Page 10 of Savage Vows

I watch a pair of headlights slide across the sidewalk, lost in the movement, not really seeing anything at all. “People expect a lot of things,” I say, quieter than before.

He doesn’t push it.

The wind picks up again, and somewhere far away, I hear church bells, dull and heavy, counting down the hours to a morning I never asked for.

3

ADRIANA

I drivewith the window cracked just enough for the city’s chill to keep me awake. The club’s neon and noise are far behind us now, replaced by side streets lined with shuttered diners and quiet, blinking intersections. Julie sits in the passenger seat, arms wrapped around herself, eyes fixed on the world sliding past.

She hasn’t said a word since we left the club. Her makeup is smudged, her hair falling loose in her face. She’s holding herself together by sheer force of will. I know that feeling. I remember what it’s like to be that young and have the ground drop out from under you.

When we pull up in front of her apartment, she unbuckles slowly, still shaking a little. The streetlight catches on the scratches in her lip gloss. She stares at her hands.

Finally, she breaks the silence. “There was…someone else,” she says, twisting her hands in her lap. “After Serrano got pushy. A man came in. Tall. He looked…important, I guess. He told Serrano to back off. Made him stop.”

She shudders, pulling her jacket tighter. “He could have done worse, you know. Serrano. If that guy hadn’t walked in when he did…”

I glance over, my jaw tight. “No one who’s working with Serrano is nice, Julie. Don’t let a suit and good timing fool you.”

Julie shrugs, exhausted. “Yeah, well. He felt different. Not soft, but…he didn’t look at me like I was a problem. He looked at Serrano likehewas the problem.” She gives a shaky laugh. “He asked my name. Let me leave.”

I keep driving. Part of me wants to tell her she’s wrong, that people like that are always dangerous, no matter how calm they seem. But I hold my tongue.

She draws in a deep breath and sits up straighter. “I heard something before I left. They started talking business—like I wasn’t even there.” Her voice drops, almost a whisper. “Something about the docks. A manifest. And a time. Thursday, midnight. Pier 19.”

That gets my attention.

I glance at her, eyebrows raised. “You’re sure?”

Julie nods. “I memorized it. It felt important. Serrano was angry. Said he needed the original manifest gone and the container reassigned before it hit the docks. The other guy just told him he had three days, no exceptions.”

Bingo.

I offer her a faint smile, some mixture of relief and respect. “Good work, Julie. That’s better than I could’ve hoped for.”

She sighs, her shoulders slumping as the adrenaline drains out. “I just want to go home, Adriana.”

“You’re almost there.”

She doesn’t reply.

“You did good,” I say softly, turning to her. “You got what we needed.”

Julie manages a weak laugh, rubbing her palms over her jeans. “Did I? Because it felt like I was just bait.”

The guilt digs deeper. She’s not wrong. Tonight she was bait. That was the deal.

I open my wallet and count out more bills than we agreed on. It empties me out almost completely, but I hand it over anyway, pressing the money into her hand. “Here. For your trouble.”

She looks up, startled. “This is too much.”

“It’s not enough. Take it. Please.”

Julie stares at the money, then tucks it into her pocket, her movements small and embarrassed.

“You’re going to be okay?” I ask, trying to sound certain, even though I don’t believe it.