Stryker

The music suddenly started as my father got me moving toward Patrick.

I caught my mother looking happy as anything so I avoided looking at her.

The closer we got to the minister, the more my stomach turned. My hand shook in my father’s arm as my grip tightened on him, not wanting him to let me go.

He patted my hand as he handed me over to Patrick, who looked just as sick as I felt.

“I’m sorry, Evie,” he whispered.

I looked at Oliver with Patrick, and realized that he was close to tears. He tried to fight them with anger, but I didn’t think he’d last much longer.

The minister started to talk, but I had no ide

a what he was saying because blood rushed through my ears.

Taking a step back, I felt my father behind me.

He turned me to face him and raised the veil. “I can’t let you do this, honey.” He smiled and wiped my tears with his thumb before he pulled me close. “He’s free, Evie. Jake is safe with the FBI,” my father whispered.

I stilled. “What?”

He met my questioning gaze. “He isn’t in any trouble. He’s safe, baby girl… Is he your prince, honey?”

Through tears, I whispered, “Yes.”

“What the fuck!” Declan roared from behind us.

“Dad, no.” Patrick went to step around us but froze when his dad waved a gun. “What?”

The guests started to run as chaos erupted around us. Guests fell as others fell over them and my heart dropped to my toes.

“There will be a wedding,” Declan said very slowly. He pointed his weapon at the minister. “You. Marry them now.”

The poor man quivered in his shoes, and the bible in his hands shook so badly that I was surprised it didn’t drop to the floor. “Um, it doesn’t work that way,” the Minister mumbled.

“You value your life, then you’ll make it work that way.” Declan sneered.

“Patrick, take your fiancée’s hand and stand in front of the minister.”

Patrick made no move.

“Now, son,” Declan growled.

“Dad, it’s over. You might still try and force us, but the fact is that probably most of those guests will have called the cops. So whether or not I marry Evie won’t matter anymore. You won’t have a senator in the family, and as soon as you’re taken away our wedding will be annulled. There’s no point in it.”

Patrick’s father went bright red in the face, and looked ready to boil over. His features were twisted in rage and pure hate ran through him.

I held my breath and witnessed the change in Declan almost immediately. I wasn’t fooled as he calmed, but with a steady hand he raised the gun. Not at my family, or me, but at his own son.

“Dad?” Patrick questioned, his voice quivered.

“You think I don’t know about you…and him,” he spat, the gun moved to Patrick’s lover, but his gaze held his son in place. “You’re a disgrace to this family.”

“Fuck you,” Patrick replied.

“No, fuck you, son.”

Before Declan could pull the trigger my dad pushed me behind him and leapt forward. Patrick dived on top of his lover, and took him and Millie—who stood next to Oliver—to the ground.