Page 45 of Vengeance

"No, you don't,” she said.

"I do." His voice grew quieter. "I watched Savage make the same mistake more than once."

She frowned. "What mistake?"

"Thinking he had to save everyone himself,” Doc said.

She looked toward the opening above them. "He doesn't have to sacrifice himself for me."

"No." Doc nodded. "But he'll do it just the same.” A crash echoed through the cabin. Chloe was sure that it was furniture or something heavy. The sound of someone being punched followed. She knew the sound immediately. Someone had been hit. Her heart stopped.

"Vengeance,” she whispered. She took another step upward, and Doc moved in front of her.

"You can't,” he said.

"Move,” she ordered.

"No,” Doc said.

"Please,” she begged.

His eyes softened. "If you go up there, you'll hand Dante exactly what he came for." She hated that he was right. She hated all of this.

Above them, Dante spoke again. "You disappoint me."

Vengeance laughed. The sound was rough, like he was in pain. "I've made a career out of it."

"I gave you everything,” Dante said.

"You gave me nightmares." A sharp crack echoed through the house, and Chloe flinched. It was another punch, and this one was harder. She squeezed her eyes shut. Every instinct screamed at her to run upstairs and to throw herself between them, just to make it stop. Instead, she stood perfectly still because Vengeance had asked her to trust him. For the first time since Huntsville, she realized that she did trust him. Not because he was Dante's son, but because he wasn't. The man upstairs had bled for her, taken bullets for her, and thrown himself between her and danger over and over again. He'd never once asked for anything in return—not forgiveness, not affection, and not even trust. All he asked for was time.

A slow realization settled over her. She wasn't afraid of Vengeance anymore. She was afraid for him, and the thought stole her breath. Another voice echoed from upstairs—Marcus.

"Boss,” he growled. "We found something."

Dante sounded annoyed. "What is it?"

"Savage's journal,” the man said.

Chloe's eyes widened, and Doc's did too. "Oh, no,” he whispered.

Dante chuckled. "I wondered where that disappeared to." A long silence followed. Then the unmistakable sound of pages turning made Chloe's pulse hammer. Whatever Savage had written, Dante wanted it.

After several seconds, Dante laughed—a genuine laugh. "Well—” Another page turned. "This changes everything."

Vengeance's voice was tight with anger. "Leave it alone."

"I don't think I will,” Dante said, and quickly stopped laughing.

"What is it?" Marcus asked. Dante didn't answer immediately, and Chloe wished that she could see what was going on. When he finally spoke, his voice had changed. There was something Chloe had never imagined hearing from a monster like him—shock.

"No.” Another page flipped. "He couldn't have."

Marcus stepped closer. "What is it?"

Dante slowly tore a page from the journal, followed by a few more. "No one sees this."

Panic filled Chloe's chest. "What did Savage write?" she whispered. Doc's face had gone completely white. He wasn't looking at the ceiling anymore. He was staring at nothing, like he'd just remembered something he'd hoped to forget.