Page 104 of Deadly Vows

His eyes shift over my shoulder, noticing Wyatt.

“Who the fuck are you?” he asks, stepping in front of me.

Wyatt glances briefly at me, and Luca doesn’t like it.

“Don’t look at her. Look at me. I asked you a question,” he says.

I place my hand on Luca’s shoulder, trying to calm him down. This is exactly what I was afraid of.

“Stop. He saved my life. If it wasn’t for him, I would have died in the snowstorm,” I say.

“My name is Wyatt. I meant your wife no harm,” he says.

I can’t see Luca’s face, but his body language suggests that he isn’t satisfied with that answer. He shifts his attention to Romelo.

“Take him,” he says.

Rosco’s growl heightens, and Luca shifts his weapon to him as he looks at Wyatt.

“Shut him up. Or I’ll put a bullet in him too,” he says.

Wyatt once again looks at me before quipping a command to his dog, who finally quietens down.

Luca turns away, wrapping his arm around my waist as he guides me out of the house, but I turn away from him.

“Wait,” I say softly.

I step out of his hold, slowly moving across the room to Wyatt, silently pleading with my eyes that he cooperate.

“My name is Elise. Elise Pasquino. Thank you for saving my life,” I say.

His eyes widen with recognition that I don’t like. He knows who the Pasquinos are.

“Come, Elise,” Luca calls from the doorway.

I slowly back away, moving into his arms. The safety that I feel is unmatched as I come to realize I am truly out of the woods. He will protect me always, no matter what. He has proven that time and time again. He proved it when my father attempted to take my life, when his father commanded him to take my life, when my cousin plotted to take my life, and even now as he hunted me down to the ends of the earth to save me from a fate worse than death. As if reading my mind, Luca pulls off his coat, wrapping it around my shoulders, and my comfort grows.

After spending weeks with Alexander, I understand the people Luca runs in circles with. And to be the boss, you have to be the worst. You have to be hard and borderline maniacal.

Suddenly, Luca places his arms under my legs, lifting me off my feet. I bury my face in his chest, letting my tears fall harder as I squeeze the fabric of his shirt. He’s really here. And he’s going to protect me no matter what.

Chapter Forty-Five

Elise

“Everything looks good. We’ll give her some medicine for the pain and swelling. But other than that, there are no infections,” Dr. Patterson says.

I note that he speaks to Luca instead of me as he relays my condition. I’m barely listening, though. I shift my attention to the window. The sun is out, and the grass is green. I feel more at peace than I ever have as I slowly spiral into my own corner of reality. I never thought I would be so traumatized by the snow, but here I am, breathing sighs of relief that it’s grass I’m seeing beyond the window.

Luca hasn’t left my side since he saved me from the mountains. And I am glad for it. I fear the darkness that creeps at the back of my mind. It was easy not to think about everything that happened from the wreck to the auction house to being Alexander’s, because survival was at the forefront of my mind. But now that I’ve had a taste of what can come for me, I am dreading something like it ever happening again.

“Elise,” Luca calls my name, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I look at him.

“Yes?” I ask.

He quirks a brow as he looks at me, and I realize I must have been asked a question while I was spaced out. Dr. Patterson clears his throat, his discomfort obvious as he repeats his question.

“Were you touched in any other way? Would you like us to run tests?” he asks.

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