Page 25 of Sacred Vow

“No. They aren’t.” Andrei brings his angry gaze back to me. “Isolde, let’s go.”

“I’d rather not.” I glide a step toward Donald. He seems to be the safer of the two at the moment.

Andrei isn’t amused. He marches three strides to me and grabs my wrist. “I don’t give a fuck what you’d rather.” He says something to Donald in Russian that I don’t understand as he yanks me past him and out of the donut shop, trailing behind him like some wayward toddler.

“Stop it, Andrei.” I smack at his hand, but he’s built of stone and has no feelings in his body. He’s inhuman.

“Keep it up, and I’ll carry you,” he promises as he steps out of the shop.

“You’re a fucking Neanderthal!” I yell at him once we’re on the street.

He stops, making me bounce right off his back. Slowly, he turns back to me. The heat of his anger rolls off his body, encapsulating me. I retreat a small step, needing some air between us.

“You can yell and scream and call me names all you want, Isolde. But I’m not going to stop protecting you. And right now, it seems I have to protect you from yourself just as much as from the outside world.” With his free hand, he pinches my chin, pushing it backwards as he evaporates the space between us with his body.

I swallow and try to catch the breath his dark stare is stealing.

“You can either come to the car with me quietly and accept you aren’t getting away from me. Or, you can keep fighting me, keeping making the situation worse and you’ll regret every bit of it later.” His eyes bore into me, waiting.

“I’m not giving in to you.” And as soon as it’s out, I feel the wrongness of it.

He sucks in a breath through his clenched teeth.

A moment ticks by.

Is no one seeing this? He’s tilting my head so harshly, I rise up to my toes to lessen the tension on my neck.

Slowly, his eyes soften. His mouth curls at the edges into a sinister smile.

“Have it your way.” He lets go of my chin and begins his march again, this time moving even faster so that I have to jog to keep up with him.

Finally, we reach the blacked-out SUV idling at the corner. A man stands outside the car, his hand already on the back door handle as we approach. He opens the door for Andrei then steps aside as Andrei all but throws me in.

As soon as I’m in, I scramble to the other side only to find it locked. I hit the window, pull on the handle, all for nothing.

Andrei climbs in next to me and orders the driver to get going.

Once the car starts moving, I sink into my seat, beaten. At least for now, I’m stuck with him.

“There was another guy watching me,” I say after quiet minutes tick by.

“Yes,” he answers while scrolling through his phone.

“He was behind the building?” But I checked; I didn’t see anyone.

“He was on the block behind your building. He saw you get in the car and called me right away.” He keeps typing on his phone.

It’s nearly nine-thirty by the time the SUV pulls into the private garage of Andrei’s building.

“I can’t be here, Andrei. I want to go home,” I state as the SUV pulls in front of the elevators.

He opens his car door and climbs out. The driver stays in his place, keeping his eyes forward, not so much as a glance into the rearview mirror.

Andrei jerks my door open and puts his hand out for me.

I ignore it.

“I want to go home.”

---