Page 42 of Deadly Vows

There was a long pause…too long. I could feel his eyes on me, and the tension in the room shifting. Danny set down the gun, and the click of metal on wood made my heart skip a beat.

“Why are you bringing her up?” His voice was low and dangerous.

“I just… I don’t want her to worry,” I said quickly, trying to keep my voice steady. “She’s my sister, Danny-”

“She’s not your sister,” Danny interrupted, his voice rising angrily. He stood, pushing the chair back with a sharp screech. “She’s not even your real family.”

I swallowed hard, turning to face him. His face was flushed with irritation, his fists clenched at his sides. “Danny, sheismy family. She’s all I’ve had for years. We looked out for each other. I can’t just-”

“She’s nothing!” he snapped, stepping toward me, his eyes dark as a thunderstorm. “She’s just some girl you met in foster care. You’re here with me now.I’myour family.”

I took a step back, my pulse racing. “That doesn’t mean I don’t care about her.”

“Why do you care about her?” Danny demanded, his voice rising, shaking the walls. “She’s not blood. She’s not even connected to you. You were thrown into foster care because of what your father did. He murdered someone incold blood, Talia. Your family is nothing but killers and criminals.”

His words hit me like a blow to the chest, stealing the air from my lungs. My father. His actions had destroyed our family, shattered the life we could’ve had, and landed me in foster care when I was too young to understand why. And now Danny was throwing it in my face, using my past against me.

“I’m not like my father,” I said. But the words felt hollow even as I said them. Because sometimes I wondered if I was. If the darkness that ran through his blood ran through mine, too. If given the chance right now, would I hesitate to kill Danny?

Danny stepped closer, his eyes locked on mine, and I briefly thought he might hit me. But then his gaze softened, shifting from anger to admiration. He looked down at mystomach, and his demeanor changed. His hand moved toward my belly, gently pressing against the swell there.

“I’m going to be a father,” Danny whispered, his voice soft. He knelt, pressing his lips against my stomach, his breath warm against my skin. “We’re going to be a family, Talia. You, me, and the baby. That’s all that matters now.”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “Yes,” I lied. “A family.” But the words tasted like ash in my mouth.

Danny stood up, his hand lingering on my stomach before he looked into my eyes again, his smile wide and sickeningly sweet. “We’re going to be so happy together.”

I forced a smile, nodding even though every fiber of my being screamed to run. To fight. To do something. “Maybe… maybe I can text Sandy,” I said carefully, watching his face for any sign of a reaction. “Just to tell her I’m okay. That I’m happy here with you.”

Danny’s eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering in them. “Why?”

“Because if she thinks I’m happy, she’ll stop looking for me,” I explained, trying to sound reasonable. “If she knows I’ve chosen to stay with you, she won’t come after me. She won’t try to find me.”

He considered this, his gaze still hard, but then he nodded slowly. “Fine. But I’m watching you. Talia, one wrong word, and I’ll ensure she never finds you. Understand?”

“I understand,” I said quickly, my heart pounding.

He handed me his phone, and I typed out the message carefully, every word a risk. I had to be subtle and give Sandy a clue without Danny catching on.

Hey Sandy, I’m not coming back. I’m so happy here with Danny. We’re going to start a family. Please don’t worry about me. Everything is perfect here in our new home. It’s beautiful. I’ve always wanted a white house with a backyard in the quiet suburbs.

I hit send, praying she would get the message and show it to Aleksandr.

Danny took the phone from me and smiled, pleased with himself. “Good girl,” he said, patting my head like I was some obedient pet. Then he leaned in and kissed me again, slow and deliberate, his hand resting possessively on my belly.

“You see, baby?” he murmured against my lips. “We can be happy together. All you have to do is trust me.”

I nodded, forcing the smile to stay on my face, but inside, I was breaking. It was too much - the lies, the fear, the longing for the life I had lost - it was suffocating me.

This wasn’t happiness. This was survival. And I had no idea how long I could keep up the act.

Chapter 25

Aleksandr

The air in my office seemed heavy and thick. My fingers traced idle patterns on the surface of the desk, the wood cold under my touch. I picked up the glass of vodka and downed it one gulp. It did nothing to quell the anger. My thoughts were consumed with Talia. The thought of her out there, lost, scared - or worse - gnawed at me, relentless and merciless. It was a constant ache, one I couldn’t ignore, not for a second.

It had been two days since Danny took her. Two days since I’d slept more than two hours. Two days since we had anything to work with except the vague knowledge that Danny, that fucking lunatic, had her.Blyat!I threw the crystal glass across the room, watching it shatter into tiny pieces.

---