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Mikhail’s acting as if nothing happened while Max runs around like a headless chicken. The two couldn’t be any more different. Mikhail doesn’t seem to be worried about the Clarkes, but Max is eager to put an end to them.
I sit at the table in a restaurant that has smooth jazz playing in the background. Nina pulls Giovanni in and whispers something in his ear to make him shake his head. I understand that technically they’re my family now, but it will take some time to warm up to them.
“They’re smoking outside,” he tells her.
“No, that’s not what I asked.”
Standing up from the table, I tell them I’ll go check on Max and Mikhail. I’ve grown even more curious than Nina while they’ve been bickering about what the guys are doing outside.
I walk through a sea of tables until I reach the door and swing it open.
“He wants me to put an end to this Clarke shit,” Max says, flicking the ash off his cigarette.
“Just tell me when,” Mikhail mutters. His back fills his suit the same way it did the first time I saw him. This moment reminds me so much of that time. I remember crashing right into his chest and falling to the ground. I thought he was beautiful in a sickening way. Now, he’s beautiful in a way that nothing can compare to. His flaws make him worth so much.
“Please stop putting yourselves at war,” I demand. Mikhail has been through enough. He’s risked his life for so long, and there needs to be an end to this. I’m exhausted, so I can only imagine how he must feel. Actually, I’m sure he loves this.What the hell am I thinking?
Max shakes his head, the breeze flowing through his dark, curly locks of hair. “Nah, they’re asking for it.”
Max has made it his mission to tear apart the Clarkes. He’s got a vendetta against them for some reason. I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but Max is a very closed-off person.
My arms fall to my sides. “This is ridiculous.”
“They won’t stick to their end of the deal. They agreed, but they’ll break it,” Mikhail says to me. Max got in his head.
I roll my eyes and shove him in the shoulder. He grabs me and wraps his arms around my waist. His head rests on mine while we look at Max.
Behind him, I see someone who looks familiar. A black German shepherd walks behind her, scoping out the surroundings so she doesn’t have to. She walks elegantly, but with purpose. Her stride slows the further she walks away.
I knew for a fact I wasn’t seeing things before. That’s Rosalie—it has to be.
“Rose!” I shout.
Max’s head turns quickly while he gives me a death glare. “What the fuck did you just say?” he asks with a tone of voice I’ve never heard before. His face turns white and his lips part slightly. He looks as if he’s seen a ghost.
I’m taken aback by his attitude, but there’s no time to ask questions. “That’s my friend. I’ll be right back,” I say, moving off swiftly. “Rosalie!” I shout again.
She turns her head slowly and smiles when she sees me. All this time I thought I was crazy, but now I’m seeing her again, I knew I was wrong. “Sloane,” she says, making her way over, but she looks at me strangely.
Not at me ...
At Max.
Max grabs onto my arm, pulling me away from her. His grip is tight against my wrist as if he’s trying to protect me in a strange way. I look down at my wrist and back at him. His eyes are filled with dread. They fall with defeat.
He refuses to look anywhere but in the direction of Rosalie.
She’s running away fast. Her dog looks back before he races to catch up with her.
“Do you know her?” I ask.
“Do I know who?”
“That girl.”
Max moves past me, walking back over to Mikhail. “I don’t see anyone,” he mumbles, shrugging me off.
“But you reacted when I said her name!”
