Page 84 of The Crimson Lily
I go with the more…discreet idea. Like a drug mule, I unbutton my black jeans and make a choice, right here, to settle with my lady’s pocket. I wash the tracker five times with that cheap-ass soap before slipping it in like a tampon. It’s foolish, ridiculous, insane, and maybe a little weird. It’s not comfortableat all, but it fits. Please don’t let that stupid device run out of battery now. Please don’t let this be for nothing.
I head back out of the cafe’s bathroom with a walk of shame and into the street to rejoin Giovanni and Chiara, who’ve been waiting for me all this time. I feel dirty, and walking doesn’t make that annoying sensation between my legs go away. Oh well, tough luck! It’s time to make a trade.
A long blue limousine with a silent engine rolls to the other side of the road. An electric car, I presume. It parks opposite of ours. Two white men step out. They wear black clothes and carry weapons bigger than me. They go stand at the front of the car, facing us. From the passenger seat, a figure with a flamboyant crown comes out and joins the two armed men.
I’m not afraid. These weapons look like they’re for show, to intimidate us. I’m not going to let that happen. I follow Giovanni, who steps out of the car in turn.
Chiara chooses to stay inside.
“We’ll find you,bella,” Giovanni whispers to me before we face the three men.
There’s a road separating us, but I instantly lock eyes with William de Loit. His long beige trench coat almost reaches his knees. He’s tall, but not as tall as his two bodyguards. He smiles at me. A vile sneer I really want to rip off his face.
“You look like shit!” he comments.
I probably smell like shit too, but hey, I’ve been up for more than twenty-four hours. I lost the man I love, punched an Italian in the face, cried, barfed, and slipped a GPS tracker into my vagina—how’s yournightslashdaygoing?
A third man steps out of William’s car, dragging a wounded Maksim, who can barely crawl, behind him. I can’t see the scene well from here, but I notice Maksim is covered in blood and dirt.My heart breaks but solidifies again. Maksim lives. He is there, a few steps away from me.
My legs start to move independently of my mind, but two of William’s men aim their weapons at me.
“Leave your coat and purse behind,” William orders.
I don’t even argue. I stare him down, take off my coat in a rush, and cast it on the ground.
“I don’t have a purse,” I bark.
“What about your phone?” William questions.
I point at my dead jacket. My phone is there.
William signs something to the third man, and the latter drags Maksim closer to me. He halts in the middle of the road, dumps Maksim’s body on the gravel, and traces his steps back.
I instantly rush to my Maksim. Fuck those guns pointed at me. He’s trying to get up while I collapse beside him, on my knees, taking his bloody face in my hands.
He has cuts around his lips, blood on his nose, and his eyes are dark-purple and swollen. There’s blood all over his jacket, all over his torn shirt.
“What have they done to you?” I murmur in muffled cries. Cries of relief.
I’m so glad to have him back. I kiss him, tasting blood and dirt but not caring at all because Maksim is alive.
He looks at me. I can see the electric-blue of his irises between his bruises. “What did you do, Liliana?” he grunts in pain or anger. “What deal did you make?”
I kiss him again, letting him lean on me. “Don’t worry about me, Maksim. I’ll be fine.”
His hands clench my thighs. “What did you do?”
“I promise I’ll be fine.”
I stand up. I’m about to walk to the blue car when he catches my wrist. He does his best to rise to his feet and step in my way. “Li…Liliana.”
“Let her through,” William commands in his cringeworthy tone. “Or we’ll shoot you both.”
I lay my hand on Maksim’s arm and plunge my gaze into his. He trembles, but his glare is more determined than I’ve ever seen.
“I’m coming for you, Liliana,” he warns.
What last words do you say to the man you love?
