Page 99 of Wicked Vows (Suvorov Bratva 2)

Within ten minutes, Willow marches through the door and drops the items on the nearest desk. She settles her fiery gaze on me. “Explain.”

“No time,” I reply. “I need you to take Zoya to New Jersey.”

She blinks rapidly and then slowly spins around to observe Zoya and Pavel in the corner of the old office. The two nod at a silent Willow. When Willow turns back to me, her face is blank.

“Why?” Willow asks plainly.

“I need someone who won’t be hunted by the NYPD. And I need her to take Zoya somewhere the NYPD has no jurisdiction.”

Red bubbles on her face. Oh God, I haven’t seen her look like that since she caught her old boyfriend, Joey Barker, getting blown in the bathroom by her hairstylist. The way the steam rises in her eyes makes her look wild—and then she explodes.

She whirls around and points accusingly at Pavel. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT! This is allyourfault!”

Zoya inches her way out of the line of fire while Pavel squares up. He’s not challenging her. But he isn’t backing down either.

“You brought Liya into all this,” Willow seethes. “If it wasn’t for you,noneof this bullshit would be happening!”

The words tumble right into me, settling into place like missing puzzle pieces.

She has a point.

If Pavel had never walked into this bar and he hadn’t accepted my brother’s terms, then we wouldn’t be in this situation, would we?

No, I’d still be getting harassed and groped by the disgusting pig who owns this bar.

But this isn’t the time or the place. Emotions are running high, and I know the adrenaline won’t last forever—and I want to make sure we get things right this time around.

I snatch the sunglasses and hat from the desk, tossing them at Zoya. I start stripping out of my blouse next. “Zoya, give me your top.”

She blushes and turns around, carefully peeling off her tank top. We trade tops and then I turn to Willow. “Take her, please. You’re the only one who can do it.”

Willow’s expression softens when she looks at me. Not by much, but enough. She sighs deeply and then takes my shoulders, meeting my gaze as fiercely as she did when she walked in. “You owe me. Big time.”

“You got it, girl.”

She smiles weakly and hugs me tightly. “I love you. Okay? Please keep yourself safe.”

And then she heads for the door, not bothering to see if Zoya is following. Zoya scampers after Willow, leaving Pavel and me standing in a silence so thick that a knife could slice right through it.

Fuck, what have I done? Is this the cost of walking away for Pavel?

My best friend only did that because I asked her to do it. That’s the only reason. Her life is now in danger because of me. If she turned me down, I would have convinced her somehow, turned her brain into mush and shifted her perspective upside down just to get her to see things my way.

Is that really the woman I’ve become?

I look at Pavel, noticing how the dim light grays the green of his eyes. They’re so strangely opaque now, like they’ve hardened to stones.

Do we look over our shoulders at every turn now?

And if that’s the case, does that mean I’ve just waltzed right back into my old life?

God, it’s fitting to be at Blaczak’s.Of coursewe’re at Blaczak’s.

Because I might be doomed to repeat this cycle forever.

I did this. Ichosethis. Everything happened like this because of me.

And what better place to face the consequences of my selfish heart than the very hell where this mess first started?

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