Page 153 of Ruined Vows
There’s a sniper in the southwest corner. A second shooter moving in low. Luka barrels out of the building, gun drawn, and he takes the shot, and the man falls.
Luka is ahead of us. “We’ve got a vehicle waiting.”
“Move,” he snaps. “Now. Follow me.” Dragan flanks us, firing two controlled shots that make the attackers scatter. He looks everywhere, his gun and laser moving with his eyes.
Luka covers the street with his weapon drawn. They move like ghosts, efficient and merciless. Luka hauls me by theelbow, shoving us toward the alley where the black Hummer idles, engine humming like a beast ready to pounce.
I push Bianca in first, shielding her body with mine until we're inside. Luka and Dragon dive in behind us. Doors slam shut. The driver peels away from the curb before I even have my seatbelt on, tires shrieking against the pavement.
She is shaking, pinned beneath me. Eyes wide with shock and fear.
My heart is a hammer in my chest. The bullet wasn’t meant for me. It’s intended for her.
Bianca clutches my jacket, wide-eyed but steady. God, she’s brave.
“Stay with me, Princeza,” I breathe as I run my hands over her, checking for wounds.
“Who was it?” Luka demands, breathless.
“Radovan,” I growl. “Who else?”
Luka curses under his breath and grabs a rifle from a rack in the back. He checks his rifle.
“Take us to the safe house,” I snap.
Safe?Everyone knows safety is an illusion we can no longer afford—not when Radovan has declared war.
“I will burn this entire city before I let them get that close to you again. I’ll kill Radovan. I’ll wipe out every name tied to him. I’ll give you the world, Bianca—but I can’t give you peace. Not yet. Not while they breathe.”
We weave through traffic. Past the industrial blocks. Past the broken neighborhoods. But she still doesn’t speak. I assume she’s in shock.
We drive, stretching long and tight every second until we finally leave the city.
The gates loom ahead—thick iron, sharp as fangs. They swing open at our approach, and the vehicle lurches forward. Guards spill onto the drive, armed and alert, their eyes hard as steel.
I smooth my hands down the front of my jacket, my mindalready carving blood into the night. Because this isn’t over, it’s just beginning. But all I see is her.
I pull her onto the seat beside me. Bianca’s hand slips into mine. I grip it tight.
“You okay??
She nods. But something’s changed. She’s distant, and I know why. She saw my world today, not the edges, not the strategy. Thecost.I told her she wouldn’t bleed for me. However, it appears to have been a falsehood that even I believed.
Radovan sent that bullet. I don’t need confirmation. It’s written in cold precision and excellent timing.
He’s not warning me anymore. He’s coming. And I swear to God—I’ll paint the streets red before I let him touch her.
She watches me like I’m a storm. She doesn’t know how to react.
I promised myself I’d never let her feel unsafe. Not with me. Not because of me. And yet here we are, in the shit because of a man who can’t adapt.
My safe house with its thick walls and silence. Her eyes are full of something colder than hate—doubt.
We make our way into the fortress. I tell Luka to triple the security. I call in favors I swore I’d never use. And it still doesn’t feel like enough. Because Radovan didn’t just fire a bullet today—he cracked the one thing I didn’t think he could reach.
Her trust.
Bianca
