Compared to my betrothed, he’s… Well. There’s no comparison.
“I’m sorry,” Witham begins.
The eyes of the man standing regarding me go icy.
“Bethnal.” My brother’s voice holds a note of fear. “Why are you here?”
Ohhhh sugar. As in Bethnal Green in London? It sounds like it’s a leafy paradise, but Bethnal Green is in the East End, and notorious for being the cut-throat part of London. I didn’t dare try to get the phone number ofBethnal.
Witham gulps. “I’m sure we can come to some?—”
“You haven’t been paying your debts, Witham. Do the Maldons know that?”
I glance at my eldest brother, and no, clearly he did not.
“Three months, you owe me,” the Bethnal kingpin continues, wandering around the front of the church as though he owns the place. “I’ve been very patient, and the interest is accruing rapidly.”
He picks up the sacramental wine from the altar and the priest makes a strangled sound of protest. Bethnal sniffs, wrinkles his lip and sets it back down. His meaning is clear. It’s not even good enough for him to bother desecrating.
“Then we found thechildren.” The distaste in Bethnal’s expression flares into disgust. “And I thought, why should a man be getting married today, when he was profiting fromthat, and failing to pay his debts?”
The air is sucked from the room as there’s an audible intake of breath.
My head spins.
His words are low and harsh. He’s furious.
And he’s removed my one hope of escape.
“You owe me money, Witham. And you’re going to pay. Now.”
“I will,” Witham stutters. “I just need a bit more time. Next week.”
There’s cold silence, and I freeze in it. Bethnal has already dealt with Witham’s child trafficking, so there’s nothing for me to report now. There will be no scramble to send out his men, or confusion at the announcement of the attack. It was all finished while we prepared for the wedding, and I’ve got nothing but an angry future husband.
Fate, this is a terrible mistake.
He’ll take it out on me.
Being trapped, married to a mafia boss, isn’t supposed to be my life. Fear creeps into my skin with a stench of rotting dreams.
“Tomorrow!” Witham trembles next to me and glances at my brother Robert, who he negotiated all this with since he’s the Maldon kingpin.
Robert nods. “I’ll get it to you tomorrow.”
The last of my hope dies. It’s not like I really thought my family cared about who they’re giving me to, but it still hurts thatthis is Robert’s response. He’d rather the deal went ahead, even if it’s now public knowledge he’s marrying me to a monster.
Instinctively, I take a small step away from Witham. It’s no more than a noiseless slide, but it draws Bethnal’s gaze again. He scans my face, then lounges against the altar and turns his attention to Robert.
“You’re going to let her marry this piece of shit?” he asks no one in particular.
“You’ll have your money before nine,” Robert replies.
His words fall on my shoulders, sinking down as though he’s piled lead into my veins. My brother has priorities, and it’s not me.
“No.” Bethnal narrows his eyes, then seamlessly pulls out a gun and shoots Witham in the head. He falls to the floor with a thud.
I jerk backwards, gaping in horror at the blood splattered on the smooth marble and sprayed over my white dress.
