Page 102 of Deadly Vows

I slowly sink onto the bed, my eyes remaining on the door as I let my tears silently fall. I slowly lay back on the bed, letting my tears eventually lull me into a deep sleep.

Luca

Alexander’s home has become our base of operations as we scour the mountain for Elise’s whereabouts. After we were able to recover the footage, we found that Elise escaped using the knife I left behind. But Alexander’s words have lingered in my mind. I keep trying to tell myself he was provoking me. But as the last car returns with no sign of Elise, I feel my dread rising.

She can’t survive in this weather. And now that we are in the thick of the mountains, the weather is more hazardous. All I can do is hope that she found refuge.

I step back into Alexander’s office, fighting my rage as I watch Romelo ensure he doesn’t die. He doesn’t deserve death yet. Iwant to be the one to torture him in the same intimate ways he tortured Elise.

“It’s useless, you know. She is dead—Argh!” Alexander groans in pain as Romelo pushes a blade into a new area of his flesh.

“I can still keep you alive while simultaneously in pain,” he says menacingly.

I turn away from them, looking at the map we’ve been using to look for her.

“When’s the ETA of the chopper?” I ask.

“If the weather is good, we’ll be able to meet in the morning,” Nicolai says.

“Anything from home?” I ask.

“There has been movement. It looks like everyone is trying to strike while the iron’s hot. Arianna’s contacts must have been promised something good,” he says.

I nod.

I don’t have the time or resources to look for Elise any longer. At this point, I am stretching us dangerously thin, especially when people are on the move to end us.

“I’ll join in the search tomorrow. We’ll go to every door if we have to.”

Chapter Forty-Four

Elise

Wyatt has already made breakfast when I wake up the next morning. I managed to cry myself to sleep and continue that sleep through the night, forcing me to realize just how exhausted I was. And just how outlandish it was of me to think I could just disappear from this life.

Silence permeates the air as Wyatt sits across from me, obviously still reeling from my words to him yesterday. He didn’t try to attack me in the middle of the night, and even had breakfast for me this morning. He is inherently a good person, which is why I don’t want him mixed up in this world. Whether it’s Alexander or Luca who walks through that door to drag me back to my life, Wyatt would only be collateral.

“Is the weather good enough for us to leave?” I ask, breaking the silence.

Wyatt nods.

“Yes. I can take you down the mountain…or if you’d like to call your husband to let him know you’re okay—”

“I couldn’t call him if I wanted to. But I know he is in the area looking for me. He might still be here,” I say quietly.

“And if he isn’t?” Wyatt asks.

I pull in a deep breath, matching his gaze.

“Then I’ll find him. Regardless, I can’t let you suffer for being a good person,” I say.

Wyatt laughs, looking down at his plate.

“You make it sound like someone’s going to kill me for helping you out,” he says.

“That’s exactly what it means,” I say, using my fork to push my eggs around. “The world I come from doesn’t live by any rules. It makes the rules. And my husband leads the charge on what those rules are. If he thinks you should die for helping me, you will die. And no one will remember you even existed,” I say. “I owe you my life, Wyatt. I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t leave as soon as I can.”

Wyatt shakes his head.

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