Page 112 of Deadly Vows

“Rosco?” Elise calls the dog, a smile blooming on her lips as she bends to pet the dog. He’s been staying with Nicolai since we found Elise in the mountains. But now that I have his owner’s loyalty, he’ll be returning to him once this is all over.

Elise looks at me, her smile still beaming, and I feel a tinge of guilt from her expression. Our conversation only minutes ago is still fresh on my mind. Is that all she’s been thinking over the past week? That she’s disposable?

I step into her, pulling her in for a hug. Her body is warm as it melts into mine, and I feel her hands wrap around me.

“I love you,” I murmur.

I walk away from her, and Romelo and Wyatt follow close behind as we depart.

Infiltrating someone’s home is easy. Not only do they think they are the safest there, but so does everyone else. No one suspects their enemy will be waiting for them at their home. They suspect they’ll pick them up at a coffee shop or run them down in the street—maybe take them out in a crowded area. But for me, the home is the easiest place to get a target.

The hard part is leaving no trace of your existence once you finish.

And as I step over Agent Jeffries’ naked body, tied to a chair with duct tape over his mouth, my excitement overtakes my caution. Especially when he begins to struggle, this is the man who caused all the pain for Elise. He traded an innocent woman to get at me. And now, he’s going to pay for it with his life.

I place my hand over the duct tape covering his mouth, looking him in the eyes. Sweat beads over his face, his breathing frantic as he looks at me.

“Now I’m going to remove the tape. And if you make a sound, I will kill you.” I pause once I finish my sentence, giving him an opportunity to understand the true meaning of my words.

Then I rip the tape off.

“Help! Someone please help me!” he screams.

I wait silently as he gets all of his screaming out, until his throat is raw and he finally realizes the extent of the situation.

“Are you done?” I ask, grabbing a power drill from the table of tools. I press the trigger twice to warm it up and vaguely register Romelo calling me.

“Boss—”

“Don’t worry, I know the objective. We need information. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with him in the meantime,” I say, lowering the drill until it is inches from his flesh, the loud whir causing him to shake violently as he begs.

“Did my wife beg you like this when you sent her to an auction house?” I ask, lowering the drill. The sound of tearing flesh fills the air, mingling with his screams, and I continue to lower it, enjoying the feel of it ripping through the thick muscle of his thigh.

“This is nothing compared to what you put her through,” I growl, ripping it from his thigh.

“Ah!” he groans. “Please…I was just following orders,” he sobs.

“I know. And that’s why we’re here. You’re going to tell me who gave you those orders, and why,” I say.

His skin is flushed from screaming as he looks at me with crazed eyes. “You know I can’t tell you! I would be signing my own death warrant!” he cries.

I laugh, looking at Romelo.

“Bring me the jumper cables,” I say.

Romelo quietly moves around the room, grabbing the cables attached to a car battery.

“You still aren’t understanding the terms of tonight, are you, agent? You are dying regardless of what you say. Thetrickis to give me what I want sooner so I can make your death quick and easy. Or I can drag it out as long as I want,” I say as Romelo places the cables beside me.

“So, what will it be?”

Elise

I barely recognize myself anymore. I thought that with killing Alexander, the nightmares would stop. But they’ve only gotten worse as I relive the horrors each night. It’s made me realize how naive I was in the past. To think that there was anything outside of this life for me, outside of Luca, was childish.

Even now, adjusting to his absence has become difficult. Every second of my day is filled with paranoia. I feel that at any second, someone is going to storm in to drag me away. I know Luca thinks he can always protect me, but he can’t. The world is wicked, and I’ve only ever seen the most unforgiving sides.

“Elise?” I tense as Enzo’s voice pushes through my thoughts. He’s standing in front of me in the sun room, with a concerned expression.

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