and padlocks them shut. Then he carries me toward a field.

“Where did you get a chain and padlock?” I ask. I would have noticed if his pockets were weighed down.

“It was already on the door, just not locked. I noticed when I came in. Lucky since you had your cousin and that other man watching us. We need to talk alone.”

As we enter the grassy field next to the church, I discover it’s a cemetery. He sets me down.

“We don’t have a lot of time before your protectors will come charging this way,” he says. “Yes, I understand it sounds crazy what I’m asking. But dammit, Piper, I really do want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ve been a bad boyfriend in the past. I realize that. But I’ve changed. Please come back with me to Montana, and you’ll see.”

I stare at this man who appears to be sincere because he’s perfected the art of lying. How I wish I’d seen that side of him sooner, like before we ever dated.

He gets closer. “You know I had a crush on you since high school? I never told you that.”

My mind goes back to him in high school. He was quiet and pretty much stuck to his group of friends. He was not someone I would have dated back then. But when I saw him again after graduation, he’d changed. Or perhaps my tastes had.

“When I told my parents I wanted to ask you out, they were so happy for us. Our families could come together. It’s perfect.”

My eyes flick to his. “You told your parents you were going to ask me out?”

He shrugs. “We’re close.”

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