Page 4 of Hunted Vengeance (Alpha Nights: Unlikely Heroes #2)

Chapter Three

COLETTE

I feel like I should do something. Go somewhere. Call someone. But there is not a single soul who I can ask for advice, help, or even to just listen to me. Pinching my eyes closed, I press my palms against them just so that there is complete darkness.

I’m not sure who the hell my father has me betrothed to, but I want no part of it. None at all. I already know whatever scheme they have, whatever he’s got this man in his back pocket for, it’s going to be big, and it’s bad.

My father should absolutely not be in politics at all, and I’m pretty sure that this isn’t just some city council thing. No way would he force an annulment over something small.

Which makes me want to get away from it all even more.

Short of climbing out the window, I’m not sure what I can do. I don’t have any access to the house phone, and even if I did, it’s monitored. Merrick’s company ensured that this house was impenetrable, even from the inside. Maybe especially from the inside.

And I have a feeling that my father requested it that way for this exact reason.

Glancing at the clock, I wince at the time. I am dressed for my meeting with the wedding coordinator, but I’m not ready in the slightest. I don’t want to discuss anything like that. I want to get the hell out of here.

I don’t even care if I have freedom at this point. I could be locked away in another bedroom somewhere for the rest of my life as long as it meant I was away from my father and any man he chose for me.

Merrick was ultimately my father’s decision, but I tried to force the situation. I should have known that he wasn’t going to let me have him. Not that Merrick really wanted to keep me for himself anyway. But I knew that it wasn’t going to last. No matter how hard I hoped that it would, I knew it indeed would not.

Lifting my hand to my mouth, I slip my thumbnail between my teeth and chew on the corner. I’ve never admitted to being smart in any capacity, but I feel like there should be a logical way out of this mess that is called my life… or lack thereof.

A knock on the door startles me. My spine straightens, and I let out a quiet yelp. Slowly, I close my eyes, then reopen them as I gather myself. Marcello cannot see me like that. If he does, it’ll be a weakness, and I cannot let that man, or any other man, see an ounce of weakness. He’s already heard enough through closed doors.

Witnessing it is a different story.

Once I’m composed, and he knocks again, I make my way toward the door and turn the knob. When I open the door, I tilt my head back as I look into the eyes of my father. I wasn’t expecting him here. He never comes to me. I’m always beckoned to him.

“You will not embarrass me,” he growls.

Lifting my chin, I look up at him as I try to keep my breathing calm and even. “I will not embarrass you,” I state.

He smirks, his gaze appearing anything but humorous. I watch as he spins around and then begins walking. I follow behind him like the perfect little princess he’s forced me to become.

I want to ask him when I’ll be meeting my new ruler, but I decide against it. Being snarky isn’t going to help me in any way whatsoever, especially when it comes to my father.

When we walk into the dining room, I don’t take in the over-the-top decor. I’ve seen it all before, and I’m unimpressed by it, to say the least. It could burn to the ground, and I would smile as I watched the flames envelop the entire building.

But that doesn’t happen. Sinking down across from the wedding planner, I lace my fingers together in my lap as I look down at them. I don’t need to lift my gaze. I don’t need to look at the woman across from me.

Nothing I say matters. My opinion isn’t needed. I don’t even know why my father orchestrated this meeting. He should have just told her to do whatever and approved or denied everything. I’m not sure why I have to be here. I should be able to stay in my room until the big day.

“I’m Marina. It’s wonderful to meet you both,” she says, almost crying out and then giggling.

Lifting my gaze, I look up at her, my eyes finding hers. She’s not looking at me. No, her focus is on my father and only my father. She’s practically drooling over him. I almost tell her to wipe said drool from her lips but decide against it. He’s probably already fucked her. Maybe even made her some empty promises.

It won’t go any further.

Adriano Bellucci doesn’t date.

He uses, and then he loses.

And he will scrape her off into the abyss, never to be seen again—I can only hope that he does that with me. I never want to be on my father’s radar again. I want him to forget that I ever existed. I can only wish to be so lucky, though, because if there is a way for him to use me, he will find it, no matter who I am married to.

MERRICK

The first person to arrive at said meeting is Vaughn. He’s never the first. The second, maybe, but he’s never the first. It surprises me that he’s here, and his gaze is focused on me as I walk through the door.

“We have an issue.”

“An issue?” I ask.

He hums, and I watch him bring his hands to his mouth, pressing his fingertips together like a steeple in front of his lips. He’s serious, far too fucking serious for my taste. I open my mouth to ask him what the fuck he’s got to say when he thankfully starts speaking.

“Your wife is going to remarry.”

“I figured that was part of Bellucci’s plan when he snatched her away from me,” I say.

Vaughn chuckles before his expression turns serious. “She was on the web. On a list.”

I know what he’s talking about. Vaughn moonlights as a hit man. He has an account on the dark web and takes care of people who need to be taken out. As a group, we only found out about it a few months ago when Theron’s wife had put herself on said list, for purchase , and he bought her.

It was a whole fucking drama, but that woman has fucking balls. She’s also a major fucking asset to our security firm. I am proud to have her on our team.

“Colette was on that list?” I ask, my voice coming out on a hiss.

“I wanted to tell you before everyone got here. So that you didn’t fly off the handle at the news,” he explains.

Balling my hands into fists in my lap, I try as hard as I can to contain my emotions—my control. It’s holding on by a thread. I’m contemplating who could have put her on that list and then what they are asking for on top of that.

“Do I want to know the rest?” I ask through gritted teeth.

Vaughn leans back in his chair and then places his palms against the cool wood top of the conference table. Keeping my gaze focused on his, I don’t look away or break contact in any way. I want to know what the fuck is going on.

“A purchase with terms of marriage.”

A.

Purchase.

What.

The.

Fuck.

“I need further clarification,” I demand. “Now.”

Thankfully, Vaughn doesn’t make me wait a moment longer. He leans forward, his gaze connecting with my own before he speaks.

“I saw the listing with the photo. I wasn’t sure that it was really her until the picture. The terms were simple. He wanted someone to buy her and marry her. He made sure to mention that she was not a virgin but also that she hadn’t been sold or pimped in any way. He said that his goal was to strengthen his family empire and that he would only sell to someone in politics.”

“You’re shitting me?” I growl as the door opens.

Turning my head, I look over my shoulder to Theron and Grayson, who walk through the door. Both their eyes catch mine, and they stop in their tracks, and then their gazes swing toward Vaughn.

“I take it you told him?” Theron asks.

“We were here alone,” Vaughn says with a shrug as his explanation.

Theron chuckles, shaking his head, then continues to move toward his chair. Grayson does the same, and thankfully, they don’t say anything else as we all wait for Hale and Boden. They arrive a few moments later. Theron starts this meeting, and clearly, this shit is about me, at least, the bulk part of it is.

“Merrick has already been informed of the situation on the dark web,” Theron begins.

I snort. “That and I was served annulment paperwork a few days ago,” I announce.

Instead of looking at the men around me, I ignore them and stare at Theron. He dips his chin in a single nod, then clears his throat before he leans forward. His fingertips spread out on the table, and I watch as he presses down, then releases them and leans back again.

“What do you want to do, Merrick?” he asks.

My initial reaction is to wage a fucking war for my wife. But as I calm myself down and attempt to regain my control, I know that would be stupid. It would be detrimental not only to my best friends but to our business as well.

“What I want to do and what we need to do are two different things.”

Theron snorts, but it’s Vaughn who speaks next. When he does, I’m surprised by his words because he usually doesn’t want to ruffle feathers. I know now that he’s not as laid-back as I thought all these years. He just gets his anger out by killing pieces of shit while being paid for the job. Honest to fuck, I admire him for it.

“She’s your wife, Merrick,” Vaughn states. “We will protect her at all costs.”

Shaking my head a couple of times, I lift my gaze and flick it between the five men sitting around me. These are my brothers. They would do anything for me, even if it meant that it would jeopardize everything. I would never ask them for any of that, though.

“It shouldn’t matter,” I murmur. “She left.”

Hale is the one who speaks next. His gaze catches mine, and he stares straight at me. He doesn’t say anything immediately. He stares at me before he clears his throat. He leans forward, placing his elbows on the table.

“She might have left, but I don’t think it was by her choice, was it?” he asks.

He knows, as well as the rest of the men at this table know, it wasn’t my choice. It wasn’t hers either. It was Bellucci’s. That motherfucker thinks he can control the fucking world.

“Doesn’t matter. I let her walk out the door just as easily as he took her,” I say.

Those words hit me. Because they are the truth. I let her leave. I could see it in her eyes. She didn’t want to go with her father. But she didn’t ask to stay—and I didn’t tell her that I wanted her to, either.

That’s on me.

Whatever happens to her is on me.

And I’m going to be the one who makes it right because I’m the one who fucked her in her father’s home.

I’m the one who agreed to the marriage.

I’m the one who brought her here, but I also didn’t make her feel welcome—except in bed. She was and is always welcome in my bed and in my life. Hell, I think I even miss her there.