Page 37 of Vows in Violence

“Is this your plan then, Romanov?” he spits a blob of blood and saliva, watching as it hits the ground. “Kill me and still be in just as hopeless a position as you are now?”

The walls start to vibrate—a train passing over the old station. Dust falls from the ceiling as the rumble grows louder, then fades. The sound is a stark reminder of how close the world outside is, yet how isolated we are in this forgotten place.

“Let me arrange something,” Angel says, his voice calmer now, though his eyes still blaze with defiance. He wipes more blood from his mouth.

“Why would any of them listen to you?” I ask, skepticism heavy in my tone.

“Because they want Vivi back as much as I do.” His voice carries a weight, a sincerity that gives me pause.

"Let’s make one thing clear. If I allow you to set something up, Valachi, she is coming back to me, not you," I growl, my eyes locked on Angel's. The tension between us could snap steel.

He nods.

***

The diner is usually bustling this early in the morning. It’s not a tourist spot but a place where people stop on their way to work or school. Springtime means high school seniors and college students are preparing for finals and final plans. This place attracts anyone who is on their way to do anything with their life.

The outdoor seating area features black metal chairs and small bistro tables…a clear effort to try and emulate the magic of Paris. Blue metal awnings hang above the tables and chairs closest to the restaurant. There’s a host stand outside and another inside.

Angel gets many looks as he sits there with his bandaged arm, his swollen face, and his split lip. I feel no guilt for any of this. Maybe when I see Vivi’s reaction... maybe.

Her pain isn’t a source of entertainment for me anymore. The thought of what kind of pain she might have experienced while I couldn’t protect her has put a damper on that.

It confuses the monster within me. I’m not supposed to allow myself to be this vulnerable, but with her… I push the strange emotion clawing beneath my skin away. The flesh around my bones tightens like it doesn’t belong to me.

"Eat," Angel tells me. "It’s been a long two days."

I can’t eat. Sleep and food will do nothing for me. Even though I should be worn down, I feel like an angry tiger pacing in its cage.

I hadn’t realized how swiftly and utterly I had grown to depend on Vivi’s presence in my life. Not just her body in my bed, pressed up against me, but Vivi herself…the woman. I miss her seated across from me each morning as I have my coffee and read my papers; I miss her opening the curtains to let the light in; I miss her glaring at me from behind golden bars…

She has bewitched me.

On the other side of the outdoor seating area, my gaze is drawn.

I see her.Vivi.

I grip the table, ready to stand, to make sure what I’m seeing is real, but Angel grabs my arm. I turn back, ready to fight him off, but his gaze is serious enough to give me pause.

"We will lose her if we don’t keep our heads," he says, his voice steady.

People are milling around us, eating, chatting. Some students are looking over their last bit of notes. This is not the kind of environment where our world reveals itself. All of this seems off, surreal.

Vivi looks both frightened and strong. Her chin is raised defiantly as Nikolai guides her to a table. I slowly sink back into my seat, even as it goes against every fiber in my being to sit hereand do nothing. My hand grips the knife at my place setting, the metal cool and sharp under my fingers.

Nikolai and Vivi sit down where Lulu Papparado is waiting for them. That's the only way Nikolai would meet with anyone, with one of the women present. Not Carina or Evie, though. One of the gentler ones.

They're too far away for me to hear their conversation. I turn to ask Angel about the next part of the plan when I see him staring at Lulu. His eyes are wide with shock and something else—pain.

Understanding hits me. She’s the sister Angel thought had gotten away, back again, in the center of everything that’s wrong with our world.

This man has fucked up so many lives.

I kick him under the table. Angel doesn’t start, but his eyes flick to mine, his expression hardening.

“Where is your man?” I ask, my voice low and tense.

“Give him a moment,” Angel replies, his gaze shifting back to the scene unfolding in front of us.

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