Page 169 of Vendetta Vows

My stomach heaves. The taste of bile rises in my throat, and before I can stop it, I'm doubling over, vomiting onto the floor between us.

Kristofer jumps back, but not fast enough to avoid the splatter on his shoes.

"Oh," he says, his voice sickeningly sweet. "Are you nervous? Don't worry, it's natural."

He reaches for my hair, brushing it back from my face as I continue to heave. His touch makes everything worse, sends another wave of nausea through me.

"Don't!" I gag again, my empty stomach clenching painfully.

"It's okay, Jamie," he says, patting my back as I tremble. "We'll have all the time to be with each other anyway. There's no rush."

With one hand still on me, Kristofer turns and yanks Hannah's gag down roughly.

The moment her mouth is free, she screams.

"Aurora, run! Just fucking run!"

Before I can react, Kristofer's arm swings in a savage arc. The crack of his hand against Hannah's face echoes through the room like a gunshot. Her head snaps sideways, blood spraying from her split lip.

My body lurches forward instinctively. "Hannah!"

Kristofer whirls on me, his finger jabbing the air between us. "Stay where you are."

Then he turns back to Hannah.

"One more word and I will cut your throat." His voice drops to a whisper that's somehow more terrifying than his shouting. "Do you understand me?"

Hannah's eyes flick to mine. A tear slides down her cheek, mingling with the blood from her cut. She gives an almost imperceptible nod.

"Good." Kristofer pats her face like she's a dog who finally learned a trick. "Jamie and I have a lot of catching up to do."

He turns to me, extending his hand like we're on some twisted date. "Shall we?"

My legs feel disconnected from my body as I follow him toward the door. Hannah's blood stains his knuckles. I can't look back.

I know if I do, I'll crumble completely.

"We're going to be so happy," Kristofer murmurs, his fingers digging into my elbow as he steers me outside. "Everything will be just like before, except better."

The afternoon sun feels wrong on my skin. How can the world look so normal when everything inside me is shattering?

Kristofer opens his car door for me, the perfect gentleman in a monster's skin. His hand clamps around my wrist as I slide onto the worn passenger seat. The interior reeks of stale cigarettes and spilled beer.

The same smell that haunted the back of his police cruiser seven years ago.

"Seatbelt, baby," he murmurs, reaching across me to pull it over my chest. His arm lingers against me, and I press myself harder against the door.

Once he's behind the wheel, Kristofer stares at me with an expression that makes my skin crawl, like I'm a possession he's finally recovered.

"I can't believe you actually ran from me." He shakes his head, starting the engine. "Seven years, Jamie. Seven fucking years I've been searching for you."

His fingers brush my hair, and I jerk away. "I deserved to have a life!"

"Your life was with me!" He slams his palm against the steering wheel. The sudden violence makes me flinch. "Everything I did, I did for you! For us!"

My hands tremble in my lap. The diamond on my finger catches the light, and I curl my fingers to hide it.

"You murdered my family," I whisper, my voice cracking. "My parents. My little brother."

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