Page 167 of Ruined Vows
Radovan won’t see it coming. He’ll think I’m walking into a trap. And maybe I am. But I’m walking into it like a man who has something worth dying for now.
The woman I never thought I’d want. The life I never thought I’d deserve.
I have one night left to take back what’s mine. And I’ll crawl through fire to make it to that next date alive.
The safe house basement smells like dust and oil, and the thick air clings to my skin.
Dragan, Luka, Filip, and David stand around the cracked wooden table in the center of the room, maps and burner phones scattered across the surface.
Bianca is upstairs with Irina, preparing food for us.
I pace, the adrenaline from earlier still burning under my skin.
David clicks the laptop closed and looks at me. His expression is grim.
“No confirmed hits on Radovan’s trail yet. He’s moving smart and switching safe houses. He’s even dumping tech, and I’m sure he’s paying off half the city to stay invisible.”
“Won’t be invisible for long,” I growl. “We’ll find him.”
Dragan leans forward, planting his hands on the table. “We need to stop reacting. He’s forcing us to play defense.”
“We hit first,” Luka says, cracking his knuckles. “Hard. Cut off his options before he even knows we’re coming.”
I nod. “Exactly.”
I stop pacing and face them all.
“No more waiting. No more giving him opportunities to come at her.” I jerk my chin toward Bianca. “We take the fight to him. We smoke him out, corner him, and put him down.”
David taps the laptop. “We’ve got a few leads. Properties he used in the past and safe houses tied to his men. There has to be a place he might feel comfortable crawling back to.”
I slam my hand down on the table, making the burner phones jump.
“I want full sweeps,” I order. “Surveillance, pressure, disruption. Hit his supply lines. Rattle his crews. Make it so he can’t take a fucking breath without wondering if it’s his last.”
Dragan smiles grimly. “Make him desperate.”
“Make him reckless,” Luka adds.
“Exactly,” I say. My voice drops low, lethal. “And when he’s desperate enough to show hisface?—”
We march into the war room, and I glance at Bianca.
“I’ll end this.”
No one argues. They know I mean it.
David starts assigning targets, breaking down assignments. Luka and Dragan move into action without hesitation, weapons and comms already coming out of the gear bags.
Bianca stands quietly, watching me. She doesn’t try to stop me. Doesn’t ask me to be careful.
She knows better. She knows this isn’t about revenge. It’s abouther.It’s aboutus.
And I’ll walk through fire and blood to make sure no one ever threatens what we’re building again.
I strap on my gear and check my sidearm, knives, and extra mags. It’s routine, automatic.
But every movement feels heavier tonight.
