38. Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Luca
Bone smashes under my fist as it connects with my newest victim’s face. He staggers, falling flat on his back as blood pours from his nose, completely knocked out. I ignore the throb of my fist as I glare at him in a desperate attempt to control myself. The silence accompanying my actions is deadly as I turn away from him.
“Take him to the annex,” I say.
My men quickly move past me, dragging the man who may have had a part in Elise’s abduction away.
I am going crazy. Elise is gone, taken from me at the worst possible moment. I should never have let her leave the property. I knew something like this could happen, but I was overcome with guilt after revealing the truth to her. My being soft has put her life in danger and I don’t know how I’ll be able to live with myself if I can’t get her back.
I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, and every time I close my eyes, I hear the sounds of her abduction as her scream accompanied the devastating crunch of metal. That was the last thing heard from the call to us while they were being attacked. And we have had no leads since that day.
The chip inside her was last activated at the sight of the crash. Whoever took her knew precisely who she was and what to look for, leaving me in the dark. Not even my sources in the police department have anything for me. The details of the wreck have been denied to their level of jurisdiction. This goes high above any of my enemies. This has to do with Arianna’s last command before her death. And with each passing day that Elise remains missing, staying optimistic has become harder and harder.
“Luca—”
“What?” I snap, turning to see Enzo standing beside me with my phone in his hand. My mood has shifted horribly since Elise was taken. Enzo’s relation to her, her deep love for him, and his safety being the only reason I can stand to have him so close. And with Romelo and Nicolai both working around the clock to not only find Elise but also figure out who is after us, Enzo is the only one I trust myself to be around.
“It’s Romelo,” he says.
I take the phone from him, making my way out of the warehouse to my waiting car as I answer.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I think I found something that could lead us to her,” Romelo says.
For the first time in weeks, relief floods over me. “What?” I ask.
“There’s a pawnshop in the next state over that has her wedding ring,” he says.
My anger rises, but I force myself to keep a level head.
“She ran away?” I ask.
“Not likely. The owner said an older woman brought it in to sell. She didn’t want it back. I tracked it to someone named Sophia Petrov.” Romelo pauses, waiting for me to catch on.
“Russian?” I ask.
“Yes. Followed her for a few days, and it took a while, but she’s a lackey of the Sokolov’s,” he says.
My heart dips as he reveals one of the worst possible outcomes of this.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Very. The factory she works at isn’t a factory. It’s their most popular auction house,” he says.
I lean against my car for support as the air feels like it’s been ripped from my lungs.
“Why would the Sokolov’s take Elise?” I ask in confusion.
If they are involved, they know who she is. They know the damage that comes with taking someone of my caliber’s wife. It would mean war. And seeing as I have more influence in this world than them, I can bury them alive.
“I think it goes beyond that. It goes higher than the Sokolov’s. Ivan is in deep with some higher-ups,” he says.
“Fuck,” I murmur again.
I shift my attention to Enzo as he exits the warehouse. He looks like I feel. Exhausted. He broke down when news of Elise reached us. And I know why. I remember the argument they were having just as I entered the kitchen. I’m sure he regrets leaving things like that.
“We’ll meet you at the auction house,” I say.
“Do you want me to reach out to Ivan?” Romelo asks.
“No. We’ll show him I can be worse than whoever he is in debt to.”
The Pasquinos don’t deal in human trafficking. There’s no moral high ground behind it. I am aware of how many innocent lives have been taken because of my dealings, but still, I find it disgusting as I look around the now cleared auction house. We spent the better part of the morning taking the auction house down. Now, it’s only a matter of finding this Sophia woman and waiting for Ivan to arrive.
I quietly step past the shivering women who have been rounded up. They’re dressed in little clothing with makeup slathered over them as they waited for their fates this morning. My men stand quietly around them, their eyes trained forward as they wait for my command.
“Find their homes,” I say before making my way deeper into the auction house. The silence is stifling as I pass the large auditorium, which must be where the main event happens. It takes all of my willpower to control myself as I imagine what Elise must have gone through.
I continue down the dim hallway until I reach a back room, where I hear the whimpering of more women. As I push the door open, I immediately recognize a difference between the women here and the women we set out front.
Romelo and Nicolai stand at the center of the room where an older woman sits, her eyes defiant until they recognize who has just entered the room. She tries to keep a brave face, but the closer I get, the more color drains from her features.
I study her quietly, enjoying the fear she releases without me speaking.
“Ivan will make you pay for this,” she says.
I laugh, kneeling in front of her as I pull out Elise’s ring. It takes all but a few seconds for tears to form in the woman’s eyes.
I quietly pull out my gun, gently placing it against her cheek.
“Shh,” I murmur.
“What is your job here?” I ask.
Her eyes widen, and her sobs begin again as she shakes her head.
“Please, I only do as I am told, I did not know—”
I release an irritated breath, shifting my weapon to the nearest worker. Screams erupt as I shoot the nearest worker in the head. Her body falls next to us with a heavy thud, and the screams heighten as I aim my weapon back at Sophia.
“I won’t ask again,” I say.
“I…get women ready…f-f-for auction,” she stammers.
I press the gun against her jaw, keeping my tone level as I speak.
“Get women ready…Come on now, Sophia, you need to be a little more specific than that,” I say.
She squeezes her eyes shut as she realizes I know exactly who she is.
“I get them primped. I choose what they will be sold in, how they will be styled, and if they go to the public or private auctions,” she sobs.
“So what you’re saying is, you primped my wife to be sold?” I ask.
She bursts into tears again, shaking her head. “Please, I had no idea she was your wife!”
I know she’s lying.
“Who bought her?” I ask.
She shakes her head, claiming she doesn’t know, and I press my weapon against her chin.
“If you don’t know, that makes you of much more use to me dead than alive, Sophia,” I growl.
I step back, lifting my gun so that it is level with her face.
“It was an anonymous bid! Everyone went in anonymously from the beginning!” she cries.
My rage swells until all I can see is red. “Like I said, you’re more useful to me dead—”
“Luca Pasquino.”
Silence fills the air as a new voice enters the room. I hear my men shifting to aim their weapons, and I slowly turn to face the scum in charge of this entire operation.
Ivan Sokolov.
“How your father would shudder in his grave if he knew you were stepping into others’ jurisdiction without so much as a phone call,” he says.
He’s an older man, his hair graying on the sides. His bright blue eyes are cold as he watches me, and I note that he only has a handful of men with him. He’s either very confident or has no idea what has happened right under his nose.
I hear Sophia behind me, whimpering to him in Russian about making a big mistake and not knowing who she was, but we both ignore her as I step forward. I quietly cross the room, irritation slowly creeping up my spine at this man’s arrogance.
I stand directly in front of him, toe to toe as I speak.
“You sold my wife,” I say.
Once again, silence.
Ivan tries to keep a straight face, his eyes shifting briefly to Sophia before shifting back to me. All the confidence he had entering the room has been instantly sucked out as he looks at me.
I release a bitter chuckle, keeping my eyes on him.
“Romelo,” I call.
Suddenly, I hear the gunshot go off, and Sophia’s whimpers stop. Ivan doesn’t react other than holding my glare.
“My father would shudder to know what I’m going to do to you if you cannot produce an ounce of information regarding who bought her, and where the fuck they are.”
Ivan Sokolov is a man my father respected, but refused to do business with. He would always say Ivan was another column on the powers of the world.
It’s weapons, women, and drugs—all of which amount to money.
These are the three that make the world go round—that build and break entire empires.
And as he looks at me, trying to keep his composure, I can’t understand why my father ever thought he was a power. He is an old man who preys on the weak and refuses to step into the actual ring with the big boys. And now that he has, he doesn’t know what to do.
“It seems that you have gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble, Luca, if government entities are getting involved,” he says as his servant pours him a cup of tea. We’re in his office, in his home, on his turf. It was the only way he’d speak with me about Elise’s whereabouts. He doesn’t realize that by bringing me here, he’s already killed everyone on his estate. And if I don’t leave here with information on her, he will be next.
Once again, he’s showing why he works in the circles that he does. He isn’t suited for ours.
“My wife, Ivan. That is why I am here,” I say.
He takes a sip of his drink, composing himself before looking at me.
“You must understand, Luca. My business runs on our ability to keep information hidden, no matter its importance. If I had known your wife was placed within my bids, I would have pulled her out. But now that she has been sold, it is out of my hands. Her bid was anonymous,” he says.
I shift my attention to the servant who stands quietly behind him before standing.
“Then I guess there is nothing more to discuss,” I say.
I pull out my blade, plunging it into Ivan’s hand, anchoring him to his seat. His screams fill the air, but it isn’t enough to sate the bloodlust coursing through me. His servant takes off to the door, and I pull out my gun and fire a shot.
It hits him right in the back of his skull as he crashes into the door, lifeless.
“Are you crazy?” Ivan shouts, looking around in panic, when he realizes none of his men have come through to rescue him.
I rip the blade from his palm, holding it against his throat.
“I know you’re indebted to the government. And I know you specifically took her as a request. Now, last chance, Ivan. Where is my wife?”
Elise
My father always shielded me from the nasty dealings of our world. And while Luca tried to introduce me to the gruesome sides, he never let me see anything like this. This, being sold, is one of the worst things I could have imagined. And what’s worse, this man knows exactly who I am.
I remain silent as I sit at the dinner table in a long, black gown, waiting for his arrival. For the past few days, I have been traveling to wherever he planned to keep me after his purchase, and now that I have arrived, he’s bothered to show himself.
I look up as he enters the room, dressed in a dark suit, much different than the way Luca dresses. His dark hair is pushed away from his face as his cold blue eyes take me in.
He laughs when he notices me trembling.
I’ve never seen this man at any of the events we attended or meetings Luca had. But whoever he is, he has the time and resources to pull me from my life and mold me into being part of his.
“Stand up,” he says as he walks around the table.
I clench my fingers, slowly standing as he approaches. I note that he has an accent.
He gently places his thumb along my cheek, and I instinctively step back, pulling my face from his grip. And he lets me.
Silence passes between us as he studies me, and I find the will to speak.
“I assume you know who my husband is…and you know what will happen to you if Luca finds out—mmph!”
His hand is over my mouth before I can get my full sentence out, and I cry out in pain as my back collides with the dining table from the force. My heart beats wildly as he looks at me, irritation on his features.
“Say his name again,” he says.
I couldn’t even if I wanted to. His grip around my jaw is tight, only allowing a whimper to escape me.
“I can’t hear you. Say it,” he says.
He smiles when I don’t respond, pressing himself into me as he leans closer, his voice lowering.
“If you ever speak that name in my home again, I will kill you. He is no more. He will never find you. So you had better learn some respect for me before you get yourself killed,” he says.
I don’t know what comes over me as he looks down on me. Maybe it’s his confidence that Luca will never find me. Or maybe it’s his arrogance that I will conform to what he wants so easily. But it gives me the burst of adrenaline I need.
I open my mouth as wide as I can, biting down on a large chunk of his flesh. I bite until I taste blood welling up in my mouth, accompanied by his screams as he rips his hand from my teeth, slapping me hard across the face. My vision blurs, and I feel my nose dripping from the force of his hit. But as soon as I hit the ground, I’m up again.
I sprint from the dining room to the long hallway, ignoring the spinning of the walls as I let my adrenaline fuel me. My pants are loud as I crash into the wall, quickly righting myself. I don’t have time to give my brain time to recover from his hit. I have to get out of here.
Blood rushes over my ears as I pump my legs as fast as they will go in these godforsaken heels, my audible cry of excitement echoing over the walls when I see the double doors straight ahead. As I grab the doorknob, I release another cry of excitement to find it isn’t locked. I fling it open, sprinting outside, my screams already filling the air.
“Help! Someone help…me…” I trail off as my feet sink into the snow. I don’t even feel the cold as I look around, hope draining from my body. My breath comes out in front of me, accompanied by the wild winds, taking away any chance I had of visibility. I am completely surrounded by snow.
My legs give out, and I collapse into the snow, ignoring the chill that creeps its way into the gown, soaking my body. Tears spill from my eyes, leaving a burning trail on my cheeks as someone comes behind me, roughly ripping me up.
“You should not have done that,” my captor hisses as he drags me back into the house. I fight and scream, clawing at his hands around my waist as I look up at the sky.
“Luca!” I screech.
My throat feels raw as I call out to him over and over again. The horrors of this world that I live in—this world that he has shielded me from comes crashing down around me as I am dragged back inside.
Back to my captivity.