Page 95 of Devil’s Promise

“Wife?” Vincent asks. “I thought the wedding yesterday was cancelled.”

Angel growls low and deep. “Get to the fucking point.”

Vincent taps a pile of papers on his desk. “Don?”

“He broke my nose,” Don cries. “I’ve got a press junket tomorrow. I can’t have a broken nose. The hand was bad enough.”

Gunner smiles, showing a lot of teeth.

“I’m going to break far more than your nose if you don’t start talking,” Angel spits. “Closing your hand in the car door was my opening move. And I know you know what I am capable of.”

My father starts to stand but falls back to his knees.

“Call Killian and Rock in,” Gunner grunts. “Let’s get this over with.”

“You think we’re just letting them walk in here?” Vinnie sneers. “Let them try.”

“Shut up,” Vincent says to his son.

“He’s right, Vinnie,” Angel sneers. “Your guards don’t have what it takes to stop either of them. And Knox…he’s here too. I’m about to let him show you how an MMA fighter breaks a femur.”

Vinnie twitches, his slicked-back hair falling across his forehead. “You can’t threaten us in our own place.”

“Shut up!” Vincent yells.

Angel takes two steps into the room toward my father, just as Vinnie raises the gun.

“Angel,” I gasp.

My father’s eyes laser focus on me at the sound of my voice, but Angel is looking at Vinnie. He raises his own pistol, the one I didn’t even realize he was holding, and I’m guessing neither did Vinnie, and both guns fire.

I hear Vinnie’s scream, his pistol dropping to the ground as blood pours from his hand.

“That was a gift, Vinnie,” Angel snarls. “And a payment for knocking me in the back of the head.” He swings his pistol toward Vincent. “Now I’m going to ask one more time. What the fuck am I doing here?”

Vincent’s got both of his hands up as Knox enters the room, holding two guns of his own.

But it’s my father who answers. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m ready to sign the contract that exchanges the votes for the land.”

“You can’t be fucking serious,” Angel spits. “You stole my brother, hit me in the head and kidnapped my wife to continue a partnership? Have you lost your fucking mind?”

“I knew you wouldn’t take my call,” my father answers, but his eyes are on me, blazing with a maniacal fire that has me frozen in place.

It’s a trap. I know it. From stripping me near naked to luring Angel here, there is nothing good coming out of this.

I shake my head, silently begging him not to listen. But he doesn’t look at me. “Angel,” I plead again, but he glances at everyone except me.

It’s that day all over again, when we visited the country club. He’s not looking at me. Not seeing me at all.

And I think I might have lost him.

A sob breaks from my lips.

“When did my daughter start talking again?”

“I’ve got the touch,” Angel answers. “Did you bring the contract?”

My chest gets so tight I can’t breathe, but Gunner still has his hand on my shoulder.