Page 99 of Deadly Vows

Romelo slowly relaxes his grip, and I step forward, feeling numb.

“Get the maid. And see if you can recover all recently deleted footage. We’re going to find her,” I say.

Elise

I must be dead. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I’m warm, under the blankets of a soft bed, and the scent of wood burning drifts under my nose, accompanied by the occasional crackle of a fire.

I slowly open my eyes, greeted by a small and unfamiliar room. The walls are log, with paintings of the mountainside adorning them. Directly in front of the bed is the fireplace that awakened me from my dreams. As I shift my attention to the curtains, I note that the window slightly behind it reveals more snow.

My stomach dips in dread. I’m still in the mountains.

I slowly sit up, clenching my teeth as pain washes over me. When I bring my hands to my head, I note that there are bandages over them. I note that I’m still wearing the clothes I escaped in underneath an oversized T-shirt. I quickly look around the room for the coat I was wearing, ignoring the nausea that hits me as I jump out of bed to check its pockets.

The knife is still there.

I release a sigh of relief, shifting my attention to the door. It’s cracked. I make sure to take the weapon with me as I open the door, stepping into the hallway.

The smell of bacon hits me instantly, and my stomach constricts in pain as I follow it from my hunger. Once I exit the hallway, I enter a large living room with an A-frame window overlooking the snow. The fireplace is also going in here, and when I look beyond the living room to the kitchen, I notice the man moving around as he cooks breakfast.

I tense when suddenly a growl sounds from the living room. My eyes widen as a golden retriever lifts its head, pulling its owner’s attention.

“Rosco, down,” he calls to the dog.

I hold my blade up, my terror fueling me at being caught by another wicked man. But this one doesn’t seem threatening as he lifts his hands in surrender, his blue eyes reminding me of the ocean.

“Whoa there. You shouldn’t be up with those injuries,” he says to me.

But I keep my grip firm on the blade, pointing it at him.

“Who are you? Where am I?” I ask.

“I mean you no harm. My name is Wyatt. My dog picked up your scent, and it would have been evil of me to leave you out there like that,” he says. He points to the glass. “As for where you are, you’re in my cabin in the mountains,” he says.

My skin suddenly feels clammy as I struggle to keep a grip on the blade in my hand.

“I need to get out of here. You need to take me out of here before he finds me—” I stop myself, eyeing Wyatt in distrust. I don’t know if he works for Alexander or not. Or if this is some kind of sick game to make me believe I won.

“Miss, just calm down. I’m not going to hurt you, okay? I found you outside after Rosco tracked you down, barely alive. You had no ID on you, and you looked pretty banged up. I called the police, but they can’t—”

“No! No police!” I scream.

His eyes widen, and he nods his head.

“Okay, no police,” he says.

Silence drifts between us, and I narrow my gaze, looking back at the dog watching us curiously from the couch. He could have let the dog attack me by now if he wanted. But I’ve been manipulated too many times to let my guard down now.

“Listen, I know you must have been through something pretty rough. I’m not here to hurt you,” he says.

“Why are you helping me? What do you want out of this?” I hiss.

His eyes widen in confusion, and he lowers his hands.

“Where I’m from, if somebody is in need, you help them out,” he says.

Silence passes between us as I fight with myself to trust this man. Where I’m from, no one helps anyone without wanting something in return—especially the men.

He suddenly moves, and I hold the blade up, aiming it at him as he reaches in his pocket and pulls out a phone. His eyes remain on me as he lowers the phone to the ground, sliding it over to me.

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