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In fact, I knew another just like him and the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I was getting as I remembered Montana’s words to me, my conversation with Vlad and what Sypher told me. What if Maxim did what he did for a reason? What if, in his own way, he was still protecting me? However, for the life of me, I couldn’t think of a good enough reason for him to do what he did.
No. I refused to believe that Maxim Fedorov, the Bloodletter, would put my life above his. That wasn’t the man I knew.
Tears streamed down Tessa’s face as she came to understand the truth I told her. Instead of being the better woman, I let my vindictive nature take root.
“Never in my life have I ever seen a man so in love with a woman that he would forget all reason to ensure that her happiness prevailed. And you throw it all back in his face. You called me a bitch at the Gala, but honey, you are the bitch.”
“Where is he?” she whispered.
“Why do you care? You got what you wanted. You’re free to live your life as you want and he will spend the rest of his life ensuring you have that fake, imaginary world you so greatly crave.”
With that, Tessa quietly got to her feet and left my club.
The second she walked away, I felt like fucking shit for doing that to her. She was a woman adrift in this life. Instead of helping her, I threw her to the sharks, knowing damn well she would either sink or swim. Instead of showing her some compassion, I fucking took my anger about my own situation and threw her problems back in her face.
Fuck.
Maybe I was the bitch she said I was.
Three days later, it was dark when I heard Mrs. Rushton calling my name. Rolling over, I sighed tiredly. “What is it?”
“Salvatore and Lorenzo are here, along with the cousins.”
Looking at the clock on my nightstand, I noted the time. Moaning, I sat up. “Did they say why they we’re here at four in the morning?”
“No,” Mrs. Rushton simply said, holding my robe out for me to slip on. Tying my robe closed, I walked out of my room and into the living room to find my brother pacing nervously, as Lorenzo stood, drinking a cup of coffee, while my other male cousins milled around.
Upon seeing me, Salvatore rushed over to me and engulfed me in his arms, hugging me tightly. “Oh, thank God.”
“Told you she was fine,” Lorenzo yawned. “Now, can I go home?”
Pulling out of Salvatore’s embrace, I looked at Lorenzo. “I thought you left with Donatella. Why are you here in the city?”
Lorenzo groaned. “Because Sal called. That’s why. Instead of sleeping next to my wife, I’m here with him, so he doesn’t go off the deep end and start killing everyone. By the way, Sal, Gio said if you call him again, someone better be dead.”
Walking over to Lorenzo, I took his cup of coffee and drank it, hoping the hot brew would help make sense of this early morning visit.
“I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee,” Mrs. Rushton said, before heading into the kitchen.
“Thank you,” I muttered, grimacing as I handed Lorenzo back his cup of sugar water. “That shit is nasty. How you don’t have a mouth full of cavities, I will never know.”
Before Lorenzo could comment, Sal asked, “Illyria, has your husband contacted you lately?”
I flinched, then narrowed my eyes. “Soon to be ex-husband and why do you want to know?”
“Because Petrovitch made his move. He took Tessa.”
“Oh God,” I muttered, shaking my head as I reached back for something to grab onto. Feeling the couch, I sat on the arm of the sofa and shook my head. I heard stories. Horrible stories of what Petrovitch did to women. The shit he did made nightmares seem like happy times. The man was one of the vilest creatures that ever walked this earth. If he had Tessa, I could only imagine what she endured.
“Is she alive?”
“Barely. What the fucker did to her,” Sal whispered, as he shook the images from his mind. “I got word that Petrovitch is still in the area. He got away before Montana could get his hands on him. You should know that there was a gunfight tonight down at the docks. Maxim was with Montana. It was bad, baby. Really bad. Tessa is...holy fuck. What that bastard did to her.”
My heart raced as I tempered my face. “Is he dead?”
The elevator door dinged and before Salvatore could reply, there he was. Standing in my penthouse at Davenport Tower, disheveled and covered in blood, from head to toe. His closest men were behind him as they carefully maneuvered around him and into my apartment, making sure there was no one else here. Slowly getting to my feet, his eyes focused on me. He said nothing as he stood there staring, his eyes glued to mine.
“Illyria, we need to get you somewhere safe,” I heard Sal say, as if from far away. I wanted to run, to let Salvatore hide me. Maxim was in a dangerous state, but I knew from experience that I was safer with him. Taking off with Salvatore would only push Maxim past his breaking point and the Bloodletter would emerge. No. Whatever Maxim saw tonight, he needed me.
