Unlawfully Yours (Lawless MC #1)

43

I do my best to hide the tremor in my legs as I force my feet forward one before the other, despite everything within me telling me to run the opposite way. Tobias tugs me along a painful pace, like he’s dragging this out for as long as he possibly can just to spite me, like he’s enjoying every single second of my torment. It’s the smug glint in his eye and the hint of a smirk on his lips that gives him away.

This isn’t about family at all. It’s what it always comes down to…

Control .

He wants to control me like he did my mom all those years ago simply because of the man she fell in love with. The irony isn’t lost on me that history is repeating itself, that I find myself in the same situation as my mom was in twenty years ago, forced to marry a man of Tobias’ choosing.

Well, not if I have anything to do about it.

I hold my head up and blow out a steadying breath as we pass by the half a dozen or more members of his club. Some cheer, some wolf-whistle and as if this day wasn’t already bad enough as it is, Vaughn’s grin as his eyes slide over my body makes me want to puke, and it doesn’t help being dressed up like a life-size fucking Barbie doll. My stomach rolls and my feet falter momentarily. My only saving grace right now is the thought that Myles and the rest of the guys are here to get me out of this hell hole, I just hope we all make it out of this alive.

I search the room and find my mom and my brother stood off to the side. My mom forces a smile, but it’s laced with anger towards her brother and sadness, clearly reliving the memory of her own wedding day. Drew gives me a small, subtle nod, letting me know this is all a part of a bigger plan I know nothing about.

We near Vaughn and the minister who looks a hundred times more terrified than me. He was probably dragged here at gunpoint and had his family and everyone he’s ever met in his life threatened if he didn’t agree to this, knowing the extreme lengths my uncle would go to. He shoves me the rest of the way and I stumble towards Vaughn who does nothing to catch me, but by some miracle I remain on my feet.

“Nice dress,” he comments.

I scowl. “Fuck you.”

“Oh, I intend to. Thoroughly .”

“Like I said before, I’ll kill you before that thing comes anywhere near me.”

A woman chuckles to the left of me. She’s stood beside Tobias with her arm looped through his. Her eyes slide over me as she tosses her bleached hair over her shoulder.

I look her up and down. “I’m hazarding a guess that you’re Christina. Now it makes sense.”

She frowns. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing. I just had this image in my mind of what you’d look like. Let’s just say you lived up to it. Gotta say though, you have terrible taste in clothes.” I gesture down to the meringue I’m encased in.

“You’re a bitch, you know that? What Myles sees in you is beyond me.”

“That’s rich coming from a woman like you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, a woman who walked out and left her baby to starve at a few weeks old. The mother of the decade award goes to…”

“Don’t you dare bring my son into this!”

“ Your son?” I bark a laugh. “I’ve known Kit for a matter of weeks and I’m already more of a mother to him than you ever were. You want to know the difference between us, Christina? Unlike you, I don’t walk out on the people I’m supposed to love.”

“Enough!” Tobias bellows, startling us both. “ Both of you.” He points to the minister, “ You! Get this fucking thing started. Now. ”

Tobias flicks his gaze back to me and there’s a warning there. A warning not to push him any further, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t tempted to see how far I could go before he snapped completely.

“Sooner we start, the sooner this is over,” Vaughn mutters and my eyes narrow.

“Yippee,” I deadpan.

My attention snags on the gun strapped to Vaughn’s side, concealed inside his kutte. Secured to his thigh is a knife that’s at least seven or eight inches in length.

I force my eyes away before he clocks that I’ve noticed the gun and the knife and turn my attention to the minister who clears his throat. I don’t miss the tremble of his hands that are clasped together in front of him. “L—Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of… uh …” he looks between us nervously, “t—these two people. If the two of you would please join hands.”

I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest. “Fuck no.”

Vaughn huffs, gripping my wrist roughly as he unfolds my arms and forces my hand into his, squeezing so tight it’s cutting off my circulation to my fingers and I whimper. I know he hates me, and I can tell how much he’s enjoying this.

The minister turns to Vaughn. “Will you repeat after me… I—”

Before he can continue, one of Tobias’ men, a guy I haven’t seen before bustles into the room, his eyes darting between all of us before settling on his leader. “Prez, a couple of the Lawless crew just pulled up out front.”

“Lawson?” Tobias asks, his head tipped on curiosity.

The guy shakes his head. “Couldn’t see him.”

“You two,” Tobias points at the two nearest the entrance, “go see what they want. If they try anything, don’t hesitate.”

They both nod before disappearing down the corridor towards the door.

Don’t hesitate. .. Don’t hesitate to shoot , is what he meant.

We wait for what feels like an hour for Tobias’ guys to return, but we’re met with nothing. Only silence.

“What’s going on out there?” Tobias calls after a long minute.

He gets his answer when they return, rounding the corner, closely followed by Ray and Cruiser who have their guns concentrated on the back of their heads.

The click of a gun cracks through the room, closely echoed by half a dozen more behind me.

“Hello, Myles. Nice of you to join us,” Tobias says.

I whirl around, my eyes colliding with Myles’ as he presses a gun to Tobias’ head. His jaw is tight as his eyes look me over, clearly hating seeing me in this god-awful excuse for a dress as much as I do.

The rest of Lawless burst into the room, spreading out further, each of them covering one of Tobias’ crew before they have the chance to reach for their own weapons.

I see Tobias’ hand twitch next to his thigh, a flicker of light bouncing off his gun and on instinct, I go for mine.

But not fast enough.

Vaughn snatches it from my grip, tossing it onto the ground as he presses me to his front, his hand wrapped around my throat and the tip of his gun pressed against my temple