Shadows In Durango

Chapter 126

*****Sofia's POV*****

He tried to pay off my father?

I didn't know what to feel. Shock? Anger? Upset? Flattered?!

A strange kind of sadness punched in to my gut, like I was somehow at the center of a deal I had never asked for.

My father - the one who was always controlling, always playing with his power over me- and Vincent thought throwing money at the problem would make it go away?

"Y-You just tried to pay him off?" I heard myself repeat, but the words felt foreign, like they weren't even mine.

Vincent nodded, his eyes filled with something that looked like guilt. "I thought if I could just get him out of the picture, it would keep you safe, Sofia. That's all I wanted. I was brought up to think that money could buy anyone out for the right price and I was willing to pay him whatever it took to have him disappear from your life..."

I wanted to break down again, to make him understand how wrong trying to 'buy me' from him was, but deep down, I could sort of understand his thought process behind it... but I didn't want to admit that.

Was I supposed to be elated that he would offer up such money to fix the biggest problem lingering over my freedom, perhaps, but the main problem was that he kept all of this from me - operating and making dealings with my father behind my back.

That was what upset me most, the sneakiness...

Part of me also knew that my father didn't only care about the money, not this far in, he didn't like being humiliated and felt that I had done exactly that to him by running off and not following through with his marriage offerings... For that, I knew he would want far more than some dollar bills to settle him down... he wanted as much as he could take from me.

"You still don't get it, do you?" My voice trembled, but I forced myself to stay calm, even though every part of me felt like I was splintering inside. "You think money solves everything, that it can just make problems disappear. But you don't understand my father. He wants to see me suffer. He won't just walk away from this..."

Vincent's jaw clenched. I could see that he was struggling to stay composed, but I didn't care. I couldn't care about his feelings - not right now.

said, his voice a little too defensive,

heaved with the force of everything I was holding back. "You made it worse," I spat, my voice cracking. "By going behind my back, by not telling me the truth, you made everything worse. Now I don't even know what to think!" "The marriage wasn't mine or my father's idea, just know that! I would never make such an offer knowing what he tried to do to you back home by marrying you off. My father offered him cash and he quickly called me back to say he was interested... but that he wanted more than just the cash." Vincent explains the rest of what

had been going on about at dinner that night... the 'marriage' between Vincent and I that I wasn't made

state the obvious now, as he nods slowly, evidently nervous to upset me further by disagreeing. "Yeah, well, he told my father that he would step out of your life completely on three conditions. One, was to take the money of course. Two, was by having you marry me to strengthen business

ordeal behind my back... but they planned for him to

all of the hassle I've caused him?! Or what if he only wants to know my location to drag my ass back home where he can

my whole life, and yet only yesterday, I had dreaded losing

quickly realising that this was a heavy mistake on his part, one that I hadn't had any time to think through the dangers of

my father closing in, quicker than

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sit back down, I'm not finished explaining it all yet!" Vincent pleads, his eyes vulnerable for the first time since

of this as

on to my seat, folding my arms firmly

to scratch the back of his neck, seeming to think briefly on what to

this, but I just felt so

it over for a few days and would get in touch..." He breathes, eyes searching mine for a reaction before he carries on, "I was trying to think of the best way to talk to you about it all, knowing that you would get scared and upset, but before I could even get the chance to tell you, my idiot of a father told

did he know? Was everyone aware of what was going on?! Was that why he was in such a bad mood that day?" I ask, pulling together every

think straight. When he heard about the 'deal,' he lost it. He didn't think I should go through with any of it, especially the marriage part.

hard, suddenly appreciating Daryl's view on it from the start. Although he had been extremely pissy with me

trying to 'fix' things on my own. I wanted to be the one to handle it, to make sure you never had to deal with your father again or any kind of extra stress for that matter. I thought I was protecting you... but I was

the knot of

talking to you. I wasn't going to let him anywhere near you either. I just hoped at first he would accept the money and move on but I shouldn't have assumed that... especially when you tried to warn me

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know? But I just don't know if