Page 58 of Crushed Vow
“You’re lying,” I whispered. “Cassian wouldn’t—he couldn’t...”
Vincent’s jaw tightened. “He did. All of it. He’s destroying everything. Risking his empire.”
“And you care now?” I said bitterly. “You cuffed me, Vincent. You shot and watched Ethan bleed out. Don’t you dare act like you’re saving me.”
“Charlotte—”
“No. Save yourself.”
His nostrils flared. “I’m going into hiding until this ends. This is your only chance.”
“Then go,” I spat. “And don’t come back.”
There was a beat.
Then—
BOOM.
The explosion was massive. The ground shook beneath us, dust falling from the ceiling.
“You’ll die here!” Vincent shouted, fury rising. “You’ll burn and rot and remember I tried to help!”
He stormed out, slamming the heavy door behind him.
Ethan stirred beside me, groaning. “What... what’s happening?”
I knelt beside him quickly. “Cassian. He... declared war to get us out.”
Ethan’s eyes widened. “Oh God. I caused this...”
“No. You didn’t. You went in for Vincent. You tried to do the right thing. Don’t you dare blame yourself.”
He nodded slowly, trying to stand, still groaning from the pain.
I helped him, one hand on his back. My other reached for the door—and I froze.
It wasn’t locked.
The bastard didn’t lock it.
“Ethan...” I whispered. “The door. It’s open.”
He limped over, leaning heavily on the wall, and pushed it open wider. The hallway was chaos—smoke curling through the corridor, flickers of firelight dancing down the walls.
Gunshots rang in the distance.
“We have to move. Now.” Ethan said.
I grabbed his arm. We leaned on each other, navigating the halls slowly. My legs ached. His weight was heavy. We moved around fallen bodies—some Bratva soldiers, others in dark suits I didn’t recognize, their blood pooling on the tiles.
The fire roared closer, black smoke billowing from the left wing, heat singeing my skin—thick, black smoke rolling like a living thing, eating the walls.
“Charlotte,” Ethan rasped, shielding his face. “We have to run.”
We stumbled forward, heat clawing at our skin.
The house was a furnace, flames licking the walls, glass shattering in the distance.
