Page 17 of Deadly Vows

He looks back at the waiter, a blade coming from a hidden place on him as he plunges it into the wall inches from the server’s face.

“I suggest you find another job. I never want to see your face here again,” he says in a dangerous tone.

Luca releases the server, snatching me by the arm. He doesn’t stop at his father’s table, dragging me to the door.

“We’re leaving,” he says as we pass his father’s table. He doesn’t wait for his father to respond, and when I look back, his father is leaning back in his seat with his glass raised high, a wicked glint in his eyes.

We reach our home in record time. I have Luca’s temper to thank for that. It transferred to his driving, ensuring that we reach our destination in much less time than it took to reach the restaurant. Luca didn’t speak to me or look in my direction the entire way, and this moment is no different. He gets out of the car without glancing at me, slamming the door to enter the house. I know he expects me to follow, but I don’t. I remain in my seat, quickly locking the door as fear settles in my stomach.

Luca stops midstep, turning back to the car when he realizes that I am still in the passenger seat. Irritation comes to the forefront of his intimidating features.

“Get out of the car,” he snaps as he approaches the door. I shake my head, placing my hand on the rail and holding it closed as he attempts to unlock it with the sensor.

His steely eyes shift, looking at me in shock before clouding in anger.

“Do not test me right now, you will not like the results. Get out of the fucking car!” His anger flares as I once again shake my head no, keeping a firm grip on the door. Luca’s rage is calm and almost visible as he glares down at me.

“Open the door, Elise!” he shouts.

He waits for me to repeat my answer before releasing an irritated sigh and stepping away from the door. My eyes widen as he steps back, pulls his gun out, and fires a shot right into my window. I scream, covering my ears and squeezing my eyes shut out of reaction, but nothing happens. When I open them, I realize Luca’s car is made up of bulletproof glass. As he fires more rounds into the window, I know it’s only a matter of time before he destroys the integrity of the glass.

“Stop!” I scream.

But he is beyond listening. He is focused on his task, his eyes void of emotion as he steps into the role of the man I’ve feared from the moment I heard his name. Once his gun is out of ammunition, he steps closer to the window, using his elbow to pound away at it.

My body vibrates in fear, and I slowly lower my head between my legs as I wait for the inevitable. Each pounding against the window is accompanied by another significant crack, the noise burrowing deep within me until the glass shatters, sprinkling all over me.

I’m screaming, my panic fueling me as I scramble away from Luca. But he’s fast. He opens the door, his hands clawing at my legs as he finds his grip, dragging me out of the car. I kick and scream as he pulls me up the paved driveway, but he doesn’t care. He drags me through the house, his quiet adding to my terror the closer we get to the bedroom. Luca finally gives up on dragging me the entire way, settling for one of the guest rooms.

He throws me in, locking the door behind him as I scramble against the wall, tears burning my eyes.

“All of this kicking and screaming, and for what? Do you want to be with someone else? Would you rather I let you die in that warehouse alongside your father?” he shouts at me.

I tense, whimpering in response to his tone. I’ve awakened the beast inside of him.

“Look at me, Elise,” he says.

I can’t. I can’t look in the eyes of the man who killed my father, even if my father gave me away to him. I can’t look into the eyes of the monster who cut my hair as part of his interrogation. I was not born to this side of this life. My father kept me sheltered. All of this is too much for me.

“Maybe you should have let me die in that warehouse.” I finally find the courage to look at him. “Then I wouldn’t be stuck with someone like you,” I finish.

Silence washes over us, the sound of my heart beating in my ears growing louder by the second as I watch my husband react to my words. Luca scoffs, pushing his hair out of his face before looking down at me.

“So you would rather be with someone else. Even when I was so generous in sparing you.” His eyes narrow, and he lowers himself next to me, pulling out a blade. I whimper as he presses it lightly against my collarbone, the cool steel sending chills up my spine.

“You’d rather have someone else touch you the way that I do?” His blade presses against the fabric of my dress, the loud rip echoing over the room as he slices it open, revealing me to his gaze. His eyes roam over me heavily before resting on my face. Luca brings his hand to my cheek, his palm warm against me as he pulls me close, closing his lips over mine.

He kisses me deeply, intimately. He holds me captive with his kiss, his hand drifting from my cheek down the front of my body before settling under the waistband of my panties. He dips his fingers, and my body slowly warms to his knowing touch. A shaky moan escapes me, and Luca pulls away slightly, his lips finding my throat.

“Who are you married to, Elise?” he murmurs.

“You,” I whimper.

“That’s right. Me.” I flinch as the sharp tip of his blade traces my stomach. I attempt to pull away, but Luca grips my throat, holding me close.

“Ah, Ah,” he chastises as he smiles against my lips.

“Luca, please,” I whisper.

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