Page 51 of Dangerous Vows

“You need to come in on your own. Make an excuse to your boyfriend, and no one gets hurt.”

As if thinking of my father this morning somehow conjured him, I’m now in the eye of the storm—again.

Fuck.

I glance at Pietro, who’s texting on his phone, and then I slip into the bedroom for privacy.

“Don’t hurt her.”

“We only stole her phone this time,” he replies coldly. “But fuck with me, and she’ll be in a dumpster.”

“I need a few days.”

“My patience is wearing thin.” I can hear the fury bleeding through his voice.

“I know. But I have to make it believable. Otherwise, Pietro will come for me.”

“I doubt that,” he scoffs.

He’s wrong. If Pietro had even a hint of what was going on, there’d be bodies in the street.

I checked online last week. My father’s been home for weeks, and now I know he’s fully returned to work—fully returned tome.

“It’s true. Believe what you want.”

“You have five days. Don’t try anything stupid. And if Pietro comes for you, I’ll kill him.”

Fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck.

“I can’t guarantee that,” I deadpan. No pun intended.

His silence boils into a rage.

“Then you’re responsible for his death.”

“I have men on me. I have to figure out how to duck them—it’s not easy.”

“Well, well,” he mutters. “Looks like Pietro knows something.”

“I didn’t say a word. If he had known, I’m sure he never would’ve been with me in the first place. I’m using my new name—how would he know who I am?” I lie and hope it lands.

“You didn’t hide well enough. We found you in a matter of weeks.”

“True, but you knew what you were looking for,” I snap. And still… I thought I did a decent job of disappearing.

“Still arguing with me, I see.”

“And you’re still an asshole,” I say and hang up.

It’s probably not the most brilliant move. But it felt damn good.

I return to breakfast, but my appetite is gone. I glance around the penthouse and decide it’s everything I shouldn’t want.

It’s comfort wrapped in steel and glass, a world away from the life I’ve been running from. The sheets are too soft, the water pressure is perfect, and the city stretches beneath me like I own it.

But it’s not mine. And it never will be.

Pietro’s world is dangerous; no matter how much I pretend otherwise, I’m running out of time.

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