He turned to face Ben. “My supervisors have already started a search by now.” Technically, this wasn’t true. Enzo had told Schmitt that Ben was a psychic, but he hadn’t asked for backup during that text. When a backup team showed up, they often shot first and ask questions later. They wouldn’t try to spare Ben’s family.
Enzo had hoped he could convince Ben to come with him peacefully. “You need to take me to a public place and free me so I can contact them. Otherwise, you’ll bring down the brunt of the entire federal force on yourselves.”
“I’m willing to make a deal,” Ben said, sounding completely unworried by Enzo’s threat. “My daughter has taken a fancy to you. If you marry her, I’ll let you live.”
What? Enzo waited for Ben to say he was joking about that. He didn’t.
“Marry her?” Enzo glanced in the back seat to see Charity’s reaction to this pronouncement. She turned away sharply, staring out the window and refusing to meet his eyes.
None of this made sense. A closer look at her revealed that her eyes were puffy. She’d been crying. Had that been because he’d betrayed her or because she’d betrayed her father by kissing him? Was this part of her father’s punishment? Was the man crazy?
“You want me to marry your daughter?” Enzo repeated.
“You don’t have to,” Ben said. “I’d be just as happy shooting you.”
Still not making any sense. “So if I marry Charity, you’ll let me go?”
Ben shook his head. “I didn’t say that. I said you had a choice to make. Best make it soon. We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?” Enzo asked.
“Either a wedding or a funeral,” Ben said.
Ok, so not really a choice. These peoplewerecrazy, and Enzo would have to go through some sort of wedding ritual in order to buy himself time.
He hadn’t pegged the Huntingtons for being part of a cult, but clearly, they were. “In that case, I’ll marry your daughter.” Hopefully, the ritual didn’t involve something bizarre like snakes or exchanging blood.
“Well then,” Maretta said, still cheerful, “I guess this means we’re going to have a shotgun wedding.”
The woman was joking while holding a gun at him. All these people were unhinged. Surprising, since Charity seemed so normal.
Maretta leaned over her seat to hand the paper and pen to Reverend Russell. “The marriage license,” she told Enzo. “I signed your name on your behalf. That’s legal when a person can’t physically sign a document.”
Was that why she’d really wanted his name—not to make any bargains with the government but to write it on the marriage license? The fact that they had a marriage license and a reverend in the van meant they’d planned this before they put Enzo into the vehicle.
Reverend Russell handed the pen and paper to Charity somberly. “If you’re sure about this, you’ll need to sign as well.” His words were gentle, telling her he wouldn’t blame her for refusing.
Enzo expected her to refuse. She would point out that forcing an enemy to marry you was insane.
Instead, she pressed her lips together, gulped, and signed the document.
Reverend Russell took it from her hand. “Very well.” He sent her one last pitying look and intoned the words, “We are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses to join Charity Huntington and Lorenzo Vazquez in holy matrimony.”
“Right now?” Enzo interrupted. “You’re marrying us in the van?”
“It’s why I came along for the ride.” Reverend Russell leveled Enzo with a look. “Lorenzo, you need to repeat after me. I, Lorenzo, take you, Charity, to be my lawful wife.”
Reverend Russell paused, waiting for Enzo to say the words.
Well, at least there were no snakes so far. Enzo repeated the preacher’s words and the ones he spoke next. “To have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish all the days of my life.”
So surreal. So bizarre. He’d told his mother more than once that he’d never get married. Now he’d have to tell her he’d been wrong about that. She would laugh if he lived to tell her the story.
Charity looked down at her lap and still wouldn’t meet his eye. Had she insisted on this marriage as a way to save his life with her unhinged parents? It was a possibility.
When Enzo finished his vows, Reverend Russell guided Charity through her part. She spoke with the grimness of a eulogy.
“Usually when I marry a couple,” Reverend Russell said, “I give them a few words of advice during the ceremony. This time I’ll only say one thing. I’m a peaceful man, Enzo, but if you ever hurt Charity, I will come after you myself.” He nodded in Enzo’s direction. “By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”