Page 123 of Deadly Vows

I narrow my gaze, stepping into the room.

“You had to know that going against me is a death sentence,” I say.

He shrugs.

“I also know that without you, the whole world you run can’t function,” he says. “You want to know something about me? I am a prideful man. But I know when I’m done.”

He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a rectangular object.

“I know once my superiors find out what’s been going on, my life is over. And I’ll be damned if I let you get away with all you’ve done in the wake of it,” he snaps.

My eyes widen as I realize what he has. It’s a detonator. The crazy fuck rigged his whole house.

I spin around, sprinting to the door when I hear him.

“Fuck you Pasquino. See you in hell!”

With that, a powerful blast ripples through the house. I’m barely into the kitchen when the force catches my body, and everything around me instantly engulfed in a raging inferno. I’m propelled forward, and the pain of a thousand needles prickles over my body. It feels like I’ve been broken in a thousand places. I can’t breathe. I can’t even scream. It’s all ripped from me, as is my life, as darkness overcomes me.

Elise is smiling at me.

Her cheeks rose slightly from the effort it takes to grin the way she does. She’s watching me with love and compassion in her eyes as if I can do no wrong. I want to touch her. I want to reach for her, but I can’t. I can only see her.

She, however, reaches for me. The moment her fingertips touch my cheek, the world explodes in a flash of white, and I am transported to the day we met.

She doesn’t know it, but I’ve watched her from afar over the years. This, however, is the first time I’ve seen her in person. Her back is to me as she rocks delicately to the song she plays. And the moment she turns around, I know my life will never be the same.

A violent shock ripples through my body, and I am dragged to our wedding day. She walks up the aisle, as frightened as I’ve ever seen someone. The eyes of her family are on her, but she is focused on me. She is filled with uncertainty, as was I when I was first told the news. But I am more certain in this moment than ever that she belongs with me.

I flinch as heat hits me, burning the right side of my body. But I can’t look away as my world shifts, and Elise is beneath me for the first time, her mouth open as her sighs caress both of us, leading me to release. Here, long tresses are sprawled around her, and I want more than anything to touch them, but I can’t. I am transported again.

This time, she is coming from a place where she cannot see me. Her hair is short now, and she can no longer hide behind it. Her face is tilted toward the sun, and she smiles to herself, unaware of the danger lurking.

The pain in my body intensifies as I am transported to the night she wrecked my car. The hatred in her eyes as she yells at me, running away from me. My world tilts, and I am forced to look at every expression she’s ever had. The pain, the hate, the desire, the joy. I see all of it. I see her. I see the flush of her cheeks when she is both shy and aroused. I see the way she looks at me in fear, though some of it dissipates as time goes on, replaced with curiosity and, towards the end, need.

Desperate need.

It is seared deep within her. And in a bright flash, everything disappears until the only thing remaining in front of me is Elise. She watches me with tears in her eyes.

“You have to come back,” she says.

I open my mouth to tell her that I will. But I can’t speak. I can’t move. I am in excruciating pain. It then dawns on me that I am dying. She slowly backs away from me, and the more distance there is between us, the deeper the chill that settles over me.

I keep my attention focused on her as she leaves, desperate to get every little bit of her that I can. I chuckle to myself as I slowly fade, realizing what just happened. I just watched my life flash before my eyes. And she was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed.

My Elise.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Elise

One Year Later

When it became apparent that Luca wasn’t coming back, I mourned him. He was my protector, and it wasn’t his fault, the man he was. He was raised to be that way. Our world has no room for weakness, as it proved the moment I stepped out of his protection. I was forced to come to terms with difficult emotions that made no sense to me. It was difficult getting over his death and realizing that all I had left in the world was Enzo.

Enzo and Luciano.

I smile at the small child as he opens his eyes and looks at me. He has his father’s eyes, but according to Enzo, he looks like me. I found out he existed shortly after Luca left. Lucky for me, Luca made sure we would be taken care of in his absence.But that doesn’t mean going through the pregnancy alone wasn’t difficult.

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