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Chapter 72
publish date:
2026-10-28 09:00:00Ava POV
Morning came slow in the bunker. No windows, no sunlight, just the hum of fluorescent lights and the distant drip of water somewhere in the walls. I woke on a cot in the corner of the medical bay, my hand still wrapped around Lucas's. He was still asleep, his breathing steady, his color better than it had been the night before.
I stood up carefully, my body stiff and sore. The events of the escape felt like a dream—the darkness, the gunf
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Ava POVThe motel was a dump.It sat on the edge of a forgotten highway, surrounded by dead trees and empty fields. The sign out front flickered, half the letters burned out. The rooms were small and smelled like mold. The beds were lumpy. The walls were thin.But it was far from the city. Far from the bounty hunters. Far from Margot.For now.We gathered in the largest room, the one with the least broken furniture. Marcus stood by the window, peering through the curtains at the empty parking lot. Lucas sat on the bed, his laptop open, scrolling through encrypted channels. Damien paced, his footsteps heavy on the creaking floor.I sat at the small table, the Aegis list in front of me, and tried to think."We can't stay here long," Marcus said. "A day. Maybe two. Then we need to move again.""And go where?" Damien stopped pacing. "We've been running since we escaped the estate. We can't run forever.""Then what do you suggest?""I suggest we fight." Damien's eyes flashed. "We have the
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 78
Ava POVI woke to the sound of Damien cursing.The apartment was still dark, the curtains drawn tight against the morning. I sat up in the narrow bed, my heart already pounding. Something was wrong. I could feel it in the air, thick and heavy like smoke.I found them in the main room. Damien was at the table, his laptop open, his face pale. Marcus stood behind him, reading over his shoulder. Lucas was on the couch, still bandaged, his eyes fixed on the screen."What is it?" I asked.They all turned. Their faces told me everything I needed to know."Show me," I said.Damien turned the laptop toward me. The screen displayed an encrypted message, the kind that circulated through the underworld channels. It was short. Brutal. To the point.Wanted: Ava Sterling. Alive preferred. Dead acceptable.Wanted: Marcus Kane, Damien Cross, Lucas Reed. Dead or alive.Bounty: $10 million each.Client: Matteo Marchetti.Payment on delivery. Proof required. No exceptions.I read it three times. The word
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 77
Ava POVThe new safehouse was a cramped apartment above a laundromat.Viktor had arranged it before we left the bunker—a place no one would think to look. The windows were covered with heavy curtains. The furniture was old and mismatched. The air smelled like detergent and dust.But it was safe. For now.Marcus and I arrived first. We'd taken a long, winding route through the city, changing cabs twice, doubling back on ourselves to make sure we weren't followed. By the time we climbed the creaking stairs to the apartment, my legs were shaking and my nerves were shot.Damien and Lucas showed up an hour later.They looked terrible. Lucas was pale, his shirt soaked with blood. Damien was bruised, his knuckles split, his eyes wild. They didn't speak to each other. They barely looked at each other."What happened?" I asked.
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 76
Damien POVThe diversion was simple.While Ava and Marcus went for the vault, Lucas and I were supposed to create a distraction. A small fire in the east wing. A few gunshots. Something to draw the guards away from the basement entrance.Simple. Clean. Easy.Nothing about us was ever easy.We moved through the shadows of the opera house, our footsteps silent on the rotting floorboards. Lucas was still weak from his wound, his movements slower than usual, but he kept up. He didn't complain. He never complained.That made it worse."You're slowing us down," I muttered."I'm fine.""You're not fine. You're bleeding through your bandages."He glanced down at his chest. A small red stain was spreading across his shirt. "It's nothing.""It's something. If you pa
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 75
Ava POVThe lights went out, and the world became darkness.Margot's voice echoed through the opera house, cold and amused. "Did you really think I wouldn't know? This is my city. My territory. My vault."I clutched the Aegis list to my chest, my heart pounding. Marcus was already moving, his hand finding my arm in the dark."Back stairs," he whispered. "Now.""Damien, Lucas—" I started."They're fine. They know the plan. Move."We ran. The stairs were narrow, treacherous in the darkness. I stumbled, caught myself on the cold stone wall. Behind us, footsteps echoed—many footsteps, moving fast."She's got an army," I breathed."She always does."We reached the top of the stairs and burst through the door into the main hall. The stage loomed ahead, its curtain torn a
Toxic Vows, Filthy Pleasures Chapter 74
Ava POVWe left the bunker at dusk.Viktor had arranged everything—fake IDs, a nondescript sedan, clothes that wouldn't draw attention. We looked like different people. Marcus wore a suit, his hair slicked back, playing the role of a businessman. Damien was dressed like a driver, cap pulled low over his eyes. Lucas, still bandaged but mobile, wore a hoodie and glasses, a laptop bag slung over his shoulder.And me. I wore a dark coat and heels, my hair pulled into a tight bun. I looked like a woman who belonged in the city. Someone with money. Someone with secrets.The drive took two hours. We didn't speak much. The tension in the car was thick, every glance loaded with everything we'd said the night before. The roles we'd agreed on. The boundaries we'd set. The fragile structure that was supposed to keep us from falling apart.It didn't feel fragile. It felt like a thread.
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