Page 75 of Crimson Vows

I nod, trying to think of where we will go. Once Amelia figures out that all of us are gone, she’ll send someone after us. She’s sure to anticipate anywhere I would consider. “Okay, we don’t have much time. You have to be careful. There’s a chance they could already be looking for you.”

“Dante,” Nico says, looking over at the quiet statue of a man still perched on the couch. “You should come with me. We’ll swing by my place first and then yours, okay?”

He stands and nods, still not speaking.

“Okay,” I exhale, relieved we at least have an idea of what comes next. “Two hours. No more.”

Nico nods. “Got it.”

“Let’s go, man.” Nico’s voice cuts through the tension.

“My mom... I need to say goodbye to my mom. Can I—” Dante stammers.

“No,” I snap. “Absolutely not. You said goodbye to her the moment you pulled that trigger.”

A shadow of defeat darkens his features. But he swallows it down.

“Come on,” Nico urges, standing near the door.

Dante moves, head bowed, a shell of the boisterous man we all knew.

“Two hours,” I say again as they move into the hallway. “If you’re not back, we’re leaving without you.”

Nico nods before pulling the door behind him, leaving Gia and me alone.

“We wouldn’t really leave them, would we?” Gia asks.

My arms encircle her, pulling her close. Her body warmth seeps into mine.

“The only thing I care about,” I say, my lips near her ear, “is keeping you safe. And when it comes to that, I will do whatever it takes.”

She doesn’t respond, and I wonder if she understands that I’d face down hell itself for her.

Chapter Thirty-One

NIKOLAI

The sterile scent of the hospital causes my spine to go rigid as I sit quietly next to Alexei. Across from us, Amelia’s body practically vibrates with rage, her eyes throwing daggers into the void. “Don’t worry, we’re going to make whoever did this to him pay,” she hisses through clenched teeth, her voice a venomous whisper meant only for Eva.

I wonder why the ambiguity. Amelia was informed shortly after we arrived at the hospital that the security footage revealed exactly who was behind the brutal attack on her brother. Dante’s name burns in my mind—a traitor. I have never met the man, but anyone who could turn on someone they have made an oath to is obviously a coward. Perhaps Amelia is dancing around who was behind the shooting because she doesn’t want to pull Eva into our world completely. She’s an outsider, and from what I have gathered through my experiences with her, she isn’t the type who would want blood on her hands.

“None of that matters. I only want Vincent to be okay.” Eva’s soft words carry more hope than conviction. “Revenge isn’t going to make him better.”

A tightness forms in my chest as I watch the two women. They’re night and day, fire and water. But their bond runs fierce and deep. A friendship between opposites like theirs makes no sense to me. Alexei and I are cut from the same cloth. We almost always know what the other is thinking. That’s why I also know the secret I’ve been carrying will change things between us forever. But that is for another time. Right now, at this moment, Amelia needs to be our focus.

A buzz comes from Alexei’s jacket, and his hand moves quickly to snatch his phone. He glances at the screen, then curses under his breath, standing so abruptly that his chair scrapes against the floor.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“I can’t just fucking sit here,” he growls, thumbing the phone in frustration.

“Where are you going?” Amelia looks up at him.

“It’s work. I need to make some calls.” He’s distracted as he moves toward the exit of the hospital’s waiting room. “Fucking family...” he mutters with his eyes fixed on his phone, hammering out a response to whatever text he received.

This attack hits far too close to a wound not yet healed for him. It wasn’t long ago that Alexei’s brother came for him, and while we survived, the betrayal still left its mark. Now, finding out that Dante was the one who shot Vincent, then Marco suddenly going dark, today’s events echo that same treacherous refrain. If I know Alexei as well as I think I do, the work he’s referring to is tracking Marco down so he can determine if he was, in fact, part of this. When someone you love hurts, and you don’t know how to fix it, the only thing you can think to do is hurt the ones who hurt them.

Amelia turns her attention back to Eva. As strong as she likes to appear, those who know her the best can see the cracks. Her anger is a mask for her fear and pain. Seeing her like this feels like someone is jamming hot pokers into my gut, which only causes the guilt I’ve been carrying for months to gnaw at me even more. I’m not sure when it started, but at some point, an affection has grown beyond the bounds of loyalty. It twists inside me with every glance Amelia throws my way.

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