Page 67 of Vow to Corrupt You
“I need to escape him,” I whisper, shaking in fear, looking over my shoulder, half expecting to see his men closing in. “I hate to ask you for help, Salvatore, knowing how dangerous it is, but you’re the only person I can turn to.”
Salvatore’s jaw tightens. “I owe it to you, sister. You’re in this mess because of me in the first place.”
“Thank you,” I furrow my brows. The tension feels as thick as smoke.
I know Salvatore wanted to help me from the start, and I can see that now, but I still hate dragging him into this, risking his life.
“So, what’s next?” he pulls me out of my thoughts.
“We need to drive to the airport. We have to get to Brazil.”
“Brazil?” Salvatore frowns. “You don’t think our mother is going to help us, do you?”
A heavy feeling settles in my chest. Considering our mother left without giving a damn when we were kids, it does sound like a bad idea, but…
“It’s the only option I have.” I let out a heavy breath, one as weighty as the feeling of being unworthy, redundant, and broken that’s haunted me ever since she abandoned us.
Salvatore’s teeth grit, but he nods. He hates our mother more than I do. He doesn’t want anything to do with her, while I tried to seek any information about her. To at last know, she’s still alive.
“Do you even have money for the flight?”
“I do.”
He looks at me questioningly. “Will it be enough? You’re aware we’ll need money, lots of money.”
I nod, pulling out a large black bag full of cash and jewelry I could sell. “Nikos has been giving me money for my needs. I’ve been saving it…”
Salvatore glances over at the bag, raising an eyebrow at the amount of money. “He’s been giving you money for your needs?”
“He’s been rather generous.”
“Generous? What needs does he think you have?” He focuses on the road. “You could buy a house with that kind of cash.”
Guilt washes over me, but I shake my head to dissolve my doubts. I can’t let myself think that Nikos isn’t that bad because he’s been generous to me, spoiling me with everything a woman could want, or showing me respect and humanity. No. He’s a villain who doesn’t seek redemption. Sooner or later, he’d get bored of playing a good husband and treat me like everyone else. Perhaps even kill me if I went against his orders, his sick beliefs, and rules. After all, I was merely his plaything. The innocent little girl he wanted to corrupt and break.
The anxiety within me intensifies to an unbearable level as the car speeds toward the airport. My mind races. Am I really doing this? Am I really leaving him? Could this actually work?
The adrenaline coursing through my veins is so intense that I feel like I’m about to explode. By the time we reach the airport, I can barely breathe. Salvatore parks, and we both jump out of the car, my heart thudding in my ears. I push through the crowd, searching the screens for the right destination until I stop dead in my tracks.
It can’t be… not again.
“Hello, wicked one.”
“Oh God…” I freeze, fear crawling up my spine like ice cubes.
Nikos.
He stands before me, a few steps ahead of his men all around him. One hand loosely gripping the other at his front, his head slightly angled in his signature way like he’s been waiting for me; almost like that day in the secluded house where he caught me before I could meet with Claudio.
Nikos advances closer, and his men create a circle around us. “I already told you…” He brushes my cheek with his hand, and the leather fabric of his glove feels exactly like the first time when I felt it. “God’s not here, wicked one. He abandoned you the moment my gaze landed on you.”
Chapter 35
Serena
“Did you really think you could escape me, wicked one?” Nikos’s dark gaze flickers between mine with equal parts wrath, but also some disappointment.
I open my mouth to speak, but my words falter. I don’t even know what to say.
