Page 114 of Deadly Vows

“Elise, baby, it’s me,” I whisper, not to startle her.

Her eyes slowly open, and it takes her a moment to recognize me. Her hand gently shifts to my face, rubbing my jaw.

“You’re back,” she murmurs with a lazy grin on her lips.

I smile, taking her hand in mine to place a kiss on it.

“I am.” I know I’m in a hurry, but I find myself sliding into bed next to her, pushing her hair away from her face. She looks beautiful.

“I need you to follow my orders, okay? I need you to pack us some bags, get dressed, and meet me downstairs in thirty minutes,” I say.

Her smile disappears, and she slowly nods. I lean into her, pressing a kiss on her forehead.

“Good Girl.”

Thirty minutes later, Elise and Enzo are sitting in the car, waiting for me as I speak to Romelo and Nicolai.

“Tell no one where you’re going. Not even me. Anyone you care about, anyone you love, take them and hide them. I’ll reach out once I get Elise and Enzo settled, and we’ll make a plan to put an end to this madness,” I say in irritation.

There is a government agency that is now after the Pasquino family. They were already nervous about my father being in power. But with his murder, and the instability of our world due to Eli Trovoli and his relatives, they have decided to strike while we are weak. They are rogues within their sector, taking matters into their own hands all thanks to the corruption Arianna and her husband were able to whip up before their deaths.

I will show the world what happens when you mess with power. True power.

“Be careful, boss,” Romelo says.

“Are you sure you don’t want us with you?” Nicolai asks.

I shake my head. “You two are my most trusted men. And my best friends. They know that. Keep safe, and remember what I told you. No contact until I say,” I say, waiting until they both nod in understanding to get in the car.

Enzo is fast asleep in the backseat when I get in, but Elise is wide awake, her expression worried.

“What’s going on?” she asks, attempting to mask her fear.

“We’re going underground for a bit. It’s just a precaution. I promised you I would protect us—all of us. And this is me keeping that promise, okay?” I say.

She nods slowly, but her fingers twiddle in her lap as she tries to fight her fears. This is why I’m doing this, so that no one can make her feel like this again. So that when the name Pasquino is spoken, it is synonymous with untouchable. I will protect my family no matter what. And I will kill anyone who gets in the way.

Elise

Something big is happening, and I am scared to ask what. After a nine-hour flight, we’ve been in another car for three hours. I have no idea where we’re going, but Luca did say we were going off the grid.

I shift my attention out the window. The sun is rising. Wherever we are, we are in completely different time zones, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. For Luca to leaveand come back the same night, packing us up to disappear, it can’t be good.

“You should go to sleep. We’ve still got another two hours,” Luca says, pulling me from my thoughts.

I shift my attention to the backseat, where Enzo snores with his head leaning back. I am glad for our conversation last night. It feels more whole now that he’s here.

“Are we in danger?” I ask.

Luca is silent. I can tell that he doesn’t want to respond immediately.

“It’s okay. You can tell me the truth,” I say.

Luca pulls in a deep breath.

“Some powerful people are gunning for our lives,” is all he says.

“Was it Ari?” I ask.

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