Page 95 of Deadly Vows

“Fuck you!” I scream.

My scream is accompanied by the tears I finally let fall as I run to his desk, pulling it open. My eyes shift hurriedly over the contents, my adrenaline spiking when I see several key fobs for the cars he must have. I snatch the pair I associate with a car that is good in terrain, bursting out of the study, right into his maid. She looks at me in shock, her eyes lingering on the blood that isn’t mine.

I hold up the knife, happy that she’s an older woman as I threaten her. And she instantly raises her hand in surrender.

“I need a jacket,” I say.

She has no rebuttal, not even a fight, as she leads me to a coat closet, giving me a fur coat. And I continue to hold my weapon out at her as I back away. She may be a frail old woman, but she stood by as Alexander inflicted his torture on me. I’m sure once I’m out of her line of sight, she is going to attempt to save him.

“Where is the garage?” I snap.

She points to the door opposite me, and I don’t waste any more time with her as I run to the door, flinging it open. Luckily, it’s a massive garage, and Alexander keeps his cars parked at an angle so that none will trap the other.

As I press the unlock button, the SUV nearest me chirps, signifying how close I am to my escape. I quickly jump inside, cranking the car before speeding out of the garage to my freedom.

Chapter Forty-One

Luca

If there ever were a time when I felt helpless, it would be now. I have been stalling at the bottom of the mountain for two days, waiting to get some eyes near Alexander’s home at least. But a storm has rolled in, making it impossible. And once the storm ends, we will have to wait for the roads to be cleared to make our way back up.

“You know, no matter how long you stare out the window, the snow isn’t going to stop.” Nicolai enters the room with a grim expression on his usually amused features, placing a folder on the nearest table.

“Yeah, well, sitting and waiting has never been my strong suit,” I say, moving away from the window.

Nicolai is silent as I take the folder from him. Out of all the names on the list, all claim not to know of Elise’s whereabouts. I release an irritated breath, throwing the papers.

“I’ll just have to hunt each of them down and cut out their tongues myself,” I growl.

“You know you can’t do that, Luca. Not if you want to keep the peace—”

“They fucked any chance of peace after they took my wife,” I snap.

“But you don’tknowthat. We don’t have proof other than a list that they have her,” Nicolai says.

It takes all of my strength to remain calm as he speaks logic into the air. I pull in a deep breath, looking back out the window.

“The sooner I can get some eyes up the mountainside, the better I’ll feel,” I say.

The room is silent for a moment, forcing me to acknowledge how close I am to a breakdown. My thoughts are beginning to eat away at me. The guilt I’ve managed to keep pressed down is slowly bubbling to the surface. If I had just controlled myself, and not let it slip of what happened to Elise’s mother, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Hell, if I’d forced her to stay on the property instead of allowing her to leave, we wouldn’t be in this mess.

I quickly cross the room, grabbing a small bottle of vodka from the liquor cabinet. I welcome the burn as I take a seat next to Nicolai, and the guilty thoughts that began to resurface slowly fizzles out.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so antsy before. Especially over a woman,” he says, reaching for the bottle.

I shake my head. “I’ve never been this scared before. I’ve never cared about anyone like this…not since my father,” I say truthfully.

Nicolai is quiet for a moment before shifting to give me back the bottle.

“I know I haven’t been the perfect husband. But I never pretended to be someone I wasn’t…I never said I was a good man. I never lied to her about who I was…She just didn’t want to accept that,” I say, taking another drink.

“Well, it’s better to be a dangerous man capable of good than to be a good man incapable of being dangerous,” he says.

I scoff, rolling my eyes at his wisdom.

“All I mean is, if Elise is somewhere from that auction, she’ll be more than happy to come back to you,” Nicolai says.

“Hm,” I grunt, taking another sip before handing the bottle to Nicolai.

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