Crimson Vows: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 34

My footsteps are heavy, echoing off the concrete as I enter the hospital parking garage. Amelia’s there, leaning against her black SUV, and as I look at her, I’m still haunted by the events of the evening. Her eyes catch mine, and she moves toward me.

“I got your text,” she deadpans, betraying nothing of the turmoil I know churns within her about her brother. “What happened?”

I nod, “Let’s talk inside.” I jerk my head toward the SUV, my gut tight.

Without a word, she turns and slides into the driver’s side, and I follow suit on the passenger side. The door slams shut, sealing us in our own little world of steel and secrets. “What is going on?”

“I found Dante,” I say, watching her closely.

“I knew you would,” her affirmation does little to soothe my emptiness. “Take me to him. I’ve got questions for that traitorous piece of shit.” Her hand balls into a fist.

I hesitate; the next part isn’t easy. “That’s going to be hard to do,” I mutter, looking away from her piercing gaze. “He’s dead.”

“Dead?” Amelia’s voice cracks. She sits with the information for a moment before she continues, “Well, I can’t say I’m sad about it, but... tell me you at least got some answers as to who else he was working with before you killed him.”

“I didn’t kill him,” I admit.

“You just told me he’s dead.”

“I know, but not by my hand.”

I replay the scene, the final moments unfolding again like gruesome tapestries. “I was there when Dante got home, waiting for him. He saw me and... nothing. No fight. He told me it was all him and begged me to tell you he is the only one you should punish. Then he added everyone else had nothing to do with it.”

“Everyone else?” Amelia leans forward, her voice sharp as a knife. “Who’s everyone else?”

“That’s what I asked him.” I can still see Dante’s back as he steps away from me, his shadow long and wavering against the wall. “He kept insisting that wasn’t what he meant to say and there was no one else. I kept getting closer and telling him that if he told me, you would maybe take it easier on him. Then suddenly, he’s at the balcony door, and he opens it.”

“Where did he think he was going to go?” she grunts as I replay the scene for her.

The memory of Dante’s hollow stare is vivid. “He looked me straight in the eyes and says it was all him. Only him. And then... he jumped.”

Amelia’s face is a mask of shock, her eyes wide and unbelieving. “What? No. Well, he was obviously trying to protect someone,” she breathes, the words barely a whisper.

“After he jumped, I went out on the balcony.” The chill of the night air lingers in my memory. “When I looked down, I saw one of Vincent’s men crouched next to the body. He was gone before I could get downstairs, though.”

“Who was it?” Her voice is sharp and demanding.

“Pretty sure it was the one Anthony shot,” I answer.

She gasps. “Nico.”

“Yeah, him,” I confirm. “I also went by Marco’s place. His drawers were empty.”

“Fuck! I bet that fucking bitch is with him.”

“I don’t think your cousin or his girlfriend will ever show their faces in this city again, and the man who shot your brother is dead,” I remind her.

Amelia shakes her head wildly. “No, you don’t know Gia. She has to be behind all of this, and I can’t risk a threat like her still being out there.” Amelia’s voice is stern, anger simmering beneath each word.

My words are laced with confusion. “There are three of them. They’re isolated and on the run. What risk can they possibly pose now?”

“It’s more complicated than you realize,” she starts. “I already told Alexei that while Vincent is recovering, I’m going to step in for him.”

“So they are certain he will pull through?” My question hangs in the air.

“He has to. I need him to be here,” she admits. “He’s going to be an uncle.”

The news doesn’t just hit me; it burrows into my chest, rooting itself deep. “You’re pregnant?”

Amelia nods, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Yes,” she says, a twisted laugh escaping her before she continues. “That’s where Alexei and I were when Vincent was shot. We had a doctor’s appointment to hear the heartbeat.” Her hand instinctively cradles her stomach as mixed emotions flicker across her face.

I sit back, stunned by the revelation. The emotions conflicting inside me are like an epic battle taking place. I love Alexei. He is going to be a father, and nothing could make me happier. But a part of me is jealous Amelia isn’t carrying my child. I push the dangerous thought out of my mind, guilt stinging my insides. “Vincent doesn’t know yet?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around the whirlwind of events.

“No,” she replies softly. “We were waiting to tell everyone until after the first trimester.”

“Congratulations,” I finally say, offering her a smile.

Amelia manages a weak smile in return. “Thank you,” she murmurs. “But that’s why I need you to find them. You have to bring the three of them to me so I can show the rest of the world what happens to anyone who even thinks about making a move against a King or an Ivanov.”

I sit quietly, processing it all. I look over at Amelia who is sitting rigid and strong, a fierce conviction in her eyes that comes out only when those she loves are threatened. “Alexei’s father won’t take kindly to his daughter-in-law stepping in to run a rival operation.”

“Maybe not,” she admits. “But this baby is a King and an Ivanov. It’s time that he stops looking at us as rivals. If we unite, we’ll be unstoppable in this city.”

She’s right. However, I doubt Alexei’s father will be willing to share the crown.

“So you’ll do it?” she asks. “You’ll find them and bring them back here?”

“Amelia, I . . .” Hesitation creeps in.

“Nikolai, I need you.” Her eyes are wide as she pleads. You’re the only one I trust to help me make this new empire strong enough for our child.” I don’t answer her. I don’t know what to say. How do I tell her that I can’t be around her anymore because every second I spend near her, I feel like I’m betraying one of the men I love most in this world?

“Is it because of me?” she asks. I look up at her with a puzzled look.

“What?”

She sighs and looks out the windshield. “I’ve seen the way you’ve started looking at me, the way your eyes linger too long. What it does to you when Alex kisses me. Are you afraid to help me because of your feelings for me?”

My mouth falls open. She knows. The secret I thought I had locked away is out in the open. “Amelia, I—” I start to speak, my voice catching in my throat as I try to navigate through the tangled web of emotions. Guilt, longing, and duty collide within me.

She turns to face me, her stare piercing through my defenses. “Nikolai, you have been a loyal friend and protector. I know you would never act on your feelings, and that’s why you’re the only man I can trust with this. I know you would never fail me.”

“Does Alexei know?” I ask, my face hot with embarrassment.

“I don’t think so,” she replies.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how I let it happen—”

She laughs. “That isn’t something you have to apologize for.”

I take a deep breath and slowly exhale before I finally say, “I will find them—for you, for Alexei, and for your baby. But after... after I do this, I want your help convincing Alexei to let me go back to Russia.”

“What? You don’t have to run away from our family just because you’ve developed a crush on me,” she says, offering me a tender smile. She doesn’t understand what I feel for her is so much more than a crush. She’s the first thing I think about when I wake and the last when I lay my head down at night. “Alex and I both love you.”

“I know. But this is what I ask of you in exchange for my help,” I reply.

Amelia studies me for a moment, her eyes softening with understanding. Then she reaches out and places her hand on my arm. “Alright, if that’s what you want.”

I nod. “It is.”

Amelia moves her hands back into her lap, cupping her belly slightly. “You have to make sure you bring them back alive. Okay? That part is essential.”

“What if they aren’t willing to come with me?” I ask as the scene with Dante replays in my mind.

Amelia inhales sharply, and I watch her chest rise and fall. She’s steel and silk all at once, one of the things that made me fall in love with her. “I think I have a solution.”

I turn to face her. “What is it?”

“I’m going to send someone to help you look for them.”

I shake my head. “You know I work alone.”

“Trust me,” she says, her smile widening just a fraction. “This person... They’re exactly who you need with you if Marco doesn’t want to come willingly.”

“Who?” My curiosity piques despite the knot of unease coiling in my gut.

“Marco’s little sister.” Her voice is even and matter-of-fact. “Sophia.”

“I didn’t think he had any siblings.”

“Not many people know about her. It’s not something anyone ever talks about,” Amelia explains, her fingers tracing the edge of her phone case absently. “Marco’s dad got whacked when he was a teen. His sister, Sophia, was only nine when it happened. Isabella’s sister lives in Italy, and she always wanted a daughter, so she took her in. Marco stayed here and became a soldier for my father.”

“When’s the last time he saw her?” The words scratch at my throat.

“His dad’s funeral,” she confirms. A shadow crosses her face. “He doesn’t like to talk about her. If she’s with you, though, there’s no way he’ll resist.”

“Why would she agree to help us?” I push back against the leather seat, skeptical.

Amelia sighs. “We tell her Marco’s being manipulated by Gia and that we need her help to convince him to come home because we’re his true family.”

“You want me to lie to this girl so she can help deliver her brother to us, knowing you plan to torture and kill him?” I ask. Her ruthlessness is unsettling.

“Is that a problem?” she asks, glaring back at me without an ounce of uncertainty. “At the end of the day, Marco’s a traitor.”

“As you wish,” I agree, despite not being excited about the idea of using Marco’s sister.

“I’ll make some calls and see how quickly we can bring Sophia here,” Amelia says, her eyes full of gratitude. I’ll miss being close to her once I finish this final task. “In the meantime, just let me know anything you need to help in your quest.”

I nod before exiting the SUV. Amelia calls after me, asking me where I’m going.

“I’m going to walk home,” I inform her. “I need the air.”

My oath to Alexei and Amelia is the only thing that matters. If she believes bringing these three back so an example can be made of them is the only way to ensure her family’s future is secure, then that is what I will do.