Page 61 of Tormented Oath

I sit there, staring at my dark phone screen, as snow begins to fall outside. Tiny flakes catching in the headlights of passing cars, each one a reminder of how far we are from home. From safety.

From Stefano.

"Think," I order myself, pressing my hands flat against my thighs to stop their shaking. "Think like a professional."

But all I can think about is Tony's voice, the sound of him being hurt, the absolute certainty that the Fioris will kill us both if I go back there.

Unless...

My fingers move to my other phone, my personal one. Stefano's number is still there, though I've never used it. Never needed to.

Until now.

One call could change everything. Save us or destroy us.

But what choice do I have?

The snow falls harder, turning the world outside into a blur of white. Somewhere out there, my brother is counting on me to save him.

Thicker flakes are falling now, creating a cocoon of white around my car. I've been staring at Stefano's number for what feels like hours, though my phone tells me only minutes have passed, each one precious. Each one bringing Tony closer to whatever the Fioris have planned.

My hand drifts to my stomach. It’s a habit now, this unconscious need to protect. "What do you think, little one? Should we trust your father to save us?

The question hangs in the frigid air of my car. Because that's the real fear, isn't it? Not that Stefano won't help, but that he will, and, afterward, he’ll make me pay for my betrayal.

I close my eyes, remembering how he looked just hours ago. The way he'd pulled me close in his sleep, whispered "love you" like a secret. The tenderness in his touch, even as he expressed his need to possess me.

But I also remember other stories. What happened to the last family that betrayed him. The whispers about why they call him Monster.

My phone shows forty-seven minutes until the Fioris' deadline. Forty-seven minutes to decide who I trust more: the devil I know, or the devil I might love.

"They'll kill him anyway," I say aloud, needing to hear the truth. "If I go back there, they'll kill us both. And the baby."

The sound of an engine makes me shrink lower in my seat, but it's just a passing truck, its headlights briefly illuminating the snow-covered landscape. I’m exposed out here. Vulnerable.

Just like Tony.

My brother, who only got dragged into this because of my choices. My brother, who was finally starting to put his life together before I yanked him away from everything.

My brother, who the Fioris will torture and kill just to prove they can.

"Fuck."

The curse comes out like a prayer as I hit dial before I can second-guess myself again. Each ring feels like an eternity, each second of silence another moment Tony suffers.

What will I say? How do you tell someone you're carrying their child while admitting you were sent to destroy them?

How do you ask for help from the man whose heart you just broke?

The line connects.

And suddenly all my carefully planned words disappear at the sound of his voice, hard and cold and nothing like the man who held me hours ago.

"Ava."

It’s just my name, but it contains multitudes. Anger. Hurt. And something darker that makes my skin prickle with awareness.

Time to face the music.

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