Page 45 of Vows Made in Silence

The walls scream with alarms now. But it’s too late. They’re trapped with me. And I’m not leaving empty-handed.

We sweep into a corridor lined with security doors—storage, holding, maybe worse. I kick one open and find torture tools laid out like surgical instruments. My blood runs cold.

"Clear," Turk calls from the next room. "But there's fresh blood on the floor. They moved him recently."

I run my hand over the table edge, clenching my jaw. "They prepped this room for pain."

Turk looks at me. "Not anymore."

Suddenly, a voice comes through our comms—one of the sharps. "Perimeter breach. Two vehicles just lit up the east fence. It’s not reinforcements."

"Gallo?" I growl.

My earpiece crackles again.

“Gallo’s gone,” Turk says grimly.

The world narrows.

I push open the narrow door, and there he is—Daniel, bound and bruised. My heart stutters. Without hesitation, I rush to untie him, my hands trembling.

The moment he's free, I pull him into my arms, holding him tighter than I probably should.

Our eyes lock.

His lips form my name. "Daddy."

And I swear, the world stops breathing.

My boy.

Giuliana's voice can be heard in my earpiece and she's crying. Daniel wraps his arms around me, clutching my leg like he’s making sure I’m real.

“I told you I’d find you,” I whisper.

"I knew you'd come. We made a pinky promise."

"He’s safe," I say into the comm, voice low but razor-sharp. I know Giuliana’s listening—watching from the safehouse. I want her to hear it. To feel it. To believe it.

“He’s safe, Giuliana.”

Because I made our son a promise.

And in my world—

I don’t break promises. I bury anyone who tries to make me.”

"We’ll all be together soon," I vow. "I’m getting you out of here, Daniel."

I lift him, cradling him close.

I turn to Turk, eyes sharp, voice low. “Where’s Gallo I ask Turk.”

“What do you mean gone?” My voice isn’t a question—it’s a growl, sharp enough to cut bone.

“We cleared the holding cells. Blood, two bodies, no Gallo. He slipped out during the breach—must’ve had an inside man.”

Then I turn to Turk. Step in close. Real close.