Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Alexei
I didn’t know time could move so fast, but at the same time drag so much. It had been months and months since Amy had vanished. It was almost like she had walked out of that cemetery and disappeared into thin air.
There were several times over those months that I had to mull over the idea that she was dead, but I always shook that idea away. I knew Amy. She wouldn’t have taken her own life. After what was thrown at her, she would have kept fighting.
It was me who was close to giving up—not my life—but any hope of finding her. It had been too long. Amy didn’t want to be found. And sooner or later, I would have to accept that.
I sipped at the vodka in my glass and the strobe lighting of the busy club around me, making it every color but clear.
The liquid burned a trail down my throat that I revelled in.
I would never accept it. Not until she told me to my face that we were really over.
Even then, I wasn’t sure I would be able to walk away.
If the last few months had taught me anything, it was that Amy brought a lightness to my life that I didn’t even know I needed. I missed her. I missed her warmth and her smile.
There were good people in the world, and then there was my wife. And the more time that passed, the more I realized how much she made me happy. Violet didn’t make me feel like that.
I took another sip of the vodka, taking all of it into my mouth and holding it there. My eyes lifted to the scantily dressed woman on the pole without really even seeing her. I didn’t spend my evenings here because I liked the entertainment, but because I wanted to be away from my first love.
Violet was not the woman I remembered. Or maybe she was, and I had been too blind to see her faults before. She wanted us to get married so I could look after her properly. There was only one problem with that. I was already married.
It would take Amy coming up dead or me finding her for a divorce to even make me able to marry again, and truthfully, I wasn’t sure I would ever ask Amy for a divorce, even if it was something my grandfather wanted me to do.
Sighing, I lifted my glass for the waitress to take and refill. God, I missed her.
“I heard she’s been playing him for a fool.” A dark-haired man laughed in front of me. And there was something about their tone that made me stare at them, not that I could see who they were from behind.
“She’s always played him for a fool. Did you hear, she made him let his pregnant wife miscarry.”
Laughter bubbled up from the group, and my head snapped up at the same time. Now they could be talking about anyone, but that was a little too close to home.
“I heard it was Violet herself who pushed the girl down the stairs.”
My eyes narrowed. Now there really could be no mistake. They were talking about me, or more specifically, my situation, and they seemed like they had a lot to say.
Grabbing another drink from the waitress, I ushered her away before she could say my name and give me away. Leaning back, I studied the backs of their heads and listened.
Yes, I could go and demand the truth from them, but sometimes, just listening was the best thing to do. It allowed you to learn things that weren’t otherwise forthcoming, like it was clear they thought I was an absolute moron.
“Didn’t she fall down the stairs and lose her own baby?” someone else asked, his voice raised. Clearly, the group in front of me was inebriated, otherwise they wouldn’t have been talking about my personal life so loudly in a club I owned.
More laughter, deep, throaty chuckles filled the air. It was louder now that there was a pause in the music and the dancers changed.
“Oh, come on,” the other said, laughing so hard that it was hard to make out what he was saying. “Do you really believe Violet was pregnant?”
I did a double-take. Wait what? I wanted to interrupt and ask him what the fuck he meant by that, but he continued because he had no idea I was right behind him.
“She was wearing one of those moon bump things the entire time. I’m pretty sure she came back and was going to try to trap Alexei by fucking him and faking a pregnancy.
But his being married changed all that. At the end of the day,” he paused for dramatic effect, “she got him good. Even her doctor,” he air quoted, “was in on it, someone she was fucking back in their college days.”
My eyebrows slammed down. Violet had been dating me throughout college. Anger rippled through me, forcing my hand to clench around the glass with so much force that I was afraid it was going to smash and give me away.
“So you mean,” the laughter lifted so high that it was impossible to remember the next few words, and when I could again, I seemed to have missed the first half of the conversation.
“I’m glad the wife got away, though. Honestly, I thought Violet would put a hit out on her.”
“She tried, or so people tell me, but Alexei is not a man to be underestimated, and whether he cared for Amy or not, it would be dangerous to take out his wife. I reckon she will try again now the wife has been found, though.”
Violet had done what? After everything I had heard, it wasn’t even the most surprising. I might not have known the Violet wasn’t everything I always thought she was, but I suspected.
“Well, I’m glad she got away. I saw her once. She’s a tight little thing.”
“Yeah, I heard that as well.” One of the men in front of me made a crude motion with his hands, and more laughter bubbled up.
God, I wanted to tell them to shut up and just talk, so I could find out what else they knew. But my anger was threatening to boil over, and with what I had just heard, there was only one person it should be directed at. Violet.
Standing up quickly, I threw a roll of hundreds into the middle of their table, and an uneasy silence fell. “For the information, gentleman.” I didn’t look back as I walked away
An hour and a half later, I was home. Violet, as always, was in the main living room, shopping bags strewn all around her and an empty bottle of the best champagne thrown haphazardly at her feet. Drunk again. And no doubt my credit cards had taken a beating to accommodate her shopping spree.
“Alexei, darling.” She crooned, pushing herself upright and coming towards me. The entire time, her eyes struggled to stay focused.
“Is it true?”
She froze like a deer in the headlights, her whole body going stiff. “Alexei?” she whispered. “Is what true?”
“Do you know where she is?”
One hand fluttered to her neckline, twisting it. Violet knew she was in trouble. I could see it in the fear in her eyes. Never in all the years that I knew her had I ever wanted her afraid of me, but I relished in it now.
“I don’t—”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Violet,” I screamed at her. My hands balled into fists at my side. “I’ve had enough of your lies to last me an entire life. Just tell me.”
There was a second where her every emotion flickered across her face, and I knew before he opened her mouth that she was going to lie again. It seemed to come as easy as breathing to her. Why hadn’t I seen this side of her before?
“Alexei, sweetheart, I don’t know what you are talking about. You seem stressed. Why don’t you come upstairs, and I will help relieve some of this tension you are holding?” Seductively, she closed the gap between us, running her hands down the inside of my jacket.
So that was going to be her angle. She was trying to seduce me again. It hadn’t worked before, and it sure as hell wouldn’t work now. I moved without thinking, gripping the silk of her nightdress in one fist. I twisted it and lifted her so that only the very tips of her toes brushed the carpet.
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Violet. Where is my wife?”
Her hands clawed at mine, but I didn’t loosen my grip. “Alexei, stop, you’re frightening me.”
My eyebrows shot up. Frightening her. I would do more than frighten her if she didn’t start talking.
Walking us backwards, I slammed her down onto the sofa, kicking away the empty bottle so it rolled under the table. My hand closed around her throat, and I squeezed.
“Don’t think I won’t do it, Violet. Don’t think for one God damn second that I won’t squeeze the life out of you right here and now. Do you know where my wife is?”
She couldn’t talk because of my hand around her throat, but she nodded just slightly.
Fuck, she knew. “How long?” My voice shook with the effort not to end her miserable life once and for all. Instead of talking, she made a gagging sound.
I reeled backwards, my hands clenching and unclenching as she scrambled back and sucked in a deep breath.
When she could finally breathe normally, she scowled at me.
“A few days. And he saw her—” Suddenly, she stopped, almost like she had realized she had said too much.
“I was just meeting a friend, and he thought he saw her.”
Blowing out a breath, I forced myself to step away from her. A male friend? We both knew she didn’t have male friends, but after tonight’s revelations, I could well believe she had male lovers. And surprisingly, I didnt care.
“And where was this meeting?” An almost cruel smile split my face. She saw it, but instead of being afraid, she flew into a rage.
Grabbing hold of the discarded bottle, she swung it at me wildly, almost hitting me. I dodged away. “Why do you fucking care, Alexei? You’re meant to want to marry me. So why do you care where your ex-wife is? She left you remember. She pushed me down the stairs.”
I caught her wildly swinging wrist and squeezed so hard the bottle tumbled back onto the carpet.
“I know the truth, Violet. Maybe not all of it, but enough. Now, tell me where the hell Amy is before I forget I once cared for you.”
Maybe it was the quiet, menacing tone to my voice, but her body went slack. She looked at me with eyes that I once thought I loved, and I felt nothing but contempt.
“Please don’t discard me, Alexei. After everything, I need you more than ever.”
“Which motel?” It had to be a motel. She wouldn’t have dared to have her little tryst in a hotel in the city. I owned half of them and had contacts in the other half. Which meant if she was carrying on an affair, it had to be at some slimy sleaze bag hotel.
“He didn’t say. Please, Alexei, just come to bed, and I will make you forget she ever existed.”
My temper snapped. Thrusting her away from me, I watched her body crumble, the side of her head hitting the table. When she lifted her eyes back to me, there was blood on her temple. And I didn’t really care.
“You will stay in your room until I get back. When I have found Amy, and she best be unharmed, then we will talk about the rest of your lies, Violet. But until then,” I shook my head, “just get the fuck out of my sight.”
She crawled away on her hands and feet. “You won’t find her, Alexei, because she doesn’t want to be found. She doesn’t care about you. Not like I do.”
“Go.” Pointing to the stairs, I screamed. “Before I end your miserable existence.”
Climbing to her feet, she scowled at me. “I hope someone gets to her before you do. I hope if you find her that she’s dead.”
That wasn’t going to happen, I told myself firmly as I started making calls. It wasn’t a lot to go on, but it was a start. Amy had been seen in a motel, and only a few days ago. She could still be there, and I would check every single one of them personally until I found the right one.
And when I found my wife, then I would deal with Violet.