Chapter 7 - The Rushed Vows
"Liam, how could you do this?" Norah cried out before Dominic could mute the phone.
A heavy, terrified silence fell over the phone line.
"Norah?" Liam whispered, his voice cracking with absolute panic.
"They told me you were safe in the city, they promised you wouldn't be at the cabin!"
"You tried to murder the man who saved my life, Liam," she sobbed, the tears freezing on her cheeks.
"I did it to save you from Ivan, Norah, they have my wife and my daughter!" Liam confessed desperately.
Dominic hung up the phone and smashed it completely under the heel of his boot.
"He is playing both sides, and now the Tarasovs know we survived," Dominic stated coldly.
They climbed into the stolen pickup truck and sped down the treacherous mountain roads back toward Boston.
"If Liam is compromised, Ivan will try to seize all of my legitimate assets by morning," Dominic explained as he drove.
"How does a fake marriage stop him from taking your business?" she asked, wiping her eyes.
"Because the Russo family charter strictly states that a married boss cannot be legally unseated without a commission vote."
"If we are legally married by midnight, my empire is untouchable, and Ivan loses his leverage."
They arrived at a small, private family chapel hidden deep within the North End of the city.
An elderly, terrified priest was already waiting at the altar, clearly coerced by Victor who stood guarding the door.
Dominic stood before her, his bloody shirt concealed beneath a borrowed overcoat, and took both of her hands.
"This is not how I wanted this to happen, Norah," he said softly, looking deeply into her eyes.
"Just say the words, Dominic, before we both run out of time," she urged him, surprisingly calm.
The priest rushed through the Latin vows, his voice shaking as he read the holy text.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest finally stammered.
Dominic leaned in and kissed her, a brief, desperate connection that felt far more real than a simple transaction.
May you like
Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors of the chapel were blown entirely off their hinges.
Ivan Tarasov marched into the sanctuary, accompanied by a dozen heavily armed mercenaries.
