Page 53 of Deadly Vows

I froze, my hands still raised in surrender. “Fine,” I said, keeping my tone calm. “I’ll stay right here. But I need to know your plan if I allow you to leave the house.”

I could see his control slipping as sweat beaded on his forehead. He was losing it, and I needed to use that to my advantage.

“Where will you go that will be out of my reach?” I asked. “How far do you think you can run?”

His grip loosened just slightly, and his eyes flicked toward the door. But then, in a flash, his expression hardened, and I could see his finger tighten on the trigger.

“You don’t get to win!” Danny roared. “You don’t get to take what is mine!”

I jumped to the side just as the gun fired. The bullet grazed my side, and I fell to my knees.

The pain in my side was searing hot and throbbing with every breath. My knees hit the floor hard, and I gasped, trying to focus through the haze of pain. I could feel the blood, warm and sticky, slipping through my fingers as I clutched the wound. Just a bullet graze, but enough to make me see stars.

I heard Talia scream my name - raw and terrified. It cut through everything, sharper than the pain, and I forced my eyes up just in time to see her scramble off the floor. She was moving toward me, her eyes wide with fear.

“Talia, stay back!” I shouted.

Before she could take another step, Danny moved like a snake, quick and brutal. His hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of her dark hair, yanking her back against him. She cried out, stumbling into him as he held her close, the barrel of his gun pressing into her side.

My heart stopped. Every muscle in my body tensed. Danny smirked, his grip tightening as he pulled her like a rag doll, using her as a human shield. His eyes met mine, full of cruel satisfaction, as if he had already won.

I had to think fast before -

The door burst open with a violent crash, and suddenly Dimitri and Anton were there, their guns drawn, faces set like stone. Hope flared in my chest briefly, but then Danny’s smirk widened. His grip on Talia tightened, and he moved the gun from her side to her temple, the metal digging into her skin.

“Take another step, and I’ll blow her fucking brains out,” he snarled, his voice dark with venom.

Dimitri froze mid-step, his jaw clenched tightly. Anton’s hands twitched around his gun, fury burning in his eyes. I could see every instinct in them screaming to shoot, to put a bullet in Danny’s head. But they couldn’t. Not with Talia in the way.

“Back off,” Danny barked. “Now!”

Talia’s face twisted, but she didn’t make a sound. Her eyes locked with mine, filled with fear but also trust. Trust that I will fix this.

“Leave,” I said, my voice low but steady. Dimitri’s eyes shot to me, disbelieving.

“Brat-”

“I said leave!” I barked, a sudden surge of adrenaline pumping through me.

They hesitated, but I shook my head, forcing my gaze into theirs. Slowly, begrudgingly, they lowered their guns. They were ready to tear Danny apart with their bare hands but retreated, their eyes never leaving his. I could feel their anger and frustration, but they trusted me. They had no choice.

Danny let out a low, satisfied laugh as they disappeared through the door. The kind of laugh that made my skin crawl.

“Smart move, Aleksandr,” he sneered, tugging Talia closer. “Now, get up.”

I forced myself to rise, gritting my teeth. The moment I was on my feet, Danny’s eyes flicked to my side, noticing the blood pooling through my shirt, and his smile widened. He liked that I was injured.

Shoving Talia forward, he pushed her toward the door while keeping the gun pointed squarely at my chest. “We’re going outside,” he said. “And you’re going to order your men to stand down.”

I nodded, my jaw clenched. There wasn’t a choice. Not with the gun still trained on me, not with Talia in his grip. As we moved outside, the cold air bit into my skin. I could feel the eyes of my men, hidden in the shadows, waiting for my word. But I couldn’t let them make a move. Not yet.

“Back off,” I shouted, loud enough for them to hear. “Everyone, now!”

Slowly, one by one, my men retreated, disappearing into the night, leaving the street empty and silent. It was just us now - me, Talia, and Danny.

Danny shoved Talia toward the blue sedan parked in the driveway, keeping the gun trained on me. I could see how her body tensed, the fear in her every movement. I wanted to rush forward, but one wrong move, and it would be over. I had to wait. I had to be smart.

“You think you’re walking away from this?” I asked, my voice low and full of barely restrained anger. I needed to keep him talking and distracted.

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