Page 62 of Wicked Knight 2

“The auction was their choice.” He sneered. “You can ask any one of them. Do we have a deal?”

I had no idea if Rex would agree to let the Brotherhood back in Jersey, but I had no choice. Ivan was my ticket home. “We have a deal.”

“Okay.” He nodded several times. “I can make this work. We need to get you out of Brighton Beach like right fucking now before the rest of Maxim’s crew gets here.”

“You mean more guys are coming to look for me?” I pressed a cold hand to my forehead. I was trapped. “Tell Maxim you asked around and that no one has seen me. Make him call off the search. And then maybe you can drive me to the city.”

“You have no idea what you’ve done, do you?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Maxim was breathing fire when we left the house. He’s not going to stop until he finds you.”

“There has to be a way. Let me call my family. They’ll stop him.”

“No.” He glared at me. “If Papa finds out I brought them here, he’ll kill me. Stay here. I’ll tell Maxim they saw you leaving town in a cab minutes ago. Let’s hope he decides to give chase.” He dug into his pocket, fished out his wallet, and handed me a couple of twenty-dollar bills. “That should cover the bus fare out of here then you can jump in a cab. Fuck you’ll need exact change. Wait here.”

He ran back to the front of the store. When he returned five minutes later, he gave me a bunch of coins. “Okay. There’s a bus stop outside the store. You want the B route.” He glanced at his watch. “It will be here in ten minutes. Make sure you’re on it. I will keep Maxim away from here for as long as I can to buy you time.”

“Thank you, Ivan. I promise this is for the best.” I squeezed the money in my hand.

“I know.” He furrowed his brows. “Papa made a huge mistake bringing Maxim into the fold. And now you. The old man has lost it. He’s putting all of us in danger.” He regarded me as if looking for better parting words. In the end, he scoffed then strode off.

I stood there frozen as his words played in my head on repeat. If Maxim didn’t take the bait, I had no way of getting out of here. I had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide in this town. Putting my hoodie over my head, I made my way to the entrance. The young woman working behind the counter glanced up at me for merely a second before she went back to wiping down the checkout conveyer belt. I hesitated when the automatic doors opened for me. I had this feeling in my gut that Maxim would turn the corner and see me before I got on the bus.

The hissing sound of the bus kicked my butt into gear. My entire body was on high alert as I ducked my head and made a bee line for the bus stop to the left of the store. Holding the coins in a death grip, I did the best I could to keep my breathing even while I waited for my turn to board.

By the time I climbed the steps and found a seat in the back, my hands shook like crazy and there was nothing I could do about the tears rolling down my cheeks. By some miracle, I had managed to escape Maxim.

CHAPTER22

Find Luca Gallo

Maxim

“Tell me now. Where’s my wife?” I shoved Tom, the delivery guy, into a chair in his father’s office.

“I don’t know. I swear. I didn’t bring a woman with me. I would never do that.” He recoiled when I stepped toward him.

“She disappeared. You’re the only who came in and out of the compound. Did she ask you for help?” I hated the idea that Donata might’ve offered him more than money in exchange for a ride out of the compound. “What did she give you as payment? She has no money.”

“What? Nothing. I don’t know your wife. I only talked to Galina and Belinda. I unloaded the crates as always. Then Galina offered me a cookie. I left. That was it.” He spoke fast, repeating the same thing over and over.

He never saw Donata.

“Did you check the back of your van before you left?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“No. Why would I?” He let out a shaky breath. “Maxim, you have to believe me. I would never do anything to fuck up our business with Papa and the Brotherhood.”

I glared at him and the beads of sweat streaming down the sides of his face. This asshole took Donata from me. I wanted to wrap my fingers around his throat and squeeze until he stopped breathing.

“Find my wife. Or you will answer with your life.” I gripped the front of his T-shirt. “I’m not leaving until she’s returned to me. Go.”

“I’m sorry.” He scurried out of the room.

Out in the parking lot, Ivan crossed the street at a trot. “The guys will be here in ten. But an old lady in the Hookah shop said she saw a blonde woman that fit Donata’s description get in a cab. She was headed out of town.”

“Get in the car. Where’s Tore?” I climbed behind the wheel in the SUV.

“Here he comes.” Ivan motioned for Tore to double time it, then got in the passenger side.

“Where’s the fucking key, Tore?” I shot a glance over my shoulder.

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