Page 31 of Deadly Vows

“Elise, what the fuck!” I groan.

She ignores me, turning her back to me to kick her jammed door open. She is weak from her injuries, but eventually gets the door to budge wide enough for her to slip out. My consciousness wanes as the pressure from the seatbelt becomes too much for my body, blocking my airway. I can only manage a groan, pulling Elise’s attention. She looks back at me, and for the first time since our marriage, I see hatred in her gaze.

“I hope you suffocate and choke on your blood for hours. I hope your body freezes you before your mind gives out. And I hope your last thought is my face telling you how much I hate you and how much I hope you die tonight, Luca Pasquino,” she says.

“Elise!” I shout, but it comes out weak as she moves out of my line of vision.

“Elise!” I try again. But she’s gone.

This is why she was nervous. She had this planned the entire time. I chuckle to myself, the action forcing me into a coughing fit. It was very meticulously planned, I’ll give her that. I didn’t even have security with me tonight since I wanted the night to be special for her.

I’m screwed.

I never should have trusted her. I never should have let my guard down. At the end of the day, she is a Trovoli, regardless of her suffering. They’re a conniving lot, and she is no exception. If I make it out of this alive, she had better pray I don’t find her.

Chapter Fourteen

Luca

I knew Elise was special the moment I laid eyes on her. She carried herself like a lady, exuding elegance as if it were second nature. She had the grace to play a difficult instrument, making it look like it was the easiest task in the world. And she was always very aware of her surroundings, whether she acknowledged that or not.

And once again, she has managed to outsmart me.

It’s been two weeks since she left me for dead on the side of the road. And we have no trail, no leads, and no sign that she’ll ever be coming back. The only mistake she’s made is pawning her ring in a city two counties away. When I bought our home, I made sure to do so with the intention of isolating her from the outside world. I never allowed her a phone or even to travel to the city without someone accompanying her, which makes it all the more baffling how she managed to get away with such a clean trail.

I’ve kept this between me, Nicolai, and Romelo, making the search difficult as I don’t have enough manpower. But they are the only ones I can fully trust with such a delicate situation. I can’t let it get out that my wife almost killed me and ran away. My rise as head of the family is still fresh; some would see it as an opening. But keeping this a secret is getting more difficult with each passing day. Especially since I was lucky enough to be found on the side of the road by a good Samaritan, but since they had to call the police, there are now records of hospital visits and questions regarding my wife’s whereabouts during the crash.

If anyone remaining in the Trovoli family learns of Elise’s disappearance, there’s no telling what will happen next.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts as a knock sounds on my door. It opens to reveal Nicolai. He’s holding a folder in his hand, a grim expression on his usually cheerful features as he approaches. I release an irritated breath, facing him to give him my full attention.

“What?” I snap.

Nicolai pushes the folder across the desk to me and only begins speaking when I open it to look at its contents.

“The Trovoli problem just got a lot more complex. Looks like your hunch was right. Elise isn’t the only offspring of Eli Trovoli. She’s got a brother. Just turned seventeen two months ago,” he says.

I silently study the picture of the newest threat to Elise’s life. This is why Eli was so confident in his plans. This is why none of his own would turn on him. It turns out Eli isolated Elise as well, but not for the same reasons I did. He did it so she would never know the truth of how her family saw her. It would have been perfect timing. Both of our deaths, followed by my father’s, would have left him and his son ready to take over our empire as the only plausible option. My father and I were both withoutsiblings, leaving the problem in the air, choosing a successor if we both perished.

Eli not only hid this kid away in another state, but it looks like he was planning on using him as his successor. I chuckle to myself as I look at the kid’s picture. He and Elise look nothing alike, only sharing the color of their hair. But I’m curious if Eli ever told him about this world or even prepared him for it.

“Do we have eyes on him?” I ask, flipping the page to look at his school record.

“Yeah. We have him under surveillance. It looks like Eli left contingencies, should he end up dead. Someone’s still taking care of the kid and his mom,” he says.

I scoff. That isn’t shocking. To the Trovolis, this kid is their Messiah. He is what Eli gave his life for. They believed in this kid so much that they were willing to go against the Pasquinos for him. He probably knows about his father’s unsavory business but has no idea just how shitty everything has turned. It won’t be long before the Trovolis make their move and snatch him up, regardless of what he envisioned for his future.

“And his mother?” I ask. I laugh aloud, shaking my head as I flip to the page with her picture. She’s an attractive woman who clearly loves money. That must be why she agreed to have a kid for someone like Eli and all the consequences it entailed.

“Not much information on her. She takes what she can from those who offer it, but hasn’t let the kid out of her sight. She probably knows about Eli’s business. She moved a week after his death, and even the Trovolis are having difficulty locating them,” he says.

I continue to study her, and my distaste for her grows by the second. I am confident she knew everything about Eli, including the family he had before her. I flip back to the kid’s picture, studying him intensely as a plan forms in my head.

“Want us to take them out?” Nicolai asks.

I shake my head.

I need to handle this delicately. Elise knows nothing of her brother’s existence—she made that clear when I briefly mentioned it. And if what’s left of her family is flocking to him, then that means I’m not rid of them as a whole. They’re gathering to strengthen themselves for what’s to come. But what they don’t know is that Elise isn’t in my custody. And if anyone finds that out, it will make things much more complicated than they need to be. I have to try to get her back before that time comes. Before her family lures her to her death for the sake of Eli’s bastard.

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