Page 45 of Dangerous Vows

“You know who he is. The Serbian mobster, a criminal who traffics women.”

She’s not asking questions, so she already has all the answers.

She knows.

“Did he hurt you?” I grab her chin and force her to face me.

“No.”

“What did he want?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.”

She shrugs and moves her feet to walk around me, but I wrap my hand around her waist.

“You owe me an explanation.”

“I can’t give you one.”

Who is she protecting?What am I missing?

Frustrated, I want to punch another wall. Nothing comes to mind that’ll make me feel better—because right now, I’m helpless. And I despise it.

My men report that their search of the club and the surroundingarea has turned up nothing.

I’m not surprised. Men like Miloš Petrovic have more enemies than I can imagine, and it pisses me off that he’s slipped through my fingers. He’s slippery, like oil, showing up when I least expect it and leaving behind a stain that I can’t erase.

He touched Amara, and for that, he will die.

Petrovic has slipped through my fingers for now, but now, this is personal. My men have combed every lead and investigated every whisper concerning his whereabouts, but it was as if we were chasing a ghost-the kind that doesn’t just haunt, but hunts.

I will be on the lookout for his blood-stained presence creeping around in me. I need to reach him before he makes his next move. The only problem is that I don’t know what he wants, but somehow, Amara is at the center.

I stomp to the office and slam the door behind me, raking a hand through my hair before grabbing my phone. Matteo picks up on the second ring.

“Tell me you found something,” I said, voice sharp and cutting.

“You already know the answer to that.” How can he be so calm?

I slowly exhale, staring at the whiskey bottle on my desk before deciding against it. “This doesn’t make sense. The Serbs don’t move without a reason. He risked exposure coming here. What does Petrovic want from Amara? Could he be using her as leverage against her father?”

Matteo is quiet for a beat. Then I hear him sigh. “That’s the question to the puzzle. Isn’t it? But let’s be clear. She’s not some woman, Pietro. She’s your woman and a Moretti.”

He has to throw that in my face now?

I know he was right, even if I don’t want to hear it. Not when I can still feel the weight of Amara’s scared face and how she tried so hard to hide her fear. I vowed to protect her, no matter what.

“I don’t like not knowing what he wants. And what I do know is concerning. Amara was scared, and she won’t talk.”

“You sure that’s all it is?” Matteo’s voice has an edge of amusement, butsomething else is underneath. Something probing. “Or is this about her?”

I clenched my jaw. “She’s in danger. That’s all that matters.”

He let out a low chuckle. “Right. Keep telling yourself that.”

I ignore him. “Petrovic won’t stop until he gets what he wants. And as long as he’s walking, she’s not safe.” He’s a dead man walking because he is. He just doesn’t know it. I’m sure Amara will want to go to her place tonight since we argued. “I need a guard assigned to her. They can’t lurk in the shadows. She needs someone close, someone you trust.”

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