32. Astor
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ASTOR
“ W rap this shit up. He’s not here and I’m growing impatient,” I tell Mikhail as he stuffs another unconscious guard in a closet. When I walk out of the house, I try my best to contain my anger, but realizing that I’m back at square one with trying to find him makes me want to kill someone.
“What do you want to do?” Justin asks from behind me. I grind my teeth pushing my hands through my hair.
“ Javi . You said he was here and he’s clearly not. So, find out where the fuck your best friend is.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” I wrap my hand around his neck and lift until his feet are dangling in the air.
“Fucking figure it out. I’m so close to killing you. You’re proving yourself to be incompetent and not worth my fucking time anymore.”
“Ok, ok I’ll call him. Put me the fuck down, Ast,” he coughs out. I drop my hand from his neck and he coughs again, reaching for his phone. I wait patiently as he puts it on speaker phone.
Voicemail .
“Ast, we’ll find him. Enjoy the rest of your bachelor party. We have a few more days before his meeting. He can’t hide forever,” Teagan says, clasping a hand on my shoulder and crawling into the back of the car. The rest of the guys follow except for Javi. He stares at me, his body shaking a bit.
“I don’t know where he is, I thought he’d be here. I swear.” I tilt my head and spit next to him.
“When he gets back, tell him if the message wasn’t clear enough, I’m coming for him for what he did to my wife . And this time, my father won’t be there to stop me from ripping his head off his fucking shoulders.”
I climb into the truck and Justin pulls off immediately. My fingers tap away on my leg. He should be here, but the fact that there were only six guards at his home makes me truly wonder if he’s here at all.
The more I think about him, the more I think about that day. How angry I was at my father for stopping me that day. How mortified Alessia’s mother was that she didn’t hear her daughter’s scream. How fucking devastated her father was that his best friend didn’t do what should’ve been done that day. Miles should have never left that house alive. He should have never been given that freedom. Him being told to disappear wasn’t enough. Not for me, not for Alessia’s parents, and it damn sure wouldn’t be for her when she remembers what the fuck happened to her.
If she figures out what happened to her before I kill him myself, she’ll never fucking forgive me. Or worse, she’ll go after him herself. And once that side of Alessia is unleashed, no one can control her.
We’re at our house rental and my wheels have not stopped turning. I’m on high alert and can’t think of anything other than where the fuck Miles could be. The guys are getting shitfaced and playing poker when I step out onto the balcony to call Ander.
“You find him?”
“Fuck no, I didn’t. He wasn’t there. Something tells me he’s not here at all. He only had six guards at his house.”
“Goddamn it. Let me make some calls; try to enjoy your bachelor party.”
“I don’t give a fuck about a party. I want this fucker dead for what he did to her.”
“In due time, Astor.” I hang up the phone, leaning over the balcony when Teagan brings me a drink.
“Drink it. And fucking chill.” I take it from him and down it. He leans against the balcony next to me. “How has she been?”
Teagan and Alessia were close growing up, it was always us and Justin. Our families were all pretty close. He wasn’t there that day; his father had a business trip and took him and his mother along. He would’ve been there if it weren’t for that. He never forgave himself for it; he hasn’t been able to talk to Alessia for more than ten minutes at a time since the accident.
“She’s starting to question shit; things are starting to confuse her. She’s starting to wonder why she can’t stand a man touching her. I’m losing my ability to keep fucking lying to her.”
“Fuck, Ast, you have to tell her before the wedding. You know if she finds out you let her marry you without knowing everything first, she’ll leave. And I don’t know if you’ll get her back.”
“T, she’ll never get away from me. I let her think for six fucking years that I actually hated her. I’m not letting her get away again. She’s marrying me regardless of what she wants.”
He chuckles as he pours more whiskey in my glass and into his as well.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and get the tornado back,” he says, referring to what we used to call Alessia when we were kids.
“You sure you’re ready to see her? It’s been how long, now?”
“Yeah, and it’s been two years. I miss us all being around each other. It would be easier if she fucking knew and then I could just apologize and move on. But it’s hard to apologize for something she doesn’t remember. She probably thinks I hate her, too.”
“She does. She thinks we all hate her and that it was my doing…so the wedding should be...interesting.”
“Yeah, to say the least. Speak of the devil and she shall show her face,” he says pointing to my glowing phone. Alessia’s face pops up and I fight the smile tugging at my lips. Teagan chuckles and looks out over the balcony as I answer the phone call.
“ Malyshka , having fun?”
“It’s Elsi…umm does Alessia have like a fainting problem?”
“A fainting problem? No. Why? What happened?” I ask, straightening up. Teagan turns to me, his eyebrows drawn.
“Well, she fainted. She’s taking a shower now, but she said she wants to leave tomorrow.”
“She only faints when she’s overwhelmed. What happened before she fainted?”
“That’s another thing I was calling about…remember the picture of that guy you showed me when we were kids? The one you told me to memorize and run the other way if I ever saw?”
My heart fucking drops.
“Elsi…” I warn.
“He’s here…he said something to her and she like froze and fainted. And I was so distracted by his face and what you said that I couldn’t get myself to call y?—”
I’m moving before she finishes her sentence. I showed her a picture of Miles years ago just in case. I never expected her to actually remember his face, but I guess showing someone the same thing for months stays in their heads.
“We’re leaving,” I bellow out to the guys. Teagan is on my heels and the rest of the guys start grabbing their shit. I’m grateful for the quickness because the last thing I need to do is pick a fight with them when I know I’ll need them.
“Elsi, listen to me, when she gets out of the shower, do not let her out of that room. None of you leave that room without your security. I’m on my way. You stay there. Understand?”
“Who is he?” I swallow and tilt my head back as I gain my composure. Elsi knows that Alessia was hurt growing up, but she was so young she doesn’t know the details and I never told her them. The less she knows, the better. Her and Alessia are too close and she’d never be able to keep something so big from her.
“Dangerous. And that’s all you need to know. I’m on my way, tell her to call me when she gets out of the shower.”
I hang up and we all stuff into the elevator. It’s deathly quiet and Jay sighs.
“Will we need a cleanup crew?” he asks, breaking the silence. I grind my teeth and he laughs. “Thought so.”
Once we get in the car, I call Ander again, telling him that Miles is in Bucks County.
“Astor, get her home now. Leave him alive and get her away from him. If she figures out who?—”
“I know, I’m getting her.”