Page 80 of Crimson Vows

Beside him, Marco nods, the faint glow from the truck stop’s neon sign catching the edges of his chiseled jaw. His eyes, pools of night, hold mine with an intensity that causes a flutter in the pit of my stomach. There’s an admiration in them that makes me feel even more powerful.

“Agreed,” Marco adds.

“Okay then, badass, what’s next?” Nico asks, the blanket of grief still obviously heavy on his shoulders.

I glance back and forth between them. “I’ve got enough cash to keep us off the grid for a while. It should give us time to figure out what to do next.”

Their eyes are on me, steady and waiting. “Let’s not waste any more time then,” Marco adds, his voice low and urgent. “I’ll feel much better when we get some miles between us and New York.”

I nod. “I agree. In the morning, we need to ditch this car for something clean and untraceable.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Nico says as he retrieves his bag from the back seat before tossing it into Marco’s car.

We climb into the car, and even though all I can think about is Dante and his sacrifice for us, I don’t say anything to the others. The time will come for all of them to get what they deserve for what they did to him. Right now is about surviving to fight another day.

“Hey, don’t you have a sister in Florida?” Marco asks, positioning himself behind the wheel. “She’d hide us, wouldn’t she?”

I see Nico’s muscles flex. “No,” he bites out, the word sharp and final. “She’s not part of this life. She has a family, and I won’t drag her into this.”

Marco’s eyes narrow, and a flicker of something crosses his face—annoyance or maybe disbelief? “Look, I get the need to protect your family, but we’re desperate.”

Nico’s voice is like stone. “No, you don’t get it. You don’t have a sibling. It’s just you. I won’t do that to her, period.”

I catch the slight twitch in Marco’s brow and the way his lips press into a thin line. It’s subtle and easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. But it’s there—the hint of pain, quickly masked. Something in Nico’s statement has set him on edge.

“Enough,” I say, my voice breaking through their silent standoff. “Nico’s right. His sister would likely be among the first places they would look for us.”

“So where do you suggest?” Marco asks with a tinge of annoyance. He’s perturbed that I took Nico’s side.

“I say we just drive for now. We head south and then decide,” I answer.

They silently agree. I breathe in sync with the rise and fall of the passing landscape, cool air seeping through a cracked window, tangling my hair. Whatever comes, we face it as one, each firm in our vow to one another.

Chapter Thirty-Four

NIKOLAI

My footsteps are heavy, echoing off the concrete as I enter the hospital parking garage. Amelia’s there, leaning against her black SUV, and as I look at her, I’m still haunted by the events of the evening. Her eyes catch mine, and she moves toward me.

“I got your text,” she deadpans, betraying nothing of the turmoil I know churns within her about her brother. “What happened?”

I nod, “Let’s talk inside.” I jerk my head toward the SUV, my gut tight.

Without a word, she turns and slides into the driver’s side, and I follow suit on the passenger side. The door slams shut, sealing us in our own little world of steel and secrets. “What is going on?”

“I found Dante,” I say, watching her closely.

“I knew you would,” her affirmation does little to soothe my emptiness. “Take me to him. I’ve got questions for that traitorous piece of shit.” Her hand balls into a fist.

I hesitate; the next part isn’t easy. “That’s going to be hard to do,” I mutter, looking away from her piercing gaze. “He’s dead.”

“Dead?” Amelia’s voice cracks. She sits with the information for a moment before she continues, “Well, I can’t say I’m sad about it, but... tell me you at least got some answers as to who else he was working with before you killed him.”

“I didn’t kill him,” I admit.

“You just told me he’s dead.”

“I know, but not by my hand.”

---