Page 52 of Dangerous Vows

Miloš is still out there. My father’s reach is longer than I’d like to admit. And as much as I love this place—the way I feel here—I know it can all disappear instantly.

The penthouse. The security.

And Pietro.

When he finds out the truth, when the weight of my past finallycrashes into his world, will he still look at me the same way? Or will he do what every other man before him has done and walk away, leaving me defenseless?

I exhale, shaking off the thought as I grab my phone and scroll to Sarah’s name before hitting call. She picks up on the second ring. I duck into the bathroom to make sure Pietro won’t follow me.

“Tell me you’re not dead,” she says in greeting.

I huff out a laugh. “Not dead.”

“Then what’s up? And why do you sound like you’re in a five-star hotel?”

I glance around the huge bathroom. “Because I kind of am.”

Sarah makes a noise somewhere between a gasp and a squeal. “Shut the hell up. Are you serious?”

I rub my forehead. “It’s not like that. It’s complicated.”

“Oh my god. You’re with him, aren’t you?”

I hesitate, then sigh. “Yeah. I’m at Pietro’s penthouse.”

She’s silent for a second before her voice drops into something more serious. “Amara… are you safe?”

I close my eyes, leaning back against the wall. “Safer than anywhere else right now.”

“From who?”

I don’t answer because I can’t. Instead, I force a small smile into my voice. “Don’t worry about me. I just wanted to check in.”

She exhales heavily. “You always do this. You push people away when you’re about to do something stupid.”

“I’m not doing anything stupid.”

“Yet,” she mutters. “Just… be careful, okay? I don’t like this. And you want to know something strange? I lost my phone yesterday. It sucks—I had to get a new one.”

“I’m sorry about that.” And I am. She’s not safe with me around her.

“I’ll be fine,” she says. Another silence stretches between us before she finally speaks. “You’re protecting me, aren’t you? I swear someone was in our apartment yesterday.”

I swallow hard. “I’m trying to keep you safe, but you might want to stay at your mom’s or a friend’s this week.”

“I’ll handle it,” she says. Another silence stretches between us before she finally speaks. “I have no clue what you’re involved in, but it sounds serious.”

“It is. I’m sorry. My father is on to me.”

“You need to get out of town.”

“It wouldn’t solve anything,” I murmur.

“Even if I did, I’ll never be safe.”

“This isn’t fair. You deserve better.”

Maybe. But better has never been an option.

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