Page 142 of Filthy Promises

“So what happens now?” Daniel asks. “Are you going to kill me?”

I consider my options. The old Vincent wouldn’t hesitate. A bullet to the head, a body in the East River. Problem solved. The Petrov son eliminated, a message sent, my position secured.

That’s what my father taught me.

That’s the Vincent he raised.

ButthatVincent never met Rowan St. Clair. Never felt his chest crack open at the sight of her tears. Never understood what it means to want something so badly that you’d risk absolutely fucking everything to have it.

“What if there was another way?” I say slowly.

He looks at me warily. “What do you mean?”

“Anastasia and I have agreed to an… arrangement. A marriage of convenience. Appearances for our families, freedom in private.”

“She mentioned something like that,” he says. “I didn’t believe it was possible.”

“It’s not just possible. It’s necessary.” I lean back against the car door. “I have someone, too. Someone I’m not willing to give up.”

Understanding dawns in his eyes. “The assistant. Rowan.”

I don’t deny it. “Anastasia and I marry as planned. Our families get the alliance they want. But you keep seeing her, and I…” I pause, thinking of Rowan, of her pulling away, of the distance between us. “Well, that’s my problem to solve.”

Daniel studies me for a long moment. “And what do you want in return? Because there’s always a price.”

Smart man. There is always, always a price.

“Information,” I say. “About your father’s operations. His plans. His weaknesses.”

He stiffens. “You’re asking me to betray my family.”

“I’m asking you to help me create a world where Anastasia doesn’t have to choose between the man she loves and the family she was born into.” I lean forward and lower my gun in the same motion. “I want peace, Daniel. Real peace between our families. Not just a temporary ceasefire.”

“My father would never agree to that.”

“Then perhaps it’s time for new leadership in the Petrov family as well.”

His eyes widen as he understands what I’m suggesting. “You want me to help you overthrow my father?”

“I want you to help me build something better than what our fathers created.” I hold his gaze. “For Anastasia. For all of us.”

He laughs bitterly. “Just like that? Years of blood and violence forgotten?”

“No. Not forgotten.” I think of my own father, of his countless lessons in cruelty. “But maybe not repeated.”

Daniel is silent for a long moment, considering. I can see the conflict in his eyes—loyalty to his family warring with his love for Anastasia.

“If I refused?” he finally asks.

“Then you’d never see her again,” I answer honestly. “And we both know that’s a kind of death all on its own.”

His expression tells me he understands exactly what I mean. Because how many times have I imagined never seeing Rowan again?

The thought is unbearable.

“I need time to think,” he says.

“Take it.” I open the car door and rise. But before I depart, I stoop down. “But don’t take too much. Things happen quickly in this life of ours.”

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