Page 3 of Deceptive Vows

A scream tears from my throat, and another follows when I lift my hands and spot the pool of dark red blood filling the space between us.

I bolt upright, my screams turning louder when I scan my surroundings and see the dead, bloodied bodies of Raul’s guards lining the floor.

Within the flash of a second, I remember what happened.

I remembereverythingthat happened.

Looking down at the blood-soaked wedding dress molded to my body confirms the horrific images before me and those flowing through my mind like a movie stuck on fast forward.

I also know from the clothes the man beside me is wearing that this is Felipe Naveed. He’s dressed in the sleek Armani suit he was supposed to wear to the wedding.

As I think of the monster he was to me and all he took from me, I conjure up the image of the man who killed him.

Felipe was shot first before…this.

It was while he was being shot that I ran away and tried to escape.

A hand grips around my leg, making me jump and scream even more. In the murkiness of the room, I make out José’s face. He’s been beaten—badly. One eye is swollen, and his face is covered in bruises and dried blood.

“Shhhh,” he stutters, tapping the edge of my leg with one hand and placing a finger to his lips with the other. “Please stop screaming.”

Seeing his legs are chained to the wall, I crawl over to him.

“What’s happening? Who were those men?”

“Russian mafioso. Bratva men.”

My blood freezes in my veins, and I start shaking.

“What do they want? What are they going to do to us? What—"

He silences me by catching my face between his trembling hands. “My dear girl, we haven’t got much time. I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I tell you to do. You hear me?”

“Yes,” I answer quickly. The weakness in my body reminds me of how much I rely on him.

As his dark brown eyes rivet to mine and I take in the fear brimming within the depths, the terror flooding my soul turns into something I can’t describe. José Diaz is a man akin to my father, who never feared anything. Not even death.

He was Papa’s best friend. José always took care of me, long before Papa was killed. He just took care of me even more after. He’s giving me that look again that tells me what he’s about to say is serious, and if I don’t listen, it means death.

“They think you’re Adriana,” he explains in a low voice, barely above a whisper.

I suck in a breath. “What?Me?”

Although no one outside the estate knows Adriana’s real identity, there’s no way anyone would mistake a lowly peasant girl like me for the Cartel Princess.

“The wedding dress. They thought you were Adriana because of the dress,” he explains, and my eyes snap wide as the realization truly dawns on me. “It’s the only thing keeping you alive. You need to make them believe it’s true.”

“Where’s Adriana?”

“Dead,” he answers, and my brain freezes. I can’t believe what he’s saying to me.

My lips part as I try to process his words. “She’s dead?”

“She was one of the first to die as the men stormed the grounds and opened fire. Her car never even made it through the gate. They killed everyone else and took Raul somewhere.” He swallows hard and tightens his grip on my jaw. “Mija, you must do this. Everything is out of my hands now, and I don’t know what these men will do next. When I realized their mistake could possibly save you, I confirmed you were her. They need Adriana for something, or you’d be dead, too. Outside these walls, anybody who has seen Adriana would never know she is Raul’s daughter. That kept her safe, and it will keep you safe now, too. Promise me you will do this. Please promise me.”

“I… promise,” I stammer, choking back tears.

“Gracias, mi amor. I couldn’t save your father or your mother. Please let me try to save you. You were not meant for this life.”