Oakley.
I stare down the barrel of Jamie Carmichaels’ gun, knowing I can’t let him win this time, not when I have so much more to lose. Eva means more to me than anything I’ve ever possessed.
“Put the gun down, Jamie.” I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. “If you kill me, you might as well kiss goodbye to the clan for good.”
Eva inches closer to my back, fisting my shirt.
“Hand over my daughter, and then I’ll leave.” He signals at Eva, who cowers behind me. “Eva, stop this at once and come here,” he barks.
“I’m afraid you are too late, Jamie. Eva is already my lawfully wedded wife, and therefore she’s no longer your concern as of about half an hour ago.”
“I won’t stand for it.” Jamie snarls, cocking the gun. “Eva is our heir, and she will marry a suitable husband who can rule our empire.”
Eva steps out from behind my back with her chin held high. “I’ll never do that because Oak is my husband, and as I’ve told you since the day that Karl died, I have no intention of having anything to do with the clan.” She glares at her father. “You just never listened to me.”
Jamie splutters, and the door to the living room opens as Angela Carmichael comes walking in toward us. “Eva, get in the car at once,” she calls, nodding toward the door we came through.
“I’ll never go anywhere with you,” she spits, glaring at them with as much hatred as I feel. “You sent me here, so it’s your fault that I fell in love with Oak and married him.”
“Married him?” My mum splutters, eyes widening. “What are you…” she trails off when she sees Eva’s white wedding gown and the ring on her finger. “You bastard.” She glares at me. “Why the fuck would you do this?”
“I have my reasons,” I say, keeping cool despite Jamie holding a gun and pointing it right at me. “You ruined my life once. It seems only fair I return the favor.”
Angela’s nose wrinkles. “What are you talking about?”
I harden my glare, knowing that these two self-centered, arrogant pricks still don’t know who I am. “Five years ago, I left my life behind and changed my name.”
Jamie’s eyes narrow as he regards me more carefully, as if trying to work out who I am.
“Brett Archer ring any bells?” I ask.
His eyes flash with fury. “You fucking bastard.”
“You call me a bastard?” I growl, shocking myself at the viciousness in my voice. “You tore my world apart, and all I’ve done is marry your daughter. It doesn’t come close to what you did to me.” My attention moves to my wife. “I didn’t marry her to spite you, anyway.” I swallow hard, knowing that uttering the next words could backfire. “Eva is my world, and I will cherish and protect her if that means anything to you at all.”
Eva steps closer to me, crossing her arms over her chest. “You are both dead to me. You might as well adopt some kid who wants to be a part of your plans. I’m done here.”
Her mother gasps, looking scandalized by her daughter’s words.
What did she expect?
She can barely be called a mother the way she treats Eva. It’s a fucking disgrace.
I clear my throat. “If you shoot me, you will have to deal with a catastrophic fallout.”
Jamie’s eyes narrow. “If you don’t give me back my daughter, I will have no choice.” He takes a step forward, making me tense. “You have a lot of power, Oak, but so do I.”
Archer walks through the door at that moment, startling Jamie and Angela, as he points the gun at him instead of me.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
He holds his hands up when he notices Jamie aiming the gun at him.
His distraction couldn’t have come at a better time as I lunge forward and snatch the gun right out of Jamie’s hand. The impact forces him to the floor as I point the gun right in his face. “Don’t fucking move,” I growl.
A gun cocks behind me, and I freeze, glancing over my shoulder.
Angela Carmichael is holding a tiny gun and pointing it at my back. “Put the gun down, Oak,” she orders.
I shake my head. “We’re at an impasse. I can shoot your husband in the face and not miss. The question is, will your shot kill me?”
Eva gasps. “No, Oak, don’t stoop to their level.”
I hate that she’s right. My father may have forced me to murder at a young age, but I have done nothing like that since I left Italy. I back up to see her better. If I pull the trigger, then I’m no better than her parents.