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Rocco
Nico’s car barely screeches to a halt before I pull open the door and jump inside. “Okay, where the hell are we going?”
“I still can’t believe you let her steal your damn car,” Nico grumbles.
“It’s not stealing if I watch her drive away and don’t try to stop her.” I rake a hand through my hair.
Nico glares at me out of the corner of his eye. “This is a goddamn mess. Get Max on the phone.”
I stab Max’s phone number into my phone. This feels like déjà vu. We’ve been here before.
So many fucking times before.
This time, my ass is in the hot seat and Kat’s ass…I can’t even think about that right now.
“Have you tried calling Kat?”
I nod. “Nonstop. No answer.” Max’s voice comes on the line. “What’s up, douchebag? I’m in the middle of—”
“Max, I need your help.”
“Christ, I love those words,” he mutters. “Means someone’s getting fucked up. Bad. Tell me when and where. I’ll be there shaking my fucking bells.”
“Go to my parents’ house. I was supposed to drive them to the airport, but shit has gone sideways with the Cinques. I need you to stay with them.”
“You need me to babysit? Where the hell are you?”
“I’m with Nico. Viktor is gone, and Kat…” I let out a frustrated sigh. “She took off, probably went after him.”
“Why are you keeping tabs on the Ivanovs?”
“Put him on speaker,” Nico grunts, pressing on the gas and merging onto the New Jersey Turnpike.
I hit the button. “Okay.”
“Max, there’s a lot of shit happening right now. Rocco and I are heading into the city. I was supposed to meet Viktor today at Red Square, but the guy has fallen off the face of the Earth. It’s not like him to disappear like that. And Kat heard some things today that she shouldn’t have because Rocco opened his big fucking mouth.”
“I thought she was in the shower,” I mumble.
“Whoa, hey, she was at your place? In your shower? And you weren’t in there with her? Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?” Max lets out a loud chuckle, and I roll my eyes. Fucking asshole.
“Just go to my parents’ house. Tell them to reschedule their flight and that I’ll call when I can. I don’t have time to sit on the phone and answer any questions right now. My dad will know to lay low.”
“Did the Cinques grab Viktor?” Max asks.
The car is silent for a minute. “I don’t know,” Nico says. “But somebody did, that’s for shit sure. And this asshole next to me will be next if we don’t exterminate them first.”
“Okay,” Max says. “I’ll take care of it.”
I click off the phone. “Nico, tell me the deal with Remy Valkamir. Kat went fucking nuts when she heard his name. Said they dated back when…you know.”
Nico taps his fingertips on the steering wheel and swerves around a car before heading into the Holland Tunnel. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before finally speaking. “When Viktor first started growing his business in the United States, he made a lot of enemies. He killed people to get what he wanted. One of the men had been a longtime business rival. Viktor took over his territory and killed him. Remy is the guy’s son. The mom had been pregnant with him and was sent back to Russia. She was killed, too. Somehow, he found his way back here and has been plotting ever since. He’s the one who ordered the hit on Viktor’s family. He got in close. Knew Viktor’s schedule. Was Kat’s boyfriend. He’s the reason she’s still alive. He kept her alive as leverage. After the hit, Viktor was warned to pull back from all of his businesses and let the Cinques take over. Kat would live. Remy would watch Viktor’s empire crumble after his life had been shattered. Just like what he and his mother had to face. That’s why Viktor came to us. He knew they’d end up taking everything and needed our backing to keep himself operational.”
I rub the sides of my head. “It doesn’t make sense. Why is this happening now? It’s been eight years.”
“Kat killing Raines was the final straw. Our association with Viktor put us on the hit list for the Cinques. Then you did your own brand of damage when you were out in California, so I don’t have to tell you why there’s a target on your ass.”
“Yeah, I’m clear on that, thanks.”
