Page 48 of Dark Promise

“You thought you could touch her?” I ask, pulling the garotte from my back pocket. The wire gleams against the stark white of the snow, a silent promise.

“No,” he croaks, his voice a pathetic rasp, but it’s too late for words.

The garotte slips around his throat, the tension in the wire as exacting as my rage. He gurgles, his hand scrabbling weakly at the thin steel biting into his flesh. I tighten the loop, my muscles coiled and unyielding, until his struggles slow, then cease entirely.

When it’s done, his body slumps forward, lifeless and heavy against the snow. I stand, uncoiling the garotte with practiced precision, the wire slick with his blood. The cold air bites at my face, but it’s nothing compared to the storm churning inside me.

I drop the garotte back into my pocket, my breath visible in the icy air. My gaze shifts, unblinking, to where Luca and Cassio stand at the edge of the clearing.

They’re watching me—Luca with an inscrutable expression, his dark eyes narrowed as if calculating something, and Cassiowith a raised brow, his usual easy charm replaced with cautious curiosity. Neither says a word, but their silence speaks volumes.

Luca finally steps forward, his boots crunching through the snow. He glances down at the crumpled body at my feet, then back at me.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” he says, his voice dry, laced with dark humor.

I don’t respond. My eyes flick to Sabina. She’s standing just behind Cassio, wrapped in his coat now, her arms hugging her middle like she’s holding herself together. Her expression is blank, unreadable, but her eyes—those light, luminous eyes—are locked on mine.

She doesn’t look away. She doesn’t flinch.

I want to say something, to bridge the silence between us, but the words won’t come. Instead, I take a step toward her, drawn by an invisible thread that only seems to tighten the closer I get.

“Sabina—”

Cassio moves, stepping between us, his hand on her shoulder as he gently guides her back. His gaze on me is sharp, protective, his jaw tight. “We need to go. Now.”

Luca nods, already scanning the tree line with his weapon raised. “He’s right. We can’t risk hanging around. More men could be on the way.”

Sabina doesn’t argue. She lets Cassio guide her toward the cabin, but her steps are hesitant, her head turning back toward me.

I stand there, rooted to the spot, watching as she disappears inside.

Luca stays behind for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he studies me. “You good?” he asks, his voice low.

“I’m fine,” I reply, though the weight pressing on my chest says otherwise.

Luca’s gaze flicks to the blood-stained snow, then back to me. “You sure about that?”

I don’t answer. He gives a short nod, something like understanding crossing his face, and then follows Cassio and Sabina into the cabin.

The clearing is silent now, save for the whisper of the wind. I stand there, staring at the crimson-streaked snow, my fingers curling and uncurling at my sides.

I should feel relief. Satisfaction. But all I feel is the ache of her absence.

And the unrelenting certainty that letting her go, even for her safety, is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

But I have unfinished business to complete and I need her safe while I do. For the moment, the safest place for her is in with her family.

15

Sabina

Cassio guidesme into the cabin, his arm around my shoulders. “You need a coat, Sabina. Boots. Hat. Gloves. We need to move. Now.”

His urgency is like a cold slap, snapping me back to the reality of the moment. My thoughts scatter, pulled between the image of Nikolai in the snow and the fact that I’m leaving. Leaving him.

“I—wait,” I stammer, my hands frozen at my sides. “You think more of them are coming?”

Cassio doesn’t even glance at me as he yanks open the door to the small closet by the bathroom, pulling out the coat and gloves I wore when Nikolai and I played in the snow. His movements are brisk, his jaw tight.

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