Page 84 of Filthy Promises

Safe.The word sounds hollow after what I’ve just witnessed.Safeis a fucking joke. No part of guns in desks and dead men on sidewalks issafe.

Will I ever feel safe again?

Vince pulls back, enough to look at my face. His eyes search mine, no doubt finding the shock, the horror, the fear that must be written there.

“Rowan,” he says, voice softer now. “What you saw back there?—”

“You killed him,” I interrupt, the words tumbling out. “You shot him. Three times.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve done that before.”

It’s not a question, but he answers anyway. “Yes, I have.”

I should be recoiling. Should be horrified. Should be running as fast and as far from Vincent Akopov as I possibly can.

Instead, I find myself reaching up to touch the cut on his forehead, my fingers coming away red.

“You were protecting me,” I whisper.

“I will always protect what’s mine.”

The possessive claim should anger me. It doesn’t. Not now. Not after seeing how far he’ll go to keep me safe.

“Am I? Yours?”

His hand cradles my face, thumb brushing over my cheekbone, careful to avoid the cut. “Do you want to be?”

Before I can answer, a sleek, black SUV pulls up at the end of the alley. Arkady jumps out, gun drawn, his boyish features hardened into something unrecognizable.

“Vince!” he calls. “Are you hit?”

“We’re fine,” Vince answers, not taking his eyes off me. “Get us out of here. Now.”

Arkady approaches quickly, taking in my bloodied face, torn dress, bare feet. “Christ, what a mess.” He eyes me warily. “She okay?”

“I’m standing right here,” I snap, sudden anger cutting through the shock. “And yes, I’m ‘okay’ for someone who just watched her boss kill a man after their car was attacked by mobsters. Totally fucking peachy.”

Arkady’s eyebrows shoot up, and to my surprise, he laughs. “She’s got moxie, I’ll give her that.”

Vince’s lips twitch, almost a smile. “Let’s go before Solovyov sends reinforcements.”

He keeps his arm around me as we walk to the SUV, not letting go even as we climb into the backseat. As if he’s afraid I might disappear if he releases me for even a second.

“The driver?” Vince asks as Arkady pulls away from the curb.

“Dead,” Arkady answers grimly. “Pavel, too.”

Vince’s jaw tightens. “Make sure their families are taken care of.”

“Already arranged.”

I lean my head against the cool window, trying to process everything that’s happened. My body aches, my soles are filthyand bleeding, and my head throbs where it struck the car window.

But all I can think about is the look in Vince’s eyes when he thought I was hurt.

He looked like he’d rip the world apart to find the men who did that to me.

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