Page 68 of Vows in Violence

Carina and Lulu also take guns and line up in front of the targets. Evie and Carina give brief instructions on how to stand, how to breathe, how to grip the weapon and squeeze the trigger instead of pulling it quickly.

Carina looks over each woman’s grip, nodding approval. “Okay, focus on the forehead, the dot right between the eyes, and squeeze the trigger. And then aim for the chest—”

Rowan and Lulu raise the guns. Lulu looks excited, Rowan, nervous but resigned. They fire. Neither bullet hits the target.

But the sound has sent me far from this basement shooting gallery, across the river, and into Brooklyn, where the greenhouse still stands. I see the woman slashing out with her knife at Ivan. I see how quickly she moves, her precision and accuracy. I feel the horrible weight of the gun in my hands, stillwarm from Eduardo’s body. My hands are surprisingly steady as I raise the gun and fire.

And fire again.

Hands. There are hands on me. I look up, and it’s Rowan, concern and confusion, etching her features. I’m crouched on the floor with my head in my hands. Tremors consume me, and my heart beats hard inside my chest, fluttering madly against my rib cage. Lulu runs over and drops to her knees beside me.

“Vivi. It’s okay, sweetheart, you’re here at home. You’re safe…” Her voice is soothing. Maternal.

Carina raises an eyebrow. Evie looks annoyed.

“She needs to pull herself together.”

Lulu snaps back. “Ease up, Evie. She has been through something horrible.”

Evie does not back down, her mouth set in stubborn lines. “That is the nature of our world, Lulu. All of us have been through horrible things, and there will be many more horrible things to come. We need to prepare for them.”

“We were raised differently than you, Evie. This isn’t normal for us,” Rowan says.

Carina shakes her head. “No. That’s no excuse. I was raised like you, and I learned to defend myself. Do you really wantto be completely helpless every time someone comes after you? Strong men need strong women.”

Lulu’s fingers tighten on my shoulder. “I’m pretty sure that Ivan is strong enough for both of them.”

I’m all but forgotten on the dirt floor, the women arguing over my head. Carina crosses her arms over her chest. “But he is always putting himself in harm’s way to defend her. The least she can do is get some training so that he doesn’t have to risk so much.”

Rowan’s gaze flashes from me to her sister-in-law. “Evie, please.”

I can hear them arguing above me, and my heartbeat moves to my ears. My chest hurts. Panic and guilt flood me, and all I can do is rock back and forth.

They think I’m weak. Maybe I am weak?Maybe Carina is right. Ivan does risk his life for me, and the war is about to reach its climax. I can’t always wait for Ivan to come save me.

I stop rocking and stand, still shaking. I palm the gun I just set down and flick the safety off. Then I point it at the target, line up the sights, and fire. I fire again, and again, until the clip is empty and the gun clicks harmlessly in my hand.

Only then do I set it down and look around. The room is silent, all of the women staring at me open-mouthed.

“You can teach me how to protect myself. But I can’t use a gun.”

Evie gestures at the target, which is filled with a neat grouping of holes in the paper outline perpetrator’s head. She lifts a brow. “You have to. You already shoot better than anyone here.”

I shake my head. “No. And the ones coming at us…they don’t always use guns. How do I disarm someone who has a knife?”

Evie smiles, the expression cold and fierce on her fine features. “Now,thatis something I can help you with.”

Chapter 26

Ivan

Days have passed, andthe tension in the city mounts relentlessly. The gangs have drawn back, lying in wait as if the world could erupt at any moment. I haven’t been able to check in with my people at the docks personally, but their reports tell me the same story: fewer trafficking customers, fewer people daring to enter the city. If word has spread to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that a battle is brewing, Waylon Vigneault must know, too.

I go through my regular morning routine, just in the Valachi house instead of my own. We will stay here until our home is restored.

The papers are silent about the recent deaths—not just those from the war. I eat my breakfast in the kitchen, preferring solitude over the banter that usually fills these mealtimes. Sharing a space with another alpha male like Damon isn’t easy, and I need to get my mansion taken care of soon.

The others are coming this morning to form a sort of war council. The women have been meeting for their training, but we decided early on not to have all the Dons in one place. It’s too tempting a target for Azrael. The quiet is concerning. Something is being planned, and we need a plan of our own.

---