Page 61 of Wicked Knight 2

“Five minutes is not so bad.” Belinda laughed softly. “And you wonder why the guy doesn’t like you.”

“I don’t wonder. Don’t care if he brings me what I need. I hope he found better tomatoes this time.”

Their chatter eased my nerves a bit. But as soon as the door rolled up, my body tensed again. I listened to Belinda argue with the guy about how the sack of flour didn’t feel like the right weight. She continued to argue about everything while the two guys unloaded crate after crate. By the time they finished, my legs were numb, and my neck hurt from being balled up for almost an hour.

“Don’t leave without trying some of Galina’s cookies. A treat for your troubles,” Belinda insisted.

“Come in and have some.” Galina grumbled. “I baked them last night.”

“I knew you cared.” Belinda chuckled. “Go on. I’ll stay and finish up in here.”

A few beats later, the boxes in front of me shifted to the side and Belinda appeared with the biggest smile. “We have less than a minute. Hurry.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back of a white cargo van. “We’re always the last stop for them. They’ll go back to the store from here. Remember, don’t talk to anyone. Don’t ask for help because they won’t give it. Everyone in town is loyal to Papa. And stay down.”

“Got it.” I hugged her then climbed inside. “Thank you.”

“Good luck.” She slammed the doors shut.

Yeah, from here on out, I was going to need all the luck. I leaned against the side panel, then let my butt slide all the way down and braced my head on my knees. The van rumbled to life, and within seconds, it rolled away from the house. To my surprise, we were on the road for quite some time, which meant the compound was several miles away from the town. I only hoped I wasn’t too far from New York City.

The van finally came to a stop. I held my breath, while I waited for the men to open the door. When they didn’t, I decided it was safe to come out. With a quick peek through the window, I turned the handle and pushed with my whole body. Tears filled my eyes at the sight of the empty parking lot and the big sign on the grocery store that read: Brighton Beach Groceries. I had made it out, and I wasn’t too far from the city.

The screeching of tires in the distance sent my heart into overdrive. I scanned the area for a place to hide. Belinda had warned me not to ask for help. So, I knew not to even try my luck at the coffee shop, the grocery store, or the Hookah bar. In the end, I ran to the alley and ducked next to a dumpster.

“Just breathe.” I placed my hand over my chest to calm the thumping of my heart. “It’s not him. It can’t be.”

That person driving like a bat out of hell couldn’t be Maxim looking for me. To get here this fast, he would’ve had to figure out I had escaped pretty much as soon as the van left.I had to calm down and think how I was going to get home.

With my heart still up in my throat, I leaned over and peeked at the SUV as it swung into the parking lot. The vehicle had barely come to a stop when Maxim sprung out of the back seat. He looked furious as he stalked toward the grocery store.

“Check the van.” He pointed a finger at Ivan.

Ivan jerked into action and did as Maxim asked. He also stopped a couple of guys on the street and talked to them. By his gestures, I could only assume he was asking them if they’d seen a woman about as tall as him with blonde hair.

Fuck.

How long could I stay hidden before they found me? I waited until he’d gone inside the Hookah shop to break into a run toward the street at the end of the alley. As soon as I turned, I came face to face with Ivan.

“A not-so-great escape.” He grabbed me by the elbow, pulled me into a supermarket and didn’t stop until we’d reached the bathrooms in the back of the building. “How did you even think this was going to work? Do you have money? A phone?”

“No.” I yanked my arm. “I’m not far from the city. I can walk. Even if it takes me all day. I can make it.”

“Maxim would find you faster than you can say Upper East Side.” He rubbed the stubble on his cheek as he paced up and down the short hallway. “Fuck. Fuck.”

“You’re not taking me back to the compound?”

“Shut up.” He pointed a finger at me. “I’m trying to think.”

I gave him a whole thirty seconds to think. If he was on the fence about sending me back, I could convince him to help me. “Money. I can give you a lot of it. My family would give you anything you want.”

“Anything?” His head snapped up at me.

The greed in his eyes made me shuffle back in fear. I’d seen men do some pretty shitty stuff for a million dollars. I thought of the first night I’d spent in the compound prison cell. He had said I was worth way more than money. Now that his own father had cast him aside in favor of Maxim, who wasn’t even Russian, I’d bet he was desperate to prove his worth. What could I possibly give him in exchange for my freedom?

“The Jersey warehouse. That’s what I want.” He pressed his lips together. “The Italian pigs drove us out a few months ago. I want our territory back.”

I knew exactly which warehouse he was talking about. It was the place where the Brotherhood had installed a sex-trafficking circle, selling women at auction like they were cattle. Aurora, Enzo’s wife, had gotten caught in their web. She was sold to an old man. Luckily, Enzo was able to get her back.

“The Pandemonium, was that your idea? Selling women to make a buck?” I met Ivan’s gaze.

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