Page 45 of Sacred Vow

“You’re just as nuts as he is.”

“Izzy, trust me when I tell you, I’ve been around men like him for a long time. They don’t do things they don’t want to. If he wanted you gone, you’d be gone. If he’s pushing you down the aisle, it’s because he wants you there.”

“It’s alarming how much you know about him and all of this.” I wave my arm in the air.

“Like I said, I pay attention when people talk.” She shrugs. “I also have eyes. You don’t hate him as much as you wish you did.”

“I may not hate him, but I don’t love him.”

“Like turns into love pretty damn fast.”

“I thought you don’t believe in love?”

She laughs. “I believe in love, it’s relationships I don’t like. But that’s for me, not you. You have a good chance of making this work, at least to your benefit.”

“He’s a dangerous man, Marlena. I may not remember what happened to my brother, but I have a feeling it wasn’t an accident. What if something happens to Andrei?”

“What if something happens to me?” She presses her hand against her chest. “Or some other guy you might end up with?”

“If I could just remember what happened, if I had the information these people wanted, I could hand it over, and then I’d be fine, right? They’d leave me alone?”

She frowns. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I mean, if your mind is blocking it, there’s a reason. I’m not sure messing with it is a good thing. If it was safe for you to remember, wouldn’t the block have gone away by now?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s time I see a doctor again. Maybe they can help bring the memory back.”

“If that works, you can’t go back. Once you remember, you’re not going to be able to forget it again and maybe it’s not something you want to remember.”

“It’s either that or I’m marrying Andrei, and he doesn’t seem like the divorcing type.”

She laughs. “I think you’re right on that.”

“All right then. I’ll get to a doctor.”

“How are you going to do that without your mafia fiancé downstairs knowing?”

“He’s got to leave the house sometime, right? He’s got meetings, shakedowns, whatever the hell he does to be able to afford all this.” I gesture to the elegance of the room. “I’ll be fine.”

She pushes off the chair and claps her hands. “I’ll take you. You might need a shoulder if it works. Text me when you’re going, and I’ll meet you there. And good luck escaping this fortress.”

Isolde is in the bathroom brushing her teeth and changing into pajamas when my phone rings. I check the caller ID before answering.

“Two seconds,” I say into my phone as I walk past the bathroom door that’s slightly ajar. She’s still scrubbing her teeth when I peek through the cracked door.

I wait until I’m in the hallway and the bedroom door is shut before I bring the phone back to my ear.

“You’re late,” I bark. This call was supposed to come an hour ago. I’d had her occupied an hour ago with some true crime show she put on the television. Now she’s getting ready for bed, and still trying to weasel her way into job hunting in the morning. She’s going to come looking for me as soon as she’s done in the bathroom.

“I was busy.” The response is less than satisfactory. “Rumors are true then?”

“Yes.” I walk to the end of the hall, looking over the banister at the floor below. “She is under my protection. Anyone who touches her will be dealt with. I need a sit down with the Patruli brothers.” I grip the railing, wishing I could wrap my hand around his neck instead.

“She has information for them?”

“No. She still can’t remember anything. Besides, she’s not coming with me.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

The bedroom door down the hall opens and she stands leaning against the frame. Her nightgown—just an oversized t-shirt—barely hits her thighs. Her hair has been brushed out and falls loose around her newly washed face. I’ve had her twice today, and my cock hardens wanting her again.

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