Page 76 of Sacred Vow

I make my way over to her, brush a lock of hair from her forehead. She sighs. It’s the most content I’ve seen her in two days.

If I had lost her… I can’t finish the thought.

Only after tucking her in again and turning off the small lamp on the dresser do I leave the room.

One of my men is stationed just outside the room as I close the bedroom door almost all the way. He should be able to hear her if she wakes or if she starts to toss and turn.

“You come get me if she wakes up, or if she seems to be having a nightmare,” I order. I don’t need to double check if he understands. He will defend her with his life.

I walk through the darkness of the foyer, the living room, down a darkened hallway until I reach my office.

Here, the task lamp glows, illuminating the wooden box sitting on my desk. I walk past it to the bar, pour a whiskey, and sip it while staring at the box.

What could have been so important to him that he would have done business with the Patrulis?

I pour another drink and bring it to the desk, placing it beside the box.

I’d warned him about getting involved with them. He’d sworn it was a clean deal, nothing he couldn’t handle on his own.

I run my hand over the lid. The wood is warped from years of dampness. It’s been wiped clean; only light smudges of dirt are evidence of the years buried. Opening my top right-hand drawer, I push away random items until I find the small silver key. I had no reason to keep it. As far as I knew, we’d emptied the last of the cash from the box the month Isolde had gotten her learner’s permit. Craig used the money to buy her a car.

There’s a small click when I turn the key and the top pops open.

I take another drink.

Sink into my chair.

With a finger, I lift the lid until it stands upright on the hinges.

Inside is a piece of folded paper and a bank passport.

I pick it up, unfold it.

A small key falls out of the fold onto my desk. It’s the same size as the one I used to open the box.

On the paper is written the name of a bank and an address.

I open the passport.

Fuck.

A million dollars.

This was what Mason wanted. He wanted the payout for the job Craig had joined him on. One successful robbery. Craig had undercut Mason. A thief to the very end.

Even if Craig had given over the cash, Mason still would have had him taken out.

I fist the key.

As my father moved into more powerful positions, I had moved up with him. Petty robberies weren’t worth it for me anymore. We were dealing with serious money. But Craig never lost the thrill of being a thief.

I’d wanted him to work for my family. He’d have our full protection, but he liked the freedom of choosing the jobs he took. He didn’t want to be tied to one organization. He was his own man, he’d told me.

I’d thought him reckless, but he wasn’t a kid. Neither of us was. He wanted his own path, and so long as he never went against our interests, he was safe from us.

But Isolde wasn’t safe. Did he even think about that before he started working with men like Mason?

I drop the key into the box with the passport and slam the lid.

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