Page 56 of Tarnished Vow

Luca sighed, sharing a look at Rome.

“Bastion, what did you do?”

He shrugged. “Just sent a message to your fiancé, begging her to keep her fucking legs closed. Attached the posters too. I made it clear her fucking strangers is hurting innocent people.”

I tossed the table, lunging at him, and just like that, the meeting ended.

CHAPTER 27

Madeline

Walking into the lounge room, Vince was icing his hand, staring at the fire. A full glass of whiskey untouched on the coffee table.

“Are you okay?” I walked around the couch to stand in front of him.

My stomach twisted. Something had happened. That cold, distant look in his eyes.

“What happened?” I kneeled in front of him, cupping his cheek. Then I saw his tears.

Vince never cried.

Panic rushes through me. Pushing him back slightly so I could sit over him.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hugged him. My heart beating way too fast.

For Vince to be in a state like this. Something must have happened to one of his siblings.

After five minutes or longer, I pulled back just slightly.

“Vinny, will you please say something?” I leaned my forehead against his. “Please.”

“Where have you been?”

I frowned. Pulling back. “Are you sure you want to talk about me? And not what is going on with you?”

The distance in his eyes scared me.

He nodded.

Maybe he just needed a distraction.

We never talked about business. Of course, the first time I ever consider speaking about it had to be the same night that I looked terrible at what I did.

“We had a shipment hijacked during transport.” Tracing his neck tattoo. “This is the second one this month. Nothing about it makes sense. We even flew the guns down to a private airfield from our warehouse up north, in case the one here was being watched.”

His hand rested on my lower back.

Holding his face, I forced him to look at me. “Now. Are you okay?”

“Bastion and I got into a fight.”

I sighed.

Out of all his brothers, Bastion was the most dependent on him. While Luca or Rome would go to Nikolai with a problem, Bas would only turn to Vince.

Over the years, it was hard not to see the pattern. If something great happened in Bastion’s life, he called Vince. If his world was ending, he would call Vince. And for everything else in between, he still called Vince.

“I hit him pretty hard.” He looked away from me. “I’ve never seen him look at me like that.” His voice broke, “terrified of me.”

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