I slide a hand up Valentine’s back. “Stay right here,” I tell her quietly.
Stepping away, I take the priest’s place as he disappears into the shadows.
Because I also believe in avenging the dead.
“Family.” The word booms out of me.
“Family.” The room echoes back to me.
“We are under attack.” I pause, making sure everyone can hear every word. “Someone is coming after us. After our family.” I point at my cousin’s photo behind me. “And they will pay.” A rumble of agreement rolls up the aisle. “They will pay with blood. Because they came after us, and we won’t settle at an eye for an eye.” I look around at the faces before me. “We take a soul for an eye.” I let the rage simmering under my skin heat. “And we’re owed a lot of souls, because this is our fourth funeral in four months. We will have no more. Not one more of us dies at the hands of these cowards. We will find them. And when we do, we will bring war to their doorstep. And we will win.” I let my eyes move to the golden ones staring back at me from the front row. “We will win because we have The Alliance. Because a good woman can change your life.”
And I see it. I see her understand.
CHAPTER 26
Val
Hope is heavy.
And when the hope of so many people settles onto my shoulders with that one sentence, I feel like I might sink through the floor.
Dom holds my gaze, and the silence in the church is deafening.
There’s no need for a response. There’s no room in this world for applause.
Dominic just made his family a promise, and it all hinges on me.
The hope of all these people hinges on the fact that I willingly married this man and that our union will bring them The Alliance.
Another tear drips down my cheek.
He shouldn’t have done this to me.
Dom shouldn’t have put me in this situation.
I use his black handkerchief to soak up the next tear.
DG is embroidered in the corner, with thread the color of his eyes.
Dom is still staring at me. Watching me.
And since I can’t bring myself to hate him. Not completely.
I do the only thing I can in this moment.
The only acceptable action in a room filled with so much emotion.
I lean in.
CHAPTER 27
Dom
She comes to me.
Valentine squares her shoulders, and she comes to me.
And when I extend my hand and she places hers in mine, I feel the weight of all the expectations I carry lessen. I feel her share them.
I feel her join me. Not just in this moment. Not just for show. But she joins me in this fight.
And when she turns to the sea of faces, I witness their acceptance.
Their acceptance of her. Of my decision to join with The Alliance. Of my promise.
I squeeze her fingers in mine and nod.
Then, together, we walk down the aisle and away from the sadness.
CHAPTER 28
Val
I understand now.
I don’t like it. I’m not okay with it. But I understand it.
It doesn’t fix anything, but being able to put a reason behind it all… it helps.
If Dominic had been open with me, told me about his family, told me who he was, I would’ve talked to King. Because I wouldn’t have known any better. And if I’d told King that Dominic Gonzalez wanted me to marry him so he could have The Alliance’s help, King would have locked me away. He would’ve saved me from this situation. And in doing so, he would have doomed another one of Dom’s cousins. Or uncles. Or… Dominic himself.
The handkerchief is already balled tight in my fist, but I grip it tighter.
My eyes don’t focus as the city blurs past us as we head back home.
Home.
I stay quiet because I don’t know the men in the front seat, and there are things I need to say to Dominic, but I don’t know who can hear them.
Obviously, there are people in his life who know everything. People who had to help him coordinate his plan. And I’m guessing the men who wander the condo with guns are part of that group, so I don’t care if they see me angry or hurt or upset. But the people outside that circle, if they’re exposed to my true emotions, their newly found hope will wither. And if that happens, what was the point of any of this?
If my loneliness can help save even one person, it’s worth it.
It’s more than I was doing with my life anyway.
The vehicle pulls to a stop in front of a massive building, and when Dom reaches for his door, I realize this must be the building we live in.
“Wait for me,” Dominic commands, just as he did outside the church, then he exits the SUV.