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Even if it means I’ll never know the meaning of freedom.
My father grips my elbow, and it takes every ounce of my willpower not to flinch away from his touch, but he doesn’t notice my discomfort, all he cares about is looking like the dutiful father of the blushing bride.
Every step down the aisle burns me from the inside out as panic takes hold. I’ve never liked being the center of attention, but least of all right now when I’m a few breaths from a panic attack.
Jason stands at the other end, his eyes locked on me like I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen in his life, but he can’t see me past the lace covering my face. That much I’m glad for because I can’t pretend to be happy to be walking to the end of my own freedom.
I didn’t get a choice in my hair and makeup, surprise surprise really, but the tasteful updo is exactly what I expected my mother to choose for me, my chocolate-brown locks pulled away from my face the way she likes. My makeup is simple and light. There’s nothing Margaret Chalmers detests more than too much makeup on a young face.
The music seems a little too loud. The guests stares a little too intense. And the future ahead of me a little too real. But before I know it, I’m standing in front of my almost-husband with nowhere else to go.
I kiss my father’s cheek as I’ve watched every bride I’ve ever seen married do, before turning to Jason.
He lifts my veil away from my face and gives me a tight smile. He knows how little I want to be here, if only he would do the right thing and call this off.
“Welcome,” the priest says. “We’re gathered here today to join Leighton Grace Chalmers and Jason James Collins in holy matrimony.”
Each word he speaks is another nail in my heart, and I barely make it through the vows he makes me repeat after him. It’s a lie. It’s all a goddamn lie, and I want to scream that from the rooftops. I want to tell every person in here why we’re here.
I want to admit to killing Jack in self-defense because whatever future awaits me if that were public knowledge still has to be better than what I’m about to go through with.
“At this time, should anyone present know of a reason this couple should not be joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Jason looks at me with confusion, and when I look at where our parents are sitting in the front row, they look just as confused as we are. Was that meant to be in there? I haven’t ever heard those words in a wedding before. I thought they were outdated and excluded decades ago, but maybe the priest is confused.
“I object,” a voice at the back of the church booms, and when I meet the mismatched eyes of Crew, I almost burst into tears.
Another man stands a few pews away, his wild blue eyes and messy chocolate-brown hair, paired with an open-collared shirt make him stick out from the people around him. “I object.”
Two more men I don’t recognize, one that looks a little like Crew and another who looks like he could kill someone with nothing more than a well-placed look in their direction, stand and object.
But then I see them and every other person in this godforsaken church ceases to matter.
Wyatt and Elias are standing by the back door, their eyes firmly locked on me as they utter those same two words the other men had, and my heart bursts to life.
I step away from Jason and toward the aisle, ready to run down the way I came, but I’m not expecting someone to grab me before I can make it past the first pew.
A man I recognize as one of my father’s security guards glares down at me, and then I feel the cool metal press into my side, and my stomach plummets. He has a knife.
“That was a mistake, Miss Chalmers,” he murmurs against my ear. “Did you really think your father and the governor didn’t plan for an interruption like this? And now that you’ve shown yourself as a two-bit whore, I guess we’ll have to get rid of you.”
He turns me around and pushes me toward the back exit, keeping the knife pressed against my lower back.
Every step I take away from the men I love hurts.
But at least I got what I wanted.
All I wanted was to see them one last time, I just hoped it would be for more than a moment.
CHAPTERSIXTY
WYATT
The plan is solid.
And more than that, the plan is completely nonviolent, which is kind of surprising since Kovu is the one who came up with it.
The other options included, ambushing Leighton’s car to the church, going into the church and shooting every motherfucker standing between us and our woman, and killing Jason beforehecould make it to the wedding.
