Shadows In Durango

Chapter 131

*****Sofia's POV*****

The second Vincent slammed his foot down on the gas, the quiet calm of the night completely shattered in to a million pieces.

My heart was already pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out through my ribs, but his sudden speed had me gripping the seatbelt tight, my knuckles white.

He was saying something, a low ramble that I could barely make out over the thrum of panic in my mind.

My brothers were here.

They were here.

They knew where I was again...

That hardening fact kept echoing, growing louder with every second, until I couldn't focus on anything else.

What the heck did I expect? I should have left this town when I first had the chance!

"Sofia, listen to me," Vincent's voice broke through the haze, edged with urgency, but it only pulled me further into a panic. "They don't know where we are right now or where we're headed either. I'll get you somewhere safe, just breathe" Breathe?!

The word felt foreign, impossible.

I couldn't breathe; I was choking on sheer fear.

My father's face flashed across in my mind, cold and calculating, always looming somewhere in the background of my pathetic life.

He had always found a way to make me feel small, powerless and now, even states away, he'd managed to find me again.

I wasn't safe.

I'd never be safe from him unless I was actually dead.

That was the only way to escape him!

The nausea built up quickly, a sour heat in my stomach, with my vision blurring as I struggled to keep it down.

"Pull over," I managed to choke out, my voice barely more than a whisper, but Vincent heard me instantly.

looked over, his brows

a rush, desperate, and I could feel the pressure mounting, overwhelming as my hand shot up to cover my mouth. He didn't

one sharp turn, he veered off the road,

out, the cool night air

I'd kept inside all of the fear, frustration, exhaustion - all

shaking as if it were trying to

my back, feeling steady and warm, helping to ground me

say a word, just knelt beside me, his palm rubbing slow, soothing

almost making it bearable to still be alive. When the worst of it passed, I slumped back on to the ground, too drained to care about how broken I looked in

tears from spilling over, couldn't keep the fear from bubbling back up,

was coming to

were

I was trapped.

sorry," I whispered, my voice barely audible, hiccuping between shallow breaths. "I... I'm so sorry, Vincent. I thought I could leave that life behind, but it's like... it's like they're always going

soft, breaking through the wall I'd tried to keep up, and then his arms were around me, pulling me close to him in one swift movement. "It's not

the weight of his hold anchor me, because in that moment, I felt like I was floating somewhere just

cheek, a quiet reminder of something good, something real that we at least shared beside all

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facing them

I couldn't hold back anymore. "If they find me... if my father forces me to go back with them... I can't go back, Vincent. He's going to want me dead!" My fingers twisted into the black fabric of his jacket,

back to look up at him, his eyes

I don't care if I have to keep you hidden forever, or if I have to fight off your entire fucking family myself - I'm not letting them take you away. I promise you that." He states. A broken laugh escaped me, caught somewhere between a sob and a gasp. "Vincent, they're all horrible people! You

anymore. You're

he was so sure of, but the fear

hand my father had held over me. It was more than just fear by

didn't get to decide

Not with my family.

Vincent's arms, feeling his warmth surround me, I could almost see a different version of my life - one where I was free to make my own choices, to live without the constant dread that shadowed my every step. But would those dreams ever be a reality? Not

whisper that washed over me. "You're safe right here. Right now. With me. We'll figure this out together, I swear. Just trust me, I know it's hard after everything I've done, but I only want

didn't trust myself to speak, so I just nodded, allowing

stop somewhere close to grab you some water and then I'm taking you to one of my lowkey properties until we can figure this out..."

palms on either side of my face; "You're too fucking pretty to be crying like this all the time... I'm going to put a stop to them if it's the last thing I do!" He states firmly, before helping me back in to the car as though I were a fragile doll

guided me back into the car, I felt like I was trapped in a daze, every nerve

to keep up the panic, but the fear clung to me like a second skin, lingering at the edges of my

my seatbelt brought me back to reality, and I glanced up to