Chapter 9 - Max

So much for sleep. Disappointment that Brooke had gone off with some old friend kept me tossing and turning, and when I looked at my phone to see if it was morning yet, I was stunned to see it was barely midnight. That girl had gotten under my skin, and now I was losing sleep.

Try to forget about her? Not a chance. Only my pride kept me from getting out of bed and scouring the city for her. What I decided to do was put the restlessness to good use since I spent the last two days with Brooke and hadn’t been keeping up with work. Even in the Bratva, there was always something to sign or double-check, and I had my legitimate businesses, too. Because of an infatuation, I couldn’t have my lucrative money laundering schemes going under or lose my important contacts.

My robe was barely thrown around my shoulders when my phone pinged, and I was on it like a hawk sighting a mouse in a field. It wasn’t so much a sixth sense, but a burning hope it would be from Brooke.

Just not the jumbled mess of typos that came through. I read it through twice, not sure what she was trying to get across, but what I did figure out was that she was with Luca. My blood went cold as I messaged her back.

Where are you?

A few seconds later, a reply, just as scrambled. Don't know. Fancy. Top floor. Asleep for some of the ride.

Fucking hell. When I warned her about Luca’s depravity, I shouldn't have sugar-coated things. Now, she was in his clutches somehow.

I’ll find you.

Filled with fury, I threw on the first clothes I got my hands on, strapped on my gun, and flew out of my house. I had a very good idea where my old nemesis had taken her. High-end real estate was a side project I used to dabble in, it was why I was able to snap up my restaurant building in the hottest part of Hollywood before the place even came on the market, and how most of my family members had second or third homes dotted around the county.

I still had plenty of contacts and kept up when major properties changed hands. It was a good practice to know who was moving into town and if they might cause us trouble down the line, plus, I was just nosy that way. Because of that, I was well aware that Luca had bought one of the most expensive apartments in the city a year ago, even though it was never made public in any trade publications and he’d never been snapped by a paparazzi there.

The sick bastard probably thought he was safe in his secret lair, but he wasn’t. I was already on my way, amped up with rage and barely keeping my terror for Brooke’s safety under control. No one was safe, not even the world’s most beloved action hero. Not when my woman’s life was on the line.

I only hoped my hunch was correct and I wasn’t heading in the wrong direction. Time was ticking. Gripping the steering wheel, I pressed my foot to the gas.