Page 5 of Deadly Don's Savage Vows

Bursting through the door into the foyer, the entire area erupts in panic and screams as hotel staff run in all directions, terrified of our guns.

Relief floods me because I don’t see the police yet - or Marcus.

But I hear the sirens.

“Move. Go. Go. Go.” I yell at my men.

We run towards the massive front doors. No one bothers trying to stop us. They are all hiding, but outside is a different story.

My driver, alerted to our arrival, comes skidding to a stop right in front of the doors. I yank the car door open and throw Bellainto the back seat and my men and I pull into it, as I see Marcus running around the side of the hotel, straight towards us.

He looks enraged.

He fires a few shots, not caring who else is standing nearby. People scatter, more screams, chaos.

Two of the bullets smack into the back of my car, but it’s bullet proof.

The last guy in slams the door shut as another bullet hits the window.

“Drive.” I yell forward and tires screech against tar as we pull away.

I turn to watch out the rear window and see Marcus cursing and screaming, firing more shots even though at this point he must know it’s pointless.

We drive two streets over and stop.

“What? No, we can’t stop here.” Bella says in panic.

“I told you to trust me.” I snap, agitated, my adrenaline running high.

I push the door open and drag Bella out of the car. Leaning in, I talk to my men. “Keep driving, they will carry on chasing you.”

“Yes, sir.”

They speed off, back towards the main road, where they are more likely to be seen.

I press the button on the remote in my hand and the black Audi parked across the street purrs to life. Yanking the passenger door open, I push Bella inside.

She doesn’t say a word.

Sitting next to me as we drive through the city, I can see she is tense. Fidgeting constantly with her jaw clamped and her eyes darting everywhere. I feel bad for her.

None of this can be easy and I imagine she is wondering if she made the right choice trusting me.

I reach over and brush my hand over her leg.

“It’s ok. You can take a breather.”

For a moment, all she does is stare at my hand.

The air between us is ready to explode. Tension rises. My body is responding to her. I pull my hand away, realizing I should not be doing that at all.

She blinks a few times and looks over at me. She looks dazed, as though she is running on autopilot. Trying to survive.

“Where are we going?” She asks, her voice small and tight.

“To the airport. We are leaving the city. I’ll be staying with your tonight, to finish arranging a few things - but after that you are on your own, Bella. Do you understand that? You’ll have to take care of yourself.”

She nods, swallowing hard. “I understand.”

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