Amelia wasn't sure she had just heard what the stranger who had walked up to the altar had just said.
Her brain was still trying to wrap itself around what he had just said.
She blinked and shook her head trying to shake out the echoes of what he had just said. She even pinched herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.
The pinch stung reminding her that it was reality.
What the hell was going on. She couldn't fathom what was going on.
The priest stared at Dylan in disbelief then took his gaze over to Brain who was now staring at Dylan like he was something that had come back from the dead.
"What is going on?" Amelia asked pointedly at Brain who was having some sort of stare down with Dylan.
Dylan was taller than Brain by at least a foot and his stature outscaled that of Brain by a mile.
His dark tuxedo clung to his powerfully built form like a piece of skin highlighting every bump and curve that was his muscle.
His beard was reduced to a dark stubble that somehow seemed to compliment the colour of his icy sharp blue eyes.
His hair had been combed and gelled neatly and his fingers- when Amelia had looked down at them were manicured.
He didn't look like the type of man that would barge into people wedding to play stupid pranks.
"Continue the wedding minster" Brain said coldly, never taking his eyes off Dylan.
The mister opened his mouth to speak and Dylan raised a hand instantly shutting him up. That gesture alone exuded danger and power.
"Do no such thing , minister, if you do you will be committing a sacrilege and I'm sure that your sacraments would not agree to that."
His voice was like silk and had a strong commanding baritone to it at the same time.
The priest was starting to get irritated and confused. The whole hall was silent, not a single noise could be heard; no scraping of chairs nor crying children, no sneezing, absolutely nothing.
Everyone's eyes were fixed to the altar and the commotion that was slowly building.
"What is going on Brian, do you know this man and what is he talking about?" Amelia asked on the verge of hysteria.
Brain shifted his eyes over to the priest and before he could speak Dyaln cut him off in the same cool manner he had used with the priest.
"Before you go ahead and tell lies, Brain , don't forget that you're standing in front of your wife and the altar of God neither should you forget the agreement we made."
Amelia wasn't sure if she was imagining it or if it was real but; she could see a hint of color flare up in Brains cheeks.
She couldn't understand what was going on, she could only stand there like a baffled spectator watching a weird event unfold before her eyes.
"Not here, not now, Dylan" Brain hissed and Dylan shook his head slowly.
"I'm afraid we've come to the expiry date of our deal. If you should resist me or anything that I'm going to do here now then I would like to jog your memory of the consequences of what would happen" Dylan said, flicking his hand behind him as a man ran towards him from the back of the hall.
As Amelia turned to watch the oncoming man she was shocked to see armed men spanning the whole length of the hall. They were all armed to the teeth, each of them unmoving like a tree.
This wasn't the way her wedding was supposed to turn out. This was not the way any woman's wedding was supposed to turn out.
The man reached the altar and handed Dyaln a black briefcase which he opened and pulled out a paper from it. Lifting it up he kept it in front of Brains face.
"That there is your signature and you are bound by that signature and if you should try anything contrary to the terms of our agreement I will have to use whatever means necessary to make sure that you don't go astray.
"You cannot do this Dylan, please don't do this I'm begging you" Brain croaked his eyes darting from Amelia to Dylan
"I wish I didn't have to but I warned you when you were getting into this agreement and now I've come to collect what's mine."
Amelia couldn't take it anymore. The tears were already spilling away from her face before she could do anything about it.
She knew it would ruin her makeup but she didn't care. Her make up could get ruined. She wanted to understand what the hell was going on in her wedding.
Throwing down the veil that covered her face she screamed tears flying down her face in rivulets.
"Brain tell me what the hell is going on, who is this Dylan and what agreement is he talking about, what paper did he show you, please god damn answer my questions" Amelia cried breaking down into tears the hysteria finally consuming her.
No woman's wedding was supposed to go this way, no woman at all.
"I'll give you time to talk to her and examine what you did and what is going on" Dylan said, stepping away from the altar to stand a few feet away, his gaze as stoic as ever.
"Brain, please explain to me what's going on, please," Amelia said through tear stained face as she struggled to stay on her feet.
Brian caught her before she slumped to the ground and held her tightly. She tried to beat back against him but he held her in a firm grip.
"Listen to me Amelia, look at me, look at me"
Amelia shook her head furiously, the tears streaming down from her face made her vision blurry.
She saw someone walk past her and heard a slap follow after.
"Don't you dare touch my daughter" she could hear her mother's voice clearly ring out but the voice sounded far away and distant.
Amelia's head was spinning.
Brain pushed past her mother and grabbed Amelia raising her up to her feet and grabbing her face.
"Please look at me, Ameila, that's all I'm asking, please just look at me."
Amelia turned to face him and saw that he was holding back oncoming tears. His eyes were red and shiny.
"Do you trust me Ameila, do you trust me, tell me you trust me."
Blindly Amelia nodded.
"That's good baby girl that's good. I borrowed some money from Dylan and the time I'm supposed to pay it back has passed and somehow I had stupidly used you as collateral."
The tears were rushing back as she stared at Brian, her brain refusing to understand what he was saying.
"I'm going to fix everything, don't be afraid. I promise I'm going to fix everything, just do what he says. If you don't he's going to do something bad to me. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me though would you."
She loved him despite the stupid thing he had just done she still loved him and it was that blind love that made her shake her head.
"I'm going to get you out, I swear. Just give me a day, you are mine and nobody else and once I pay him you're going to return back to me."
Amelia agreed. She agreed because she loved him and wouldn't want anything to happen to him.
Brain pulled her up to her feet and hugged her as his soapy scent filled her nostrils bringing back some nostalgia with it.
Brain pulled away from her and walked down the stars with her hand in his. Jane moved off to block the path and Amelia grabbed her hand.
"Mom please, let me go if you love me you'll let me do this."
"You know I love you Amelia, there is never a doubt for that in my heart but a man that would use his wife as collateral shouldn't be loved. What you should be doing is calling the police to end this nonsense."
Brain opened his mouth to speak but this time Bridget slapped him again the sound echoing across the hall like a bullet.
Amelia had never seen Brain look so small and tired. His eyes were now bloodshot with a lot of suppressed tears.
"Mom, do you trust me?"
Jane looked away from her daughter as a tear left her face.
"Mom please do you trust me?"
"Amelia you know I do but.."
"Then don't call the police Mom, please don't."
Jane gritted her teeth and ran up to her daughter with Bridget following slightly behind.
They pulled her into a bear hug crushing her as the three of them started weeping.
The priest just stood at the altar staring down at what was happening in disbelief and shock. In all his years of practice he had never seen something like this happen.
How could someone give their wife off as collateral, did it mean that Brain never took the marriage as serious in the first place.
Jane and Bridget pulled away from Amelia and Brain slowly took her hands and walked her over to where Dyaln stood like an immobile rock, his face neutral as though everything that was happening was just a boring movie.
He was currently staring at the end of the hall, hands folded. The hall was starting to become noisy again.
The murmurs were starting out slowly and soon Amelia knew they would rise to a crescendo.
She wondered what would have happened if Dyaln hadn't brought armed men along with him.
Brain walked up to face Dylan who now shifted his gaze slowly from the end of the hall to look at Brain who was controlling visible rage and hatred.
"I'll be getting her back and if I find out that you harmed even a hair on her head…"
"You have nothing to worry about Mr Brian, I would not harm your wife neither will I touch her or sleep with her or do anything of the sorts. You're the one who signed her as collateral and collaterals are never harmed."
Amelia couldn't believe it was really happening. She couldn't believe that she was being given to someone else like a common property.
In her wildest dreams she would have never believed that something of this nature would happen to her.
Brain turned back one more time and pulled Amelia's chin up so that she was facing him, gazing into his reddish blue eyes.
"I'll come get you, I promise you, I need you to trust me in this ok?"
Amelia gave a small nod as she forced herself not to cry again.
She had to be strong, for herself, for Brian. He was coming back to get her. Everything was going to be alright.
Brain stepped away from her and as his hands slowly shifted away from hers with each movement it felt like her heart was going to shatter in her chest.
Dyaln gave a nod of his head and started walking away towards the exit of the hall. The murmur had grown louder now and there was yelling and shouting.
One of the armed men came forward and pointed, "This way miss."
Amelia followed after the man, staring forward because she knew if she looked back at her mother, aunt, uncle and Brian's face she wouldn't be able to continue; she would back out at the last second.
She would lose the courage. The armed man who was now serving as her escort led her outside and the rest of the armed men followed,stepping out in an organised single file.
Outside the event hall. Three big cars were parked outside and in the centre was a limousine.
She saw the shape of Dylan enter into the limo, his feet disappearing as the door of the limo closed.
"Follow us please."
The armed man led her to the limo and all the while Amelia left like her legs were made of lead instead of flesh and bone but she eventually made her way to the limo.
The man opened the side door for her and indicated that she should get inside.
She got in and the door was shut behind her.