Not this time.
Victoria throws the covers off her body and pushes herself off the bed. “You better watch your tone, Liam.”
“Or what?” I ask, crossing my hands in front of me with a large manilla envelope between my fingers.
Her eyes lower, and she finally notices I have something. “What is that?”
I bring it to my chest and slowly open it, pulling out the first eight-by-ten photo of her and Mickey fucking in his car. “I’m so glad you asked. Let me show you.”
The moment she lays eyes on it, her evil grin drops. Her shoulders straighten as she swallows hard. “Am I supposed to know what this is?”
The photo is dark, and you can’t one hundred percent see who the people inside are, but unlucky for her, Tyler took multiple shots of the car, the license plate, and even used night vision settings to get clear shots of their faces.
“Maybe these will help jumpstart your memory…” I set one after another on the bed, letting her see each one of her and Mickey.
Them sneaking into a bathroom.
Them in a dark-lit bar in a corner, her lips attached to his cock.
Them in his bed, completely naked.
I’m not even gonna ask Tyler how he got that one.
A shiver runs through my body at the lengths he went to get these. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel.
“Where the fuck did you get these?” she finally hisses after examining each picture, knowing she can’t argue her way out of it. It’s crystal clear who the people are in them.
“What’s it matter, princess?” I dip my head down and speak low, “You’re not the only one with friends in low places.” Then I take out my phone and play one of the audio files I sent to myself. Tyler managed to record them talking, and it’s when Victoria calls him Mickey Baby and he calls her Sweet Tits. She waves a hand in the air, and I turn it off.
“Big deal,” she scoffs, crossing her arms. “You won’t do anything with them.” Her confidence is laughable, considering her bottom lip is trembling.
“On the contrary, I think Daddy dearest wouldn’t be so happy to see his only daughter with the family’s nemesis. Didn’t the DeFrancos betray your family? Mickey’s grandfather stole millions and tainted the O’Leary name for generations, causing a forty-year brawl between them. Amazing what you can find when you know the right people.” I smirk, then continue while her jaw hits the floor. “Not to mention what Johnny will do once he finds out Mickey’s the one who knocked you up and is the real father. I doubt Daddy’s going to welcome Mickey into your family with open arms. I’m guessing more like a bullet between the eyes. Wow…” I shake my head in amusement. “Imagine the horror on his face when he learns of your betrayal. You said it yourself. You wouldn’t put it past your father to kill you if you stepped out of line. Those poor babies. Gonna be orphans. Or dead too.”
She inches closer, reaching out before clamping her fingers around my arm. “You won’t do that, Liam.”
“And why’s that?”
Victoria retreats and places her hands on her hips. “I have Maddie.”
“Hmm…that’s right.” I put a finger on my chin, pretending to be concerned. “You give me a divorce, and I won’t send these to your father.”
She scoffs. “You send those to my father, and Maddie pays.”
I tsk. “I’m pretty sure you and Mickey will be the ones paying.”
Victoria walks around me and grabs her iPad from her nightstand. “I’ll tell my men to kill her.” She returns, standing in front of me. “Unless you hand everything over. Duplicates, copies. Everything.” Victoria looks me dead in the eyes, and in about five seconds, she’ll realize Maddie’s gone.
I lean down and whisper softly, “Then do it.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “Liam, I’m serious. If I give the order to shoot her, they won’t think twice about it.”
“And your father will know the truth.” I shrug. Victoria swallows hard. “Oh wait…” I snap my fingers, smiling. “I don’t need to bargain with you because you have nothing I want, and I have everything you want.”
“What does that mean? You’d never let Maddie get hurt.”
“Correcto.” I point my finger at her. “Why don’t you show me how she’s doing on your little surveillance cam?”
Immediately, she signs into her iPad and opens the app, then logs on. I watch as she swipes, looking from room to room in the cabin with no one in sight.
“This is impossible,” she mutters.
Walking behind Victoria, I look over her shoulder. “Hmm…interesting. Looks like it’s empty.”
“What the fuck did you do?” she shouts, tossing her iPad on the bed. “Where are my guards?”
“Like I said, princess. You’re not the only one who has connections.”
She grinds her teeth, contemplating her next move. Before she can walk around me, I grab her wrist and pull her back into my chest. With my lips to her ear, I speak low. “Don’t think so. You’re not the only one with a gun, and as much as I’d really hate to use it, especially on a pregnant woman, I will if I have to defend myself.”
I managed to get a gun from Tyler’s place since I knew Victoria kept one in her bedroom. Shooting me was her only option to get out of this, but I’m not about to let her do that. “You have two options,” I whisper in her ear. “Give me a divorce and this all ends for good. Confess I’m not the father so your dad doesn’t come after me, and we both walk away without pissing him off. Or he gets all the evidence of your betrayal. If he doesn’t kill you for it, he’ll for sure wipe you of your little trust fund, and you’ll be out on your ass. In fact, he’d probably keep you alive and feed you to the wolves instead. Plenty of people would love to get their hands on a mafia princess.” I hum, knowing it’ll piss her off. “You could shoot me now, but just know if I don’t come home in one piece, the photos will be sent to him from someone else. Either way, baby, you lose if you don’t obey my orders this time.”
“Let me go,” she growls.
Slowly, I remove my arms, and she jumps away. “Just stay married to me for a year, after the twins are born, then I’ll grant you the divorce. I’ll tell my family it’s my fault, and no one has to know the whole story.”
Oh, hello bargaining. I expected you.
She’s desperate. Neither options are favorable to her, but I gotta say, the truth not being revealed should be an obvious choice.
“No,” I say firmly, then twist my ring off and flick it into the air. She watches with horror as it flies across the room. I’ve been wearing that dreaded thing since we announced the marriage in July. To keep up the act around my friends, I wore it at all times. Feels good to finally get rid of the damn thing. “I want papers drawn up today. We both sign and then await a court date. You let me walk away and leave us alone, for good.”
She shakes her head. “Being a pregnant divorcee would be as bad as the truth. I can’t.”
I shrug nonchalantly. “Okay then.” I take my phone and start swiping.
“Wait! Wait, please!” She reaches for my cell, but I retreat so she can’t grab it. Victoria stays silent as if she’s trying to buy time, but my patience is wearing thin. It looks like she needs a reminder of what she’s done.