Brutal vows

Chapter 2: The Armored SUV

The rain slammed violently against the reinforced, bulletproof glass of the black SUV as we tore through the slick city streets. We were flying north toward the isolated forest lines, leaving the safety of the Volkov estate far behind. The silence inside the vehicle was heavy, thick with a suffocating tension that made it hard to breathe. Up front, a trusted syndicate driver kept his eyes glued to the dark, winding road, his hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel. In the backseat, I sat on the far right, pressing myself against the door, while Alekov sat on the far left.

We didn't look at each other, but the distance between us felt completely charged with electricity. The space in the middle of the leather seat felt like a battlefield.

For two long years, he had been my shadow. Two years of standing outside my bedroom doors, opening my car doors, and guarding me from the real monsters of the underworld. He was a ghost in a sharp suit, a lethal weapon meant to terrify my father's enemies. But to me, he was the only thing that felt real. I was a civilian asset—kept completely pure and locked away in a gilded cage so my father could eventually trade me in a strategic marriage to another mafia boss to expand his empire. I hated the rules, I hated the business, but most of all, I hated the three-foot radius keeping me from touching the only man who truly saw me.

"Where are we going, Alekov?" I asked softly, my voice barely a whisper against the sound of the roaring storm outside. I stared at the blurred neon lights of the city fading into the pitch-black darkness of the country.

“A secure, hardwired location," he replied, his deep baritone cutting through the hum of the engine. He didn't turn his head, his eyes scanning the side mirrors with rhythmic, professional precision, looking for any trailing headlights. "The Bratva has been tracking your father's supply lines for weeks. Tonight’s breach proves they are targeting you specifically to force the Don into a territory compromise. You will stay in the cabin until the threat is completely eliminated.

""And if the threat isn't eliminated?" I pressed, shifting slightly on the leather seat, trying to catch his eye in the dark. "What happened to me then? Am I just supposed to hide forever while my father uses me as a chess piece?

"Alekov’s jaw clenched so hard I could hear the grinding of his teeth. "I will keep you safe, Elena. That is my only purpose. My life belongs to your protection.”

"Your life belongs to my father," I corrected bitterly, turning my face toward the window. "There's a difference.

"Suddenly, the driver up front spoke up, his voice cracking with sudden anxiety. "Sir, we have a problem. Two blacked-out sedans just pulled onto the highway behind us. They don't have their headlights on, but they're accelerating fast. We have a tail, and they're closing the distance."

Alekov’s entire posture shifted in an instant. The quiet protector was gone; the soldier was awake. "Kill our lights, hit the gas, and take the old logging trail up ahead," he commanded smoothly, reaching into his jacket to check his weapon. "Elena, get down on the floorboards. Now.”