Page 116 of Dangerous Vows

We’re heading down the highway in our armored Hummer. We could easily be mistaken as men out on military maneuvers by a civilian. I’ve seen convoys like this before after natural disasters. We’re four armored hummers, and each is filled with men and a game plan. The lead men are mic’d up like a security team to the President, but Matteo is calling the shots.

My gut is filled with angst, hoping tonight goes off without a hitch.

But I’m asking too much. We’re the Borrellis, and if we didn’t have bad luck, we’d have no luck at all.

We plan to attack Miloš at our warehouse. We used weapons as bait. Now we need the rat to walk into the trap.

But we all know that when men make plans, God laughs.

And he’s got a wicked sense of humor.

That’s when my watch alerts me that Amara’s tracker is outside its programmed area.

“FUCK!”I yell, startling everyone in the vehicle because we’re already on edge.

Amara’s necklace pings. She’s on the move. I assume she’s been taken, but no one knows where the safe house is, unless I was followed. But I’m careful. I would have known.

My brother turns to me, giving me a look of concern and confusion.

“Amara’s left the house,” I explain.

What the fuck is she doing? Where is Arman?

“The Hummer has left the safe house!” My call to Arman goes to voicemail. This isn’t good.

Everyone is shocked, no one more so than I.

And that’s when the silence is filled with the chilling ring of Matteo’s burner phone.

“How thefuckdid this happen?” His voice echoes the desperation of a plan that has gone awry.

He sets the phone in his lap, then runs a hand down his agitated face and says, “Vukan called. We have a new target. The warehouse on Pearl Street.”

“How do we know he’s telling us the truth?” Renalto asks.

“We don’t.” Matteo’s face is thoughtful but terse.

We’re sitting on pins and needles, which is a lie. The crew is, but I’m a bomb ready to detonate. I would attack him in a second if it meant he would reply the information quicker.

Luckily for him, he continues, “Miloš went crazy. Vukan couldn’t dissuade him without tipping his hand. It appears he wants Amara more than Pietro, which is the right play.” He pauses to take a breath. “He’s flushed Amara out of hiding using her grandmother as bait. He has men sitting in her condo surrounded by Serbs dressed as cable repairmen. Bianca and Amara are en route to meet him at his warehouse on Pearl Street.”

“Bianca?” I question him in disbelief.

“You heard me. She’s savvy, but she’s walking into a possible ambush. Amara will be taken and kept alive. I’m not so sure about Bianca.”

“Dammit!” Renalto exclaims. “I should have killed the Serb when I had the chance.”

“Fuck!” I roar, punching the seat before me with my fist, wishing it were Petrovic’s face. This is not what we planned. Now, we’re winging it. This is a sudden location change, and now our mission is in disarray. We’re so fucked, a blind person trying to thread a needle would have an advantage over us.

“You made the right call at the time. We all did. We temporarily stopped their flesh trade, but he’s brought the war to our doorstep this time. Now, we can take him out without retribution.”

Matteo texts Bianca and tells her to stand down. I’m not surprised when there is no reply. Who knows if the message reached her? She may be fighting for her life.

Fuck, and double fuck.

I take a deep breath to pull myself together because I don’t have time to lament the most probable outcome of the mission. There can only be one outcome—putting Petrovic down like a rabid dog. He touched my woman, and he will die.

And Stefano? His days are numbered. He put a hit on me, and he’s hit Amara.

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