Page 31 of Stolen Vows

She’s been such a strong presence in my life, always courageous and kind despite what happened to her—hell, maybe even because of it.

She came out swinging to try and take that asshole down, and I know she is not going to be able to rest until she does just that.

Whatever it takes, even these two decades of planning, she’s never going to walk away from her goal of stopping Leone from using people, and I admire that.

Even if, sometimes, I wonder if there is any risk she won’t take to bring this to an end.

I wrap my hand around the mug of coffee and keep my ears alert, listening for anything that might indicate the truth as to what is happening here. Because something is… off. I don’t believe in rushing to figure things out. Sometimes, being watchful is the best approach.

The sun is shining, and any other day I’d be enjoying this as a pleasant morning—but out here, I can’t. I can’t take my hand off the wheel of this train for a second, because I am all too aware of what price I might pay if I do. What price my family might pay. And Veronica.

I’m pretty sure Cara is up to something, though she denied it when I confronted her about the matter earlier.

The call I accidentally answered from the unknown number threw me so badly that I left my phone out for a while.

It's an ancient device, an old school burner phone, making it harder to track. But that also means the interface is more thanbasic, so I couldn’t see if there had been multiple calls with the unknown number or not.

I’m concerned though… what if the call I answered was some kind of code to let her know that they were on their way. What if she was listening, ear pressed to the door, hearing something I missed, a secret code word lost on me.

The weird energylurking in the cabin today has me doubting everything. Even her trying to seduce me the other night when I pulled back could have been a kind of distraction, teasing me and maybe even lying about being a virgin so she wouldn’t have to go through with having sex with me.

I cross my arms.

She looked like she really wanted me that night, but maybe it was part of her act.

A noise from outside draws my attention. My head snaps up, my eyes wide, and I rush to the front door, throwing it open so I can try to get a better idea of what it was.

For a moment, I just stand still, looking, waiting. There is nothing but the near-silence of the forest around me, the breeze through the trees, the sound of a bird singing here and there. Nothing out of the ordinary, until?—

"Help!Help!”

A woman’s voice cuts through the sun-dappled woods. A voice I recognize at once. I dive off the porch and into the trees without a second thought—it's Veronica.

"Veronica!” I yell into the trees.

I have no idea where she is, no idea how far she has made it towards the cabin before someone came to intercept her. I squint between the trunks, but I can’t make her out. I yell to her again, but before she can reply, a bullet flies over my head and burrows into a tree next to me, releasing a hail of splinters.

I throw my hands up, trying to protect myself, but I can still feel them tearing into my skin like needles. The pain that sears through me for a moment, though, is the least of my worries. Because I know sure as hell that Veronica wouldn’t be shooting at me. Whoever has her yelling for help might be.

Another shot rings out, this time hitting a tree a few feet away from me. I quickly follow the line of the bullet, and my gaze lands on my attacker, a man in a pair of dark jeans and a dark tee, brandishing a weapon.

The only thing on him that gives away his presence is the flash of a watch on his wrist. I'd guess it’s what he used to track us this far into the woods, though I don’t know how he got the coordinates for our location.

I barrel towards him before he can figure out what is going on, his attention split between me and the woods around him.

I manage to crash into him, knocking him into the trunk of a tree behind him. I grab his hand and slam it into the wood, his fingers flexing and the gun dropping from his hand at once. I keep him pinned there. I can’t reach the gun from where I’m standing, but I can’t let go of him in case he manages to get to it before me.

We’re at an impasse.

And then, footsteps sound beside us. I tense, preparing myself for a second attacker, but instead, Veronica bursts out of thedarkness of the thick woods, scooping up the gun and aiming it at the man without a word to me. She narrows her eyes, steadies her shot, and squeezes down on the trigger, one last shot exploding out into the forest before the energy around us sinks into an eerie silence.

I step back from the man, and he slides to the ground, dead, a large blossom of blood spreading across his shirt. I am breathing hard, the sound of the shot still ringing in my ears, but it might not be over yet.

I turn to Veronica.

"Any more of them?”

She shakes her head as she lowers the gun, expelling the last bullets quickly so nobody else can use it.

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