Page 73 of Vows in Violence

Waylon Vigneault.I remember him from the funeral.

“That’s her,” he says, pointing a finger. “That’s Viviana Romanov.”

Chapter 28

Ivan

I sprint to thedoor, adrenaline coursing through my veins. The sounds of chaos echo from the main part of the house—screaming, gunfire, and a commanding voice shouting orders. Vivi's downstairs, and I can't waste another second.

Before I can reach the door, Damon steps in front of me. "Romanov, don’t go out there."

I whirl around, getting right in his face. "Vivi is downstairs. We need to shut them down before they get her."

Damon's eyes are steady, his voice calm but firm. "The only thing that will happen if we go out there is that we are going to get gunned down."

Enzo, always the hothead, jumps in, his voice full of disbelief. "Are you fucking serious? Rowan is out there, too. And Lulu."

Cassidy paces, looking from the door to us. I understand his agitation; it mirrors mine. He’s thinking of Evie, of course. We are all thinking about the women we love, somewhere in this godforsaken house, void of our protection.

I glance back at the door, torn between charging out there and listening to reason. Damon's not done speaking, though. "I’m not planning on us running, and we’re not going to just sit here and do nothing."

He strides to the bookcase at the head of the room and pulls a key from his pocket. I watch, curiosity mingling with urgency. Damon slides a piece of wood aside, revealing a hidden keyhole. He inserts the key, and with a soft click, the bookcase swings open.

Damon turns to us, his expression resolute. "Lorenzo Valachi designed this place for an attack. Let’s go."

I step into the narrow passageway hidden behind the bookcase. The walls are so close that my shoulders brush against both sides as I squeeze through. It's a tight fit, but there's no time to dwell on the discomfort. We barely get the bookcase closed before the attackers burst into the room behind us.

Damon taps on the wall, and I follow his lead, pressing my eye to tiny holes that are invisible from the outside. The attackers are dressed in police uniforms. They sweep through the room, checking under the table and in the curtains. One of them speaks into a walkie-talkie, "Dining room clear."

I hold my breath as they leave. None of us speak.

When they’re gone, Damon flicks a switch on the wall, and lights buzz to life. The bulbs are old, more industrial than residential. I notice the walls are reinforced with metal.

I can't hold back any longer. "We need a fucking plan, Papparado," I hiss.

Damon's eyes are sharp, calculating. "Why are the police here? Luca, is there any way Waylon could have known?"

Luca looks as puzzled as the rest of us. "Our last meeting went as usual."

Enzo chimes in, his frustration palpable. "It has to be a coincidence. There’s no way he could know that we know. We still have Hugh, right?"

Damon nods. "He is recovering in a room downstairs."

I feel more like a rodent than a man. This is not the way I’m used to handling situations like this. I know the police are sweeping the house. They will reach the basement and find the women. They will find Vivi. Standing behind a metal wall feels wrong, like we're trapped rats waiting for the inevitable.

My mind races. I can't stand the thought of Vivi in danger while we're cowering here. I need to do something, anything. This isn't how I operate. I’m a man of action, not hiding.

"We’d better get moving, or I’m going back out there," I say, my impatience barely contained.

Damon nods and starts to lead us through the narrow passage. We leave the dining room area and move into the foyer, peering through another set of tiny holes. A fight is raging below us. Carina and Evie are in the thick of it, holding their own.

Where are the others?

Cassidy grins, his eyes lighting up. "That’s my ride."

He feels along the wall, finds a sliding panel, and he and Luca slip out, closing it behind them. I watch as Cassidy tackles a police officer. Another one tries to sneak up on him, but Evie’s quick, sending a volley of knives his way. Luca and Carina stand back-to-back, fending off their attackers with coordinated precision.

Damon’s voice cuts through the chaos. "We need to keep moving, find the others."

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