THE DEVIL'S VOW

The Choice

Lucian's blood turned to ice.

Matteo was barely recognizable—his face swollen, his lip split, his eyes wild with terror. He was wearing hospital scrubs, the thin fabric stained with blood. They'd taken him from his bed. From his treatment. From the one place he was supposed to be safe.

"Let him go," Lucian said, his voice deadly calm.

Julian smiled, that avuncular smile that had fooled so many people for so long. "I don't think so. Not yet."

"He's a child. He has nothing to do with this."

"He has everything to do with this." Julian walked over to Matteo, running a finger down his bruised cheek. Matteo flinched, his eyes finding Lucian's—pleading, terrified. "He's the sister's weakness. And the sister is your weakness. So, by extension, he's mine."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to suffer." Julian's smile vanished, replaced by something cold and cruel. "I want you to feel what I felt when you destroyed my life. I want you to lose everything you love, just like I did."

"You killed my parents."

"Your parents were collateral damage." Julian waved a hand dismissively. "This is personal. This is about you and me."

Lucian's hand tightened on his gun. "Let him go, and I'll give you what you want."

"What I want?" Julian laughed. "What I want is for you to watch. I want you to watch as I take everything from you, piece by piece. Starting with him."

He pulled a knife from his jacket.

"NO!" Lucian lunged forward, but Julian's men were faster. They grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back, forcing him to his knees.

"Ah, ah, ah." Julian wagged a finger. "No sudden movements. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Please." Lucian's voice cracked. "Please don't hurt him. He's innocent."

"No one is innocent." Julian pressed the knife to Matteo's throat. "Not you. Not your parents. Not this boy. Everyone has sins. Everyone has secrets."

"He's nineteen years old. He's dying."

"Then maybe I'm doing him a favor." Julian shrugged. "Ending his suffering. Sparing him the pain of watching his sister die."

Lucian's heart stopped. "What?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" Julian smiled. "My men are on their way to the surveillance van right now. Your precious Isabella is about to join us."

---

In the van, Isabella heard everything.

"Go," she said to Maya. "Now."

"What about you?"

"I'll hold them off. Get the evidence to Agent Reeves. Finish this."

"Isabella—"

"GO!"

Maya grabbed the laptop and ran. Isabella grabbed her gun and turned to face the door.

She didn't have to wait long.

The van door flew open, and two men in black tactical gear stormed inside. Isabella fired—once, twice—and one of them went down. The other grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back.

"Drop it," he growled.

"Go to hell."

He slammed her against the wall, and the gun clattered to the floor.

---

Back in the atrium, Lucian heard the commotion through his earpiece.

"No," he breathed. "No, no, no."

Julian laughed. "Sounds like your wife is having some trouble. Too bad you can't help her."

"I'll kill you." Lucian's voice was barely a whisper. "I'll kill you for this."

"You'll try." Julian pressed the knife deeper into Matteo's throat. A thin line of blood welled up. "But first, you'll watch."

The doors burst open.

Isabella was dragged inside, her arms pinned behind her back, a bruise already forming on her cheek. But her eyes—her eyes were blazing with fury.

"Let him go," she said.

Julian turned to face her, his smile widening. "Ah, the lovely Isabella. We meet at last."

"Let him go, and I won't kill you."

"Brave words." Julian gestured to his men, who forced her to her knees beside Lucian. "But you're in no position to make demands."

"Neither are you." Isabella lifted her chin. "The FBI knows everything. They have the evidence. They're on their way right now."

Julian's smile flickered. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Isabella smiled—a cold, dangerous smile. "Check your phone."

Julian pulled out his phone, his eyes scanning the screen. His face went pale.

"Surrounded," he whispered. "How?"

"We're not stupid." Isabella's voice was steel. "We knew you'd try something like this. We planned for it."

"You planned for this?" Julian gestured at Matteo, at Lucian, at the armed men surrounding them. "You planned for your brother to be kidnapped?"

"No." Isabella's voice cracked. "But we planned for you to be predictable. You always go for the weakest link. The most vulnerable target. It's your pattern."

"Clever girl." Julian pocketed his phone, his expression shifting from surprise to something darker. "But it doesn't matter. If I'm going down, I'm taking all of you with me."

He raised the knife.

And then everything happened at once.

---

Lucian moved.

He'd been waiting—biding his time, watching for the moment when Julian's attention was elsewhere. When the knife went up, he was ready.

He broke free of his captors with a violence that surprised even himself—elbow to the throat, knee to the groin, a sharp twist that sent one man crashing to the floor. The second man went down a moment later, a punch to the temple that left him unconscious.

Julian spun, the knife arcing toward Lucian's chest—but Isabella was there. She'd freed herself too, using the chaos to break free, and now she slammed into Julian from the side, sending them both crashing to the ground.

The knife skittered away.

Lucian grabbed it, his hand closing around the hilt.

Julian stared up at him, his eyes wide with fear—the first real fear Lucian had ever seen in them.

"Go ahead," Julian whispered. "Kill me. You know you want to."

Lucian's hand trembled.

"Lucian." Isabella's voice came from somewhere behind him, soft but steady. "Don't. He's not worth it."

"He killed my parents."

"I know. But if you kill him, you become him." She moved closer, her hand touching his shoulder. "You're not a murderer. You're a survivor. There's a difference."

Lucian closed his eyes.

The knife fell from his hand.

---

The FBI arrived three minutes later.

Agent Reeves led the tactical team into the atrium, her gun drawn, her eyes sharp. She took one look at Julian, on the ground, surrounded by his unconscious men, and smiled.

"Well," she said. "Looks like you didn't need us after all."

"We needed you," Lucian said, pulling Isabella close. "Just not for this."

Julian was hauled to his feet, his hands cuffed behind his back. He looked smaller now—diminished, defeated. The monster was just a man.

"You'll never win," he spat as they dragged him away. "The Vale Group is bigger than me. Bigger than you can imagine."

"Then we'll keep fighting." Isabella's voice was steady. "For as long as it takes."

Julian laughed—a hollow, bitter sound. "You're just like your father."

Isabella froze. "What did you say?"

"Alessandro. He was brave too." Julian smiled, a cruel twist of his lips. "He was going to expose us. So we made him disappear."

"Where is he?" Isabella's voice cracked. "Where's my father?"

"Somewhere you'll never find him." Julian laughed as the agents pulled him away. "Somewhere no one will ever find him."

And then he was gone.