Page 69 of Vow of Hate

A flare of anger hits me. “Can you stop calling him a monster?” My tone is much harsher than I mean it to be.

Mom goes quiet for a long moment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. But he is a monster, Sienna.”

“I know,” I breathe out. “I called him that countless times. I just… I just can’t listen to you call him that.”

“All right. I understand. I’ll be quiet. I’m just glad you’re not seriously hurt.”

“Me too.” My back still aches from where Jack had beat on me. Until Dante stopped it. Until he let me go.

Sudden tears hit me and I find myself crying. Mom reaches out and touches my hand, sending as much comfort as she can, but we both know there’s only so much she can do.

We reach Gabriel’s house. The large, gothic structure would look terrifying to anyone else but right now, it brings me comfort. It means I’m safe.

I help my mom walk up to the front door. The guard out front motions for us to stop.

“Tell Gabriel that Henrietta and Sienna are here,” my mom says.

The guard speaks into a walkie-talkie and a moment later, nods and knocks on the door. It opens to reveal Gabriel on the other side.

Aurora, his wife, rushes out before he can. “Sienna? Are you all right?” I’ve spent time with Aurora over the couple of years they’ve been married. The sight of her small baby bump is visible.

“I’ll be fine.”

“She’s safe now,” Mom says. “Let us in. Please.”

“Of course.” Aurora ushers us inside while Gabriel motions for us to head into the living room. My mom grunts when she sits down. The pain on her face is obvious but she’s pushing through it to help me. Always fighting for me.

“How did you escape?” Gabriel asks. Aurora gently hits him on the chest and gives him a look. “What? I need to know.”

“She just got away from Dante. Give her a moment to breathe,” Mom says.

Gabriel raises his hands in surrender. “I apologize but I need to know these things, Sienna. Where was Dante keeping you? We can find the place and attack him.”

I hesitate. “Attack him?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you do that? He let me go. I didn’t escape.”

The three of them go silent as they all look at me, probably thinking I have lost my mind.

Gabriel is the first one to speak. “There’s no way he just let you go. He’s an evil, psychotic monster.”

“But he did let me go,” I say slowly. “I’m not sure why. He wouldn’t tell me but he did let me go. So doesn’t that count for something? He let me go and now you can make peace with him.”

“Make peace with Dante? No. He needs to die for what he did to you. He needs to die for going against my orders.”

“But you’re not his boss,” I respond. There’s no venom in my voice. I’m just stating a fact.

Gabriel blinks. “No. I am not his boss. But I offered to make a deal with him and he spat in my face when he took you. So now I need to know where he kept you so I can go and kill him.”

“But he’ll most likely be waiting for you. He let me go. He isn’t coming back for me.” At least, I think he’s not. The thought that Dante never wants to see me again hurts in a way I know it shouldn’t.

“Why won’t you tell me where he kept you?”

My mom and Aurora share a look but stay quiet.

I open my lips and can’t get the words out.