Page 62 of Crimson Vows

As I sit in the driver’s seat of my car, waiting for my cousin’s reply, Gia’s idea of running is a constant in the back of my thoughts. As much as I want to believe it could be an option, nobody gets to walk away, and certainly not if it appears they pose a threat to the family.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” Amelia’s answer finally comes across my phone.

That’s it, then. I have to do everything I can to avoid Vincent until I have a chance to meet with Amelia. And in the meantime, as much as I worry a plan to run is doomed to fail, it creates a slight sense of calm in me to have a backup.

I drive to my apartment, and once I arrive, I waste no time, moving cautiously inside, the door clicking shut behind me. Bare walls, minimal furniture—a life uncluttered. I take a deep breath, the air stale. Looking around the cramped studio, I can’t help but think how unaware I was and how sad my life was before Gia. This is the place I came to lay my head at night, but that was about it. Most nights, I never left the building that housed the King family, sleeping in the bunk room set aside for security in a room in the basement. My only concern had been to address whatever needs my uncle or cousins might have.

And after all that loyalty and dedication, this is where I find myself. Anger grips me, replacing the fear that had been brewing. With a decisive whirl, I grab a duffel bag from the closet and start packing essentials—clothes, toiletries, what little cash I have on hand, and a passport. Everything we might need to disappear... if it comes to that.

Zipping the bag closed, I’m amazed at how little space and time it took me to pack everything I have. Gia will be my home now, I remind myself as I take one last look around the apartment. Every sound outside my apartment causes me to pause, my hand drifting to my gun. I can’t stay here. It has crossed my mind that Vincent could send someone to bring me to him upon his arrival. I can’t risk that. I have to see Amelia first.

With quick, purposeful steps, I make my way out of the apartment, leaving behind the shadows of my past life and stepping into an uncertain future. I feel like a fool, embarrassed I believed Vincent thought of me as a brother too. The way I see my entire existence has changed so much in recent weeks. Vincent doesn’t trust me. It’s becoming clear he may have never actually trusted me.

I toss my bag into the back seat of my car, unsure what to do next. There is no family for me to say goodbye to. Amelia and Vincent are my only family—at least the only family I have known in a very long time. The world outside blurs past as I move through the city’s familiar streets with no destination in mind.

Eventually, I reach the only place I can think to go. I park down the street, out of sight, near Amelia’s building. I sit and wait, holding tight to the hope that Amelia will be able to set things right. I pull out my phone, the urge to check in on Gia pressing in on my thoughts. I unlock the screen, and as I do, my phone rings. I look at the name on the screen. Nico.

Chapter Twenty-Four

NICO

As I pace the length of the dim hallway, each step a hammer strike against the old wooden floors of my living room, I lift the phone to my ear.

“Talk to me.” Marco’s voice fills the void.

“Hey man, sorry to bother you. I was wondering if—by chance—you’ve heard from Dante?” I ask, my words coming out in a way I’m sure reveals the worry gnawing at my insides.

“Why the fuck would I have heard from Dante?” Marco snaps in frustration. “I thought he was with you.”

“Well—he was,” I stammer. “But we, um, well, we started arguing, and things got heated. He wouldn’t listen. He kept saying this was all his fault, and he couldn’t sit around and do nothing.”

“Dammit,” Marco growls. “He’s not wrong. This is all his fault!”

“Come on, I know you’re mad.” I hope to calm the anger seething in Marco’s voice. “But Dante didn’t do what he did because he was trying to endanger any of us. He respects you. Can’t you see that?”

“Well, maybe I would prefer if he respected me a little less.”

“Jesus. He really did think he was helping,” I say, already knowing I won’t be able to sway his opinion.

“Helping?” Marco barks into the phone. “Why do you keep defending him? He never thinks before he does something. He’s fucking reckless, and you know it.”

Marco isn’t wrong. Dante has been that way as long as I’ve known him, and I think, in some ways, it’s part of what makes him so endearing. However, he has never gotten us into a situation like the one we now face.

“I get it, okay? You’re not wrong. He really fucked this up. But you didn’t see him. He was so messed up when he left here; I’m really worried he could do something stupid. Shit, the way he was talking, he might even hurt himself.”

Silence stretches across the line, taut as a wire about to snap. I imagine Marco’s face is a mask of controlled indifference.

“Look, Nico,” Marco finally says, his voice laced with irritation rather than concern. “From what I’ve seen, Dante’s got a flair for the dramatics. He knows he fucked up and doesn’t know how to get himself out of it. I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to play his stupid games. Some of us are actually trying to figure a way out of the grave he dug for us.”

My face flushes hot at his response. “I don’t know.” I continue. “The guy I saw earlier, that wasn’t just drama. I’ve never seen him like that.”

“I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation right now. Amelia texted that Vincent is getting in around two today.” Tension radiates down to lock my entire body when I hear Marco’s words. “I need to go beg Amelia for her help in making her brother see reason, so how about you worry about finding Dante before Vincent does?”

The call ends with a click, the silence louder than any argument.

“FUUUUCCKKKK!” The guttural scream breaks free as frustration overwhelms me.

I suck in a deep breath. Find Dante. Where do you even start looking for a man who is out of his mind with guilt? Dante may be impulsive and reckless, but he’s also one of us—a part of this tangled web of misfits who has become as good as family.

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