Chapter 151 The vows
Ryder's POV
Sage got up slowly. Dante's men released her arms but stayed close, ready to grab her again if she tried to run.
She stood there in front of the arch, swaying slightly on her feet. Her ruined wedding dress hung off her frame, the lower portion around her knees now completely soaked in blood. Jaxon's blood. The delicate looking white fabric that was perfect was now stained dark red and the lace destroyed.
Her face was a mess. Her makeup was badly smeared because she couldn't stop crying and the red mark from Dante's slap was already darkening a bit on her left cheek.
She looked at Jaxon first. He was still on the ground where she left him, barely moving now. The pool of blood beneath him was really dark, spreading across the porch floor. His breathing was shallow and rapid and his face was becoming even more pale. His eyes were closed. I couldn't tell if he was unconscious or just too weak to keep them open.
Then her eyes found mine. And I saw everything in that look. The fear that made her eyes very wide, the desperation to save her brother and the apology written in every tear that fell.
She was shaking her head slightly, the movement almost imperceptible. Like she was trying to tell me something. Or maybe she was just telling herself this wasn't real, this wasn't happening, and that this couldn't be her life.
Her mouth opened but no words came out. Just more tears. Just another choked sob that she tried to swallow down.
But it was obvious what she was doing. What she had decided.
She was agreeing to Dante's demand. She was going to marry him and sacrifice herself to save Jaxon. To save me. To save everyone who was probably still fighting and dying in the front yard.
My chest felt tight. My throat burned. Every part of me wanted to scream at her not to do it. To tell her that we would find another way. That I would figure something out.
But I couldn't. Because there was no other way. Not with Jaxon bleeding out. Not with five guns pointed at my head, and not with Dante holding all the cards.
"Good girl," Dante said, adjusting his position opposite her at the arch. He smoothed down his jacket yet again and adjusted his tie. Like this was a real wedding. Like he was a real groom. "I knew you'd see reason eventually."
Sage flinched when he moved close to her but she didn't step away. She just stood there, trembling, tears still streaming down her face.
The minister stood on the other side of the arch with his Bible clutched in both hands. He was an older man, probably in his sixties, with gray hair and kind eyes that were now wide with terror.
His eyes kept darting around. To the men with guns. To Jaxon bleeding on the ground. To Sage crying beside Dante. To me standing there helpless with my own gun still in my hand but useless against this many armed men.
"Begin," Dante ordered, his voice sharp.
"D-Dearly beloved," the minister started, his voice cracking on the words. "We are g-gathered here today—"
Dante pulled out his gun again in one smooth motion and pointed it directly at the minister's face. The old man stopped mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open.
"Skip to the end," Dante said coldly.
The minister's eyes went wide. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He frantically flipped through the pages of his Bible with shaking hands, almost dropping it twice before he found the right section.
"The vows," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yes. Of course. The vows."
He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself even though there was still a gun pointed at his face. Sweat was beading on his forehead and he was wiping at it frantically with the back of his hand.
"Do you— uhhh what's your name sir?” The minister asked Dante.
“Dante Moretti," he replied while putting away his gun.
The minister continued speaking, his voice shaking with every word, "take this woman, Sage Romano, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do," Dante said immediately. His voice was clear and confident and certain. He didn't even hesitate, didn't pause to consider. He just answered and even nodded like this was exactly what he always wanted.
He turned to look at Sage with a smile that made my stomach turn. Like he had won. Like he had gotten exactly what he was planning all along.
The minister swallowed hard and turned to Sage. She was still crying, tears rolling down her face silently now. Her whole body was shaking so much I could see it from where I stood. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides like she wished so much she could punch something.
"Do you, Sage Romano," the minister continued, his voice barely audible now, "take this man, Dante Moretti, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
Sage's mouth opened. She tried to speak but nothing came out at first. Just a choked sob that caught in her throat.
"Sage," Dante said quietly beside her. His tone was gentle but there was steel underneath it. Like a warning. A threat.
She looked over at Jaxon again. Her brother. Lying there bleeding out on the porch floor. Dying while we all stood here doing nothing to help him.
Then she looked at me. At the man she loved even though everything had gone so wrong between us.
Her eyes were pleading, begging me to understand, to forgive her for what she was about to do.
I gave her the smallest nod. That was the only thing I could give her in that moment.
She turned back to the minister and tried to speak again.
"I..." she stammered, her voice breaking yet again. "I... I..."
She couldn't get the words out. They were stuck somewhere between her brain and her mouth, caught up in tears and terror and the impossible weight of what saying them would mean.
"I..." she tried again, forcing the sound past her lips.
Before she could say another word, another round of gunshots rippled through the air.