Peaceful vowes

CHAPTER 3

MACAU

Present

HE TOOK vegas with him when he left town. A part of me had hoped he
wouldn’t, and I’d have a chance to talk to vegas alone and finally start the
process of escaping with my brother. Dad would never have made things so
easy for me. It had been idiotic to even entertain the scenario.
Instead, I used my father’s two-day absence to enjoy a rare reprieve
from his watchful eye. Nop was still a stone’s throw away, but that
wasn’t the same as having the man himself breathing down my neck. I
watched movies, listened to music, and daydreamed about getting on a boat
with vegas and watching the Thailand skyline disappear in the distance.
Escaping would have been ideal, but two days alone was a close
second.

The end of my respite came in the form of a text from my father
informing me not to be late for dinner. I wasn’t sure why he felt the need toremind me. Ever since Mom’s death, he’d insisted we eat together each
evening at seven sharp. I hadn’t been late once.
Just another flex to remind me of the power he holds over me.
I heaved a heavy sigh and tossed my phone onto the bed.
You’ve got this, mac. The more obedient you are, the more he’ll trust
you, and the easier it will be to get far away from here.

Two hours later, I emerged from my room and plodded downstairs. I
smiled at vegas when I saw him seated at the table along with our father,
who launched to his feet at the sight of me.
“What the hell are you wearing?” He sneered. “You look like a fucking
Beggar. Go put on something respectable.”
The second he stood, fear cleaved my feet to the ground, holding me
motionless. I glanced down at the stretchy pencil pant and oversized cotton
Shirt I’d put on for dinner. The look was casual but far from hobo. Dad
had never cared in the slightest what I’d worn to dinner, so I had no idea
what had gotten into him.
When I lifted my gaze, vegas peered at me apologetically but kept his
lips sealed.

“Vegas, go check in with nop and make sure he keeps a cool head
tonight.” His voice dropped to a menacing growl as he crept around the
table toward me.
I fought back waves of betrayal as I watched vegas disappear down the
hall.

Then it was just my dad and me. Alone.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but alarm bells were screaming
inside my head. A cold, sticky dread clogged my veins and sent my pulse
racing.
“There’s been an offer for your hand. An important alliance.”
For my hand? As in … marriage? What the hell is he talking about?
He continued to push closer until he had my back pressed against the
wall. “You will not fuck this up for me.” His hand cupped my throat, his
thumb coarsely drifting back and forth over my windpipe. “You will agree
to this union, but I want you to understand that your departure from this
house does not keep you from my reach. If you spread a single word about
whatever it is you think you know, there won’t be a rock you can hide under
where I won’t find you.” His hand tightened—not hard enough to bruise,

just enough to crystalize my blood into ice at the threat of my thinning
airway.
I kept as still as possible, pleading with my body to cooperate.
“I’ll know it was you. You don’t have to speak to be a rat,” he growled.
My nostrils flared as spots dotted the edge of my vision. I finally caved
and grasped his wrist, unable to overcome the clawing desperation.
His beady black eyes bore deep into my soul a second longer before he
finally released me, though he remained rooted to the spot, a malignant
invasion of my space. “His name is Kim . He’s Italians, and he’ll be
here any minute. Now go up and put on something presentable before you
embarrass me.”
I nodded, slipping along the wall and away from my father before
rushing back to the safety of my bedroom.
Holy shit, what just happened?
My legs shook more with each step I took.
Closing my bedroom door, I leaned against it and tried to slow my
racing heart before it exploded from my chest. I had to think clearly. Dad
had agreed to marry me off to someone as part of an alliance. I was going to
be married.
Holy shit!
The guy’s name was kim. The name was vaguely familiar. I’d
never concerned myself with my father’s dealings, but it was impossible to
ignore bits and pieces.
Think, Mac. Think!
This kim guy had asked to marry me as a part of an alliance. He’s
Italian, so the thai want to form an alliance with the Italians. But why me?
Of all the other thai guys available, how the hell had my name even
come up?
The desperation in my father’s eyes flashed in my mind.
Of course, this was his fault. Having his son at the heart of a
critical alliance would be huge for him, and he wouldn’t think twice about
selling me off like cattle. So what did that mean for me? Instead of escaping
the mafia, I would be permanently married to the Italian mob. Not the fate I’d
wanted, but it would get me away from my father. It was a possible
solution, at least, in the short term. Though, once I was out of the house, I
wasn’t sure how much access I’d get to vegas. And if this guy was just as
bad as my father, maybe I’d end up worse than I’d started.Panic coated my palms in sweat and sent my heart rate clamoring.
I couldn’t tell if this was the chance I’d been hoping for or a total
disaster. My thoughts were all over the place, my emotions a mess. Salty
despair pooled on my lashes, and each breath I took grew more shallow and
stilted.