Page 82 of Ivory Crown

Her gaze flicked up to mine, searching for something—reassurance, maybe, or a sign that this wasn’t really our world now. But I couldn’t give her that. Instead, I offered her the only truth I had. “Caruso won’t stop. You know that, right?”

“You didn’t have to kill him.”

“Jade, he was going to kill you,” I said. “He was going to stab you, or maybe hurt our baby.”

Her breath hitched at my words, her hand instinctively moving to circle her growing belly. The baby. Our baby. A surreal reality in this grim world we were entangled in. The only beacon of light amidst the darkness that surrounded us.

“I...” The word hung in the air, unfinished as tears welled up in her eyes. The weight of our predicament was dawning upon her, and it was a heartbreaking sight.

“Look at me, Jade,” I urged, taking a step towards her and resting my hands gently on her shoulders. She lifted her gaze to meet mine, the steely determination that usually sparkled in her eyes now replaced with a terrified uncertainty.

“This is the life I was born into,” I told her, my voice low and steady. “But you...you don’t deserve any of it.”

She took a shaky breath in, trying to steady herself. “And what about our baby? What kind of life do they deserve?”

“How about we have that conversation somewhere else?”

She nodded, swallowing hard. The realization seemed to settle over her like a shroud, and I could see her struggling with the weight of it. We were in deep, far deeper than I ever wanted her to be. “You’re right. We can’t stay here,” she whispered, her voice steady despite the tremor I saw in her hands.

“Let’s move.” I grabbed her arm gently but firmly and led her away from the body, from the blood—that damned blood that seemed to have a life of its own, seeping into every crack and crevice of the ground. We’d leave it behind, but we’d carry the memory of it with us, always.

I hadn’t just marked her. I had scarred her for good and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to live with myself.

But, again, that was something I was going to have to grapple with later. Elsewhere.

Not here.

“Where are we going?” she asked as we made our way through the labyrinth of alleys, the city waking up around us, oblivious to the darkness we were fleeing from.

“Somewhere safe,” I replied, but even as I said it, I wondered if such a place existed for people like us anymore. The web of the mafia was vast and tangled; once caught, it was nearly impossible to break free without tearing apart.

“Like where?” she asked.

I sighed. “We should have never left the penthouse,” I said. “Jade, I’m taking you home.”

Chapter Forty-Seven: Jade

Ichecked the alley one last time, the dead guy’s blood a stark reminder of the life I couldn’t escape. The city was just starting to stretch and yawn, unaware of the dirt we were leaving behind. We couldn’t stay here too long, the police would be called, I had made enemies with the force a long time ago. I kicked the body once, nudging him onto his back, his cold eyes staring upwards into the gloom. It was a silent accusation that sent shivers down my spine, but there was no guilt. There couldn’t be any room for guilt in our line of work.

I had to kill him. He shouldn’t have tried to kill Jade.

“Dante…” Jade said, her voice trembling.

“Just double checking,” I said. “Come on.”

My thumb moved swiftly over my phone screen, securing a ride with the kind of speed that came from too much practice.

“Let’s move,” I urged Jade, feeling her shiver beneath my touch. She needed me now more than ever; I could see it in the way her body tensed, how her eyes were glazed over with shock.

Shadows clung to us as we dodged between dumpsters, the stench almost preferable to the iron tang that lingered in my nose. “Hey,” I said softly, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice as I glanced down at her, “don’t let this shake you up too bad. It’s not good for the kid, you know?”

She nodded, but there was something distant in her gaze. I knew she wasn’t cut out for this world—the violence, the constant edge of danger. That’s why I had tried to protect her.

Why I needed to protect her.

“Stay close,” I whispered as we slipped out onto the street, our exit as silent as the dread that followed us. The city might have been waking up, but for us, it was about to become a very long day.

The car, thankfully, wasn’t far.

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