Page 61 of Crimson Vows

“I love you too,” I reply, feeling the sting of tears I refuse to shed. A pit of uncertainty forms in my stomach, and I need him to confirm our plan to put me at ease. “If you can’t sway Amelia to help, does that mean all four of us can leave together?”

He offers me a soft smile. “It means I love you.”

“Marco—”

He lifts a finger to my lips and silences me. “If it will make you feel better, pack a go-bag, empty your safety deposit box, and wait for my call. I’m going to do everything I can to fix this for all of us, okay?”

I want to press, to tell him I need to hear from him we will get the four of us out together. But I’m silent as I stand there. With one last look, Marco climbs into his car. I stand there as he starts the engine, and with one last smile at me, I watch as he pulls away and the car disappears from sight.

I turn on my heel, determination propelling me forward. Time is slipping, and with it, our chance at surviving this. Maybe Marco had a point when he said he might be overthinking this. Perhaps Vincent would simply admonish him for letting the conversation get out of control and tell him he should have addressed things sooner. If that isn’t the case, though, time won’t be on our side.

I drive to the bank and park my car before exiting and approaching the building. The fluorescent lights are harsh and sterile when I burst through the glass doors, and I squint against their glare. My hand is steady as I present my key to the teller, a facade of calm over the turmoil churning inside me.

After I’m escorted into the vault, I make quick work of emptying the box’s contents into my purse. Back outside, I place the bag on the seat next to me, its weight a tangible reminder of the stakes. Doubts slither through my mind like shadows creeping across the pavement.

The thought of abandoning Nico and Dante claws at me. I know Marco is thinking the same thing. It’ll make everything more complicated and more dangerous if four of us travel together, yet the idea of leaving them to fend for themselves if shit hits the fan isn’t a burden I can carry every day for the rest of my life.

“Please let this work,” I whisper, desperation gripping me as I cling to the hope Marco can secure an ally in Amelia.

Chapter Twenty-Three

MARCO

My fingers fly over the screen in a rapid dance of urgency.

Marco: Need to talk. ASAP. It’s important.

I hit send before the doubt can set in, before I can convince myself that talking to Amelia might be more dangerous than helpful. I want to remain hopeful for Gia’s sake, but at the end of the day, Amelia scares the hell out of me. There is a very good chance that if I go to her, laying it all out, she will still view me as a threat to her brother. Her husband wouldn’t think twice about ending my life if it was what his wife wanted. The only thing driving me forward: she is logical, and I can convince her having two dead upper-level men in Vincent’s organization won’t look good. It will signal to other families that the King family isn’t as rock solid as they were under her father.

Seconds stretch into small eternities. The buzzing of my phone is an electric jolt.

Amelia: Heading out to an appointment with Alexei. Can meet after?

I exhale. The idea that Amelia seems like my best chance to make sure Vincent is willing to listen to my explanation causes my gut to twist into knots. She wouldn’t have come to me this morning if part of her didn’t want me to make it out of this alive, so I keep clinging to that simple fact. As betrayed as Vincent felt when she married Alexei, he adores Amelia. Her advice might be the only thing to help me navigate my way out of this disaster.

My thumbs hover over the phone’s keyboard, a surge of hope threading through my rapid heartbeat.

Me: Thank you. What time can we meet?

Amelia: Should be free by 3:30.

Her message lights up the phone, delivering a lifeline in neatly typed characters.

3:30. The numbers echo in my mind, a countdown ticking away with unrelenting speed. I need time. Time to talk to Amelia. Time to figure out how I’m going to explain all of this to Vincent. It’s clear neither of them trusts Gia. It won’t matter what I say; if I tell them the idea was birthed from her lips as an innocent statement with no real intent, they will never believe it. I have to protect her. My mind is already made up that I will tell them I was the one who made the offhanded statement—I was venting and didn’t know anyone in the room would think I was serious.

Me: I’ll wait for you outside your building.

I send the text to Amelia. I’m about to replace my phone in my pocket when it vibrates again. I look at the screen to see a reply waiting from Amelia.

Amelia: Vincent called. His flight is landing at two today.

The message sends a rush of panic flooding through me. Two o’clock. I can’t see him. Not until I talk to Amelia. It doesn’t bode well for me that he alerted Amelia to his arrival, but I haven’t heard anything from him. Perhaps he wants me to be surprised by his return—to catch me off guard. Amelia sharing this information with me could be a good sign, though. She is obviously concerned for me, and that’s at least something in my favor.

Sweat beads on my forehead as I clutch the phone tighter, my mind racing with the implications of Vincent’s imminent return. A surge of determination ripples through me, steeling my resolve even as uncertainty gnaws at the edges of my courage. I can’t hide from this. Whatever comes next, I have to face it head-on—for Gia’s sake.

Me: I need to see you before I talk to him. Can you meet sooner?

I type out the desperate words and hit send.

---