Page 14 of Angel

Wrapping my hands around her waist, I helped her to a seat as Elsa whispered furiously to Reese.

He snarled at his wife, and she backed off, raising her hands in exasperation.

My focus turned to Roxy, whose fingers gripped her chair’s armrest as she stared at the floor, then at me, in incredulity.

Stepping back, I studied her.

Roxy was quieter, withdrawn and almost invisible, especially when in the presence of her sister.

I’d thought her always introverted, wistful and forlorn.

Yet now, as she darted a scorching glare at Reese, I caught a flash of deep disdain and anger at her father’s control.

‘Roxy, you can say no,’ I muttered in a hoarse whisper to her. ‘I don’t want any part of this. Tell your old man to shove his wishes up his -.’

‘She won’t say no,’ Reese interjected, stepping closer to us with a smirk. ‘She knows what’ll happens to her and Elsa if this wedding collapses.’

‘Shut up, Reese,’ I snapped, keeping my focus locked on the woman shaking with rage in front of me. ‘I don’t care about your freakin’ deals. Roxy, look at me. You don’t have to let him force you into anything you don’t want.’

‘She cannot refuse my ask,’ Reese declared with a smug smile. ‘My reputation protection goes both ways. With you Angel, and your family on one end and my wife and daughter on the other. Roxy has to comply lest Elsa and her be disowned and discarded for life.’

I furrowed my brow, then cursed under my breath as Elsa hissed and moved to grab her husband’s sleeve.

‘Not here, not now, Reese.’

‘Payback’s a bitch, woman,’ Reese crowed, his face glib with triumph.

Elsa turned her face away from him with a gasp, and marched to the terrace, gazing out at the water, her body trembling.

I huffed.

So what Evangeline had once told me, ages ago, in secret, was true.

I locked eyes with her old man, disgust turning my mouth bitter.

‘You’re a ruthless bastard, Reese. A straight-up sociopath, and I’ll have you know I don’t respond well to threats.’

‘And I don’t deal in empty threats, I’m telling you what will happen if you don’t comply.’

I shook my head, swiveling to stare at Roxy, who seemed frozen in shock.

‘You hearing this shit?’

She locked gazes with me, hers so lost and forlorn it sent a jolt through me.

Incensed even further, I turned to her father.

‘You pushed Evangeline to the needle, and now you’re intimidating my family, your own wife, and Roxy? You can’t sink any lower.’

Reese straightened his cuffs, unfazed by my rage.

‘Spoken like a damned musician; always dramatic, existing in a fantasy world. You don’t know the first thing about me or the power I hold, so I suggest you shut your mouth before you make a mistake you can’t undo.’

I stood glaring at him, lips twisting, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of getting under my skin.

He went on with a chuckle.

‘Nothing to say, son? How about I sweeten it? How does a million dollars as bride price sound? It’s a solid bride price to kickstart your lives together. Perhaps even provide your parents with a secure retirement.’