Page 41 of Vicious Vows

“He didn’t make it, Boss,” Vic mumbles, climbing in on the opposite side.

“Get us out of here,” I growl as I slam my door shut and hold Micah tightly to my side. “The team will get here and clean this up soon enough.”

The car whips down the street into the driving rain, and I emerge victorious again, minus one man this time. But I got that for which I came. And I need to get her home where it’s safe. We can sort the rest out later.

31

MICAH

Ilay on the sofa curled up, staring out the front window. I see my father and Nathan walk past. I know they’re here to check on me again. They’ve come every day this week to visit. They sit with me for a few minutes until Luke tells them I’ve had enough, and then they kiss me goodbye and leave. Today, though, is Will’s funeral. I want to go, but Luke says it’s too dangerous. Besides, they aren’t having an open casket. I can’t even see him one last time.

“Micah,” Luke says softly, walking into the room followed by my father and brother.

I don’t even have enough emotional energy to sit up, but my eyes turn in their direction. They both wear black suits and ties. Nathan looks handsome. Dad looks old and tired. He probably fears for my life the way I feared for Will’s, but I know I’m safe here. I worry more about his being alone at that shop now, even with Luke’s men to guard him.

“We’re here, baby,” Dad says, crouching next to the couch. He pushes hair out of my eyes and tucks it behind my ear and smiles sadly. I can see he’s been crying. His eyes are puffy and red-rimmed. So are Nathan’s. I’m sure they’ve had conversations about me, about trying to get me away from Luke, but that’s not what I want anymore. I realized that the instant Will’s eyes shut for the last time.

I want to be with Luke. I want to partner with him to make those sick bastards pay for what they’ve done to my friend, and I want Luke’s protection for my father. At first, this trade-off felt like it wasn’t worth it. I felt like I’d been traded like a pawn in a game of chess. But Luke isn’t like that. Sure, he wants me to work for him. Yes, he has a bad temper that gets out of control sometimes. But I know deep down, he cares. He proved that to me.

“Dad…” I mumble as I force myself upright. Luke nods at me and leaves me alone with them. He understands that the way I love my family isn’t something he’ll ever understand. His upbringing was different, based on strict discipline and a demand for loyalty at all costs, whereas mine was built on love and mutual respect. Eventually, he’ll see, but for now, he prefers to leave me in privacy.

Dad slides onto the couch next to me, but Nathan hovers just outside of arm’s length. They’re both tense, and the creases in Dad’s forehead are deeper than ever.

“Will he let you leave?” Dad asks, insinuating that I want to go, as if we’ve spoken about this and I agreed to ask Luke for permission to leave him.

“Dad, I’m not leaving.” Feeling chilly, I pull my sweater closer around my body and curl around it. Dad rests a hand on my back and rubs in a small circle, the way he used to when I was a child feeling sick. I miss those days, the simplicity of them and thefact that Mom was still here. She wouldn’t know what to do now, either, but she’d at least know what to say to comfort my heart.

“Surely, he can’t expect you to stay now with everything that’s happened.” Dad doesn’t seem to realize that Luke’s protection is likely the only reason he and Nathan are still alive. If I leave Luke, all of that goes away, and something tells me the people who killed Will have enough resources to find us no matter where we go.

“I’m staying because I want to stay, Dad.” I look him directly in the eye, and he knows I’m serious. “I love him, and I want to be here.”

Dad’s head drops and he nods. “Then I respect that, but I can’t say I’m not concerned about it.” His hand slides off my back and rests on my knee. “What happened to you?” His question tears through my heart. Until now, he hasn’t asked, nor has Nathan, though we’ve spoken daily. I know they’re just trying to be sensitive to my feelings. I don’t know how much they know, though. I don’t want to tell him and cause him to panic.

I shrug a shoulder and look down at my stockinged feet. “I sort of didn’t listen to what Luke said. I left the house in the middle of the night to find Will. I knew he was taken by someone and I wanted to help him.” It’s hard for me to recount the details, so I stick to the vaguest retelling of the facts that I can. “I got close to where he was, and then Luke’s enemies caught me.”

Tears well up as I remember the look on Will’s face as the bullet hit him. There was so much blood, so much pain. But I bury that—a seed being sown toward the anger of tomorrow which I will use as fuel for my vengeance. I will root out his killer and get justice for him. Especially since the police believe this all to be a drive-by with no way to track the perpetrator.

“And Luke saved me.” I leave out the part where I murdered a man in cold blood, too. I’m not sorry about that. I saved Luke’s life and he saved mine. Now, we will avenge Will’s together and we will have each other as support the entire time. Just like I used to have Will.

“I’m so scared for you,” Nathan says, and I look up at him.

“Don’t be. I’m safe here. And you’re safe too, for the rest of your life. You won’t have to worry about anything.” I know Luke means it when he says he will protect my family. Had he known how special Will was to me, he’d have protected him too.

“We should go,” Dad says in a defeated tone. He isn’t happy about my staying with Luke, but he’ll support me, especially since I’ve set him up for life with my hacking. He and Nathan will never lack for anything ever again, at least as long as I stay loyal to Luke.

And how could I not? I’m in love with him. He and I are the same in some ways, different in others, but we compliment each other. And I know that despite his rugged exterior, he cares about me.

Dad stands and leads Nathan to the door after a kiss on my forehead. I watch them pause in the hall and have a brief, nearly silent exchange with Luke, who enters once they’ve left.

“I’m sorry you can’t go to the funeral,” he tells me as he takes the spot my father just vacated. “It’s just not safe.”

I lean into his side as he puts an arm around me and snuggles close to him so I can hear his heart beating. “It’s okay. I totally understand. I think I’m too sad to go, anyway. I want to remember Will the way we were, hacking together, goofing off after classes. And besides, I’m not feeling so well, anyway.”

Luke presses a hand to my forehead and grunts. “You don’t feel warm.”

“It’s not like that. I’m just feeling nauseous.” I shrug a shoulder and scoot closer, wrapping my arm around his torso. The fleeting thought that I may be pregnant passes through my mind, and I smile contentedly as I lay my head on his chest.

“Well, I should help you to bed then…”

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