Page 3 of Cruel Vows

When I do find a husband and start to settle down, I want a house outside of the city. Somewhere close enough to visit my family, but far enough away that they can’t come running to me with every little mafia problem.

I need to distance myself from that life.

Morgan tilts her face to the sky as a cold breeze blows. “You sure you don’t want a ride home?”

“You want to try to drive to the middle of Manhattan?” I shake my head, hefting my bag higher up on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, Morgan. I’m fine walking home. I’ve lived in the city my entire life.”

“That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to be worried about what could happen here.”

Smiling, I hug her before stepping away. “Trust me, there are worse people in my life than the idiots you meet on the streets. I’ll text you when I get home.”

She pulls her keys from her purse. “You better.”

I stand beneath the bright exterior lights, watching as another dark car pulls into the emergency bay. The door opens and a body is shoved out, left bleeding on the ground.

It’s a common enough occurrence–one that doesn’t faze me as I wait for the car to leave before I hurry to the man.

He groans and rolls over, but it’s too late to move by the time I see the knife in his hand.

The sharp edge slides against my arm as I drop my bag to the ground and scramble out of the way.

When the man springs to his feet, there’s a black bandana covering his mouth and nose. Bright-blue eyes narrow as he lunges toward me, forcing me back into the shadows where the cameras can’t see.

I hold up my hands, keeping them between me and the man in front of me. “I don’t know what you want with me, but I think you should let me go.”

“We’re going to have a little talk.”

The man’s voice is rough, like there’s gravel in his mouth when he speaks. His hulking frame towers over me, while the knife is held between us like a poker.

He chuckles, stepping closer, the smell of his cheap cologne making my eyes burn. “You’re going to start walking toward the subway. You’re not going to scream. You’re not going to cry. If I so much as see anyone following us, I will kill you.”

Maybe Ishouldhave brought a bodyguard with me. They would have seen this guy from a mile away.

I hate when Aiden is right.

He’s always said that my hard head is going to be my downfall. It’s the least of my problems right now, though.

I shuffle to the side, my back pressing into the rough pillars near the entrance of the hospital. “I need to get my bag first; otherwise, someone is going to know you’re abducting me.”

The man shakes his head as the black car circles back around. It pulls alongside the curb, one man hopping out long enough to get my bag.

“You could just take me in the car instead of making me walk to the subway.” I jerk my chin in the direction of the car. “Let’s go. You can say whatever it is you want to say, and then you can drop me off at home.”

“You think I’m stupid?” The man chuckles, the knife appearing again. The tip presses against my back.

I glance at the blood already trickling down my arm from the shallow cut.

There’s no need to provoke him. He’s already proven that he’ll hurt me if he has the chance.

Each step I take with the tip of the knife pressing into my back is a reminder that maybe Aiden was right.

At least about having protection with me.

Tonight could be the night I die.

The man clears his throat as we leave the clinic behind, stepping beneath the bright neon lights shining outside stores. He keeps his head down as he falls into step beside me, the knife still in his hand but hidden from the view of anyone passing us.

The lights grow dimmer as we turn down an alley.

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