Page 7 of Vow

Andino didn’t even see the color of the car because he didn’t notice it coming.

Snaps was the one who took him to the ground as bullets peppered the red brick of the building behind him, and pinged off the metal door. Andino barely managed to catch himself what with Snaps’ jaw clamped tightly around his fucking wrist.

The smart part of his brain that still seemed to work at a bad time remembered to cover his head, but the pain in his shoulder made the action torture. His arm screamed in pain, but he didn’t dare lift his head.

The bullets kept flying.

His Lexus’ alarm went off.

Glass shattered somewhere.

He didn’t even wonder who had done this, or why they would target him. He bet those bastards knew he was around the second he drove onto their territory just like the Marcellos always knew when someone was in their areas.

Fucking Calabrese.

TWO

Haven Murphy’s hardest lesson had finally been learned. Or, that was her feelings. It wasn’t a lesson she had been willing to learn, or even wanted to, for that matter.

It just happened.

It just was.

She’d always thought that the things that didn’t challenge her in life wouldn’t change her for the better—it was the motto she had tried to live by for years. In a way, she still believed it to be true, but she also knew that those changes from all the challenges she faced weren’t necessarily good, either.

Sometimes, they just hurt. Sometimes, they left tear stains on pillows. Sometimes, it left her empty.

And oh, so alone.

Haven was never more aware of that feeling than when she walked through her empty house. One of the few things she had held so close to heart because of the pride she felt for it. It was hers—she bought it, and kept it up. She lived and loved here. She had grown as a person here. And now, she was getting rid of it.

If only she could find a buyer.

She passed a stack of boxes that needed to be taped up in the hallway. Full of pictures she’d pulled down from the walls, and a few knickknacks that needed to be wrapped in paper before they too could be put in a storage container.

Who knew if she would get back to them?

Or when?

It wasn’t like she really needed all this stuff for her move. So, instead of paying an arm and a leg to have it all sent to where she was going, she opted to put it all in storage for the time being. Or maybe that was just her way of thinking … there’s still a chance you’ll come back here someday.

That’s what her heart kept saying. Her mind screamed, no way. She was ready to go. Ready to leave.

New York could keep its fucking memories, and all the pain. She would be fine and happy to finally get rid of those tear-stained pillows, and restless nights. Maybe if she had a little more distance between her and New York, then her heart and memories would let go of all the things that weren’t ever supposed to be hers in the first place.

Maybe it would let go of him.

Andino Marcello.

Haven sighed, and shook off the heavy feeling. The longer she stood there staring at those boxes, the worse her mood would get. She couldn’t afford for that to happen—not right now, anyway.

She was still responsible.

Still smart.

This was all for the best.

The only things she hadn’t packed up or taken apart when it came to furniture, were the things she still might need to use. Some dishes, her bed, and the kitchen set. Even her television had been taken to storage last week, along with all her books.