Page 18 of Beautiful Vows

The news catches me off guard. They’d been together for months, a rarity in Romeo’s world. “Why? I thought you two were good together.”

Romeo’s laugh is hollow. “That’s the problem. We were too good. She’s... she’s everything I never knew I wanted. Kind, smart, wicked funny, and sees the good in everyone. Even in me.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“For her, yes.” He downs his whiskey. “I know who I am, Dante. What I do. One day, maybe soon, I’ll break her heart. Even if she agrees to be my mistress after I get married, I know I’ll break her heart one day. Maybe by getting arrested, maybe by dying in some alley. Hell, maybe just by being me. And I can’t—” His voice cracks. “I can’t handle being the one to dim that light in her eyes.”

His raw honesty strikes a chord. In our world of darkness and sin, genuine feelings are as rare as they are dangerous. “Because you love her,” I ask, already knowing the answer.

Romeo meets my gaze, his eyes a storm of pain and acceptance. “I do. And that’s why I have to let her go. She deserves better than a half-life. She can never be number one and that hurts me more than I ever thought it would. We know this life won’t give her that. I can’t do it to her.”

The audience roars as the gavel goes down in the background.

Beneath the pulsing lights, I see a side of Romeo Conti few ever witness—a man choosing sacrifice over selfishness, knowing the cost to his own heart.

Unfortunately, I can’t do that.

I spent two hours in the club, making sure my alibi was tight before I left Romeo to nurse more alcohol. Then I left with a plan to see Lia and tell her how I planned to protect her and our babies, but she had to trust me. Which was going to be hard, considering how I last saw her.

At seven in the morning, my cell chimes in the middle of my shower. I grab a towel, hastily wiping water from my face and hands before reaching for the phone.

“Yeah.” My voice comes out as a gruff grunt.

“Dante.”

“Yep.”

“Lia is missing,” Rafe tells me, sending a shock wave through my body. Numbness washes over me for a few seconds. The mere mention of her name with the word ‘missing’ elicits such a visceral reaction. “Did you hear me?”

My response is terse, barely holding back the anger that threatens to consume me. “Yes, I heard. And what do you mean, missing?” I demand, my voice laced with a mix of anger but also concern. “How can she be missing? She’s staying with you.”

“I checked on her this morning and she’s gone. Left without a trace, vanished...”

“Have you checked her apartment?”

“Of course we have. The camera doesn’t show any sign of her,” Rafe replies, the urgency in his tone mirroring my mounting panic. He groans and I wait for more bad news. “And her phone. She left it behind.”

“She forgot it?” I rub the towel over my hair before I rush from the bathroom. I open my closet and pull out a shirt and pants.

“No, she purposely hid it underneath the mattress.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” I push, pulling the shirt over my shoulder and dressing as fast as I can.

There’s an audible gulp before Rafe says, “Yesterday, before we left for work.”

Yesterday.

“Do you think she’s been kidnapped?” My voice breaks as I think about all the people who want her dead.

“No.” I hear a deep sigh from Rafe before he says, “Cade just showed me the apartment camera. She left with a backpack.”

“She left on purpose. What the hell is she thinking?” I yell. Fury bubbles up within me, threatening to overflow. “She’s still recovering from being shot.”

“Fuck!” Rafe hisses. “Cade is going to go over the street cameras to find out which way she went.”

“You were supposed to be looking after her.” I utter through gritted teeth. My voice is bitter as my mind races, trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

Rafe sighs.

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