Page 68 of Wicked Knight 2

“Not here.” I shoved him toward the kitchen. “Let’s find Belinda.”

I didn’t bother knocking on her door. I barged in on Belinda. Her hair was wet, and she was wrapped in a bath towel. When she saw me, she let the top fall loose around her breasts. As usual, she tried to use her naked body to seduce me, even though I had Ivan in a tight grip next to me. I had been so stupid. “Sit down. Both of you.”

“Maxim. I can’t do this again with you. I told you I didn’t help her escape. She left because she hated it here.” She grabbed the dress on her bed and pulled it over her head.

“Do you know who I am?” I growled.

The look she exchanged with Ivan was all the answer I needed. My brother and my ex-lover knew I wasn’t Maxim. Not only that, but they also insisted on the lies. On a daily basis, they inundated me with made-up events from my past, just to confuse me, to keep the farce going.

“I’m glad you’re opting for the truth this time.” I gritted my teeth.

“Max.”

“Shut up, Ivan.” I pointed a finger at him, then at Belinda. “You, start talking. Why am I here? Why all the goddam theatrics?”

“You should ask Papa.” Belinda’s eyes filled up with tears. “I don’t know anything.”

“Yes, you do.” I stalked closer to her. “Do I need to beat the truth out of you? I’m at the end of my rope here. Don’t push me. You won’t like what you get.”

“Okay. I saved your life. When you woke up you had no memories.” She swiped her cheek, then continued, “I fell for you, Maxim. I swear.”

“How did I get here?”

With a low sigh, Belinda glanced at her hands then finally told me the truth. There was no Moscow. At least, not when it came to Papa and the Brotherhood. Papa hadn’t rescued me. He was the one who put a bounty on my head. Belinda kept me alive, so he could interrogate me, like he’d done with other members of the Gallo family. He wanted information from me, and when he couldn’t get it, he decided to keep me.

“He loves you, Max,” Ivan added when Belinda’s crying got so bad, her words were inaudible. “Like a son. You’re one of us. Whatever bullshit happened is in the past now.”

“That bullshit.” I hovered over him. “It’s my whole fucking life.”

“Don’t make any rash decisions.” He let out a nervous laugh. “That’s my job, remember? Talk to Papa. We’re not the bad guys here.”

CHAPTER24

A Plan to Rescue Luca Gallo

Donata

I shut off the water and donned my fluffy bathrobe. The shower had managed to wash away the ordeal from this morning. Though my hands were still shaky, and I couldn’t stop crying. I stared at the mirror and burst into a sob. The escape had been terrifying. Not because I thought Maxim would hurt me if he found me, but because our futures had been on the line. I was convinced that the only way to make Maxim see the truth was to bring him home.

But carrying a six-foot, two-hundred-pound, grown man out of the Brotherhood compound would’ve been impossible. Luca had to see it for himself. By now, he’d probably read my letter and figured out my clue. Did he go in search of the truth? I’d tried calling his house, but there was no answer. I didn’t even know if Alfred still lived there.

In the past year, I’d gone past his brownstone in the Upper West Side many times. I never rang the doorbell because I thought Luca was out of the country. Never in a million years would I have guessed he was in Brighton Beach, living as someone else.

“What now, Maxim?” I ran my hands through my wet hair. “How do we close this chasm between us?”

I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. No, I couldn’t drag Maxim out of the Brotherhood compound. But Rex, Santino, and Enzo could. They were my only option. We had to stage a plan to rescue Luca Gallo, and it had to be done tonight.

Bracing my hands on the sink counter, I let the cold from the marble stone seep through my skin and into my bones. I needed a cool head tonight. This battle wasn’t over. It couldn’t be. Not until Luca came home with me forever. I untied the bathrobe belt and let it fall at my feet before I padded to my closet to find something to wear—definitely tight pants and a tight top, just in case I had to jump a fence later tonight.

I put on makeup, mostly because I didn’t want Aunt Vittoria to worry too much. She almost passed out when she came to the door and found me standing there, scared out of my mind. I thought of the night she came to my parents to bring me with her for good. She’d been like an angel sent from heaven. I wasn’t that little girl anymore, though. I could hold my own.

When my face looked presentable, I made my way downstairs to wait for the guys. I had wanted to call them as soon as I got home, but Aunt Vittoria talked me off the ledge, saying I needed a hot meal, a shower, and a nap.

“On second thought, start with the shower.” She’d said after she hugged me for the tenth time.

I’d never seen her lose her composure like that. She was truly worried about me. “Wow, what’s all this?” I stopped at the dining room door.

“Dinner.” Aunt Vittoria beamed at me. “I don’t know what those beasts were feeding you. I got you a little bit of everything. In case you were missing Pina’s cooking.”

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