Chapter 5 - COLLISION COURSE
Every instinct screamed at me to turn around, but Vincent’s grip was unyielding. We glided across the marble floor, parting the crowd of Chicago’s elite like Moses parting the Red Sea. Trevor looked like he wanted to bolt, but his blonde companion, oblivious to the danger, tugged on his arm, forcing him to stay.
“Trevor,” I said, my voice steady despite the hurricane in my chest.
“Harper,” he choked out, his eyes darting frantically to Vincent. “I... I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” Vincent interjected, his tone deceptively polite. He didn’t offer his hand. He simply looked at Trevor the way a scientist observes a particularly pathetic insect. “Mr. Hayes, isn't it? I’ve heard quite a bit about you. You have a habit of leaving messes for other people to clean up.”
The blonde woman frowned. “Excuse me? Who are you?”
“No one you want to know, Chloe,” Trevor snapped, his voice trembling. He looked at me, a desperate plea in his eyes. “Harper, please. We don’t want any trouble.”
“You brought the trouble on yourself the day you walked out on the woman who pulled you from a burning building,” Vincent said, his voice dropping an octave. The surrounding guests had gone deathly quiet, pretending not to listen but hanging on every word. “You owe her your life. And yet, you left her with nothing. I find that... unacceptable.”
Trevor swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. “That’s between me and her.”
“Not anymore,” Vincent whispered, stepping so close to Trevor that the taller man actually shrank back. “She belongs to me now. Her debts are my debts. Her enemies are my enemies. If I ever see you in this city again, if you ever breathe the same air as her, I will strip away everything you love, just like you did to her.”
Trevor grabbed Chloe’s arm and practically dragged her out of the ballroom, his pride shattered into a million pieces.
I stood frozen, the heavy weight of the past four months lifting from my chest. I looked up at Vincent, expecting to see the ruthless mob boss. Instead, I saw a man looking at me with fierce, unapologetic devotion.
May you like
“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered.
“I will burn the world down for you, Harper,” he replied, his eyes dark and unwavering. “That was just a spark.”
