Deadly Vows Rewrite - Chapter ThirtyNine (Patreon)

Luca

Bone smashes under my fist as it connects with my newest victim's face. He staggers, falling flat on his back as blood pours from his nose, completely knocked out. I ignore the throb of my fist as I glare at him in a desperate attempt to control myself. The silence that accompanies my actions is deadly as I turn away from him.

“Take him to the annex,” I say.

My men quickly move past me, dragging the man who may have had a part in Elise’s abduction away.

I am going crazy. Elise is gone, taken right from me at the worst possible moment. I should never have let her leave the property. I knew something like this could happen, but I was overcome with guilt after revealing the truth to her. My being soft has put her life in danger, and if I never get her back, I don’t know how I’ll be able to live with myself.

I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, and every time I close my eyes I hear the sounds of her abduction as her scream accompanied the devastating crunch of metal. That was the last thing heard from the call to us while they were being attacked. And we have no leads since that day.

The chip inside her was last activated at the sight of the crash. Whoever took her knew precisely who she was and what to look for, leaving me in the dark. Not even my sources in the police department have anything for me. The details of the wreck have been denied to their level of jurisdiction. This goes high above any of my enemies. This has to do with Ariana’s last command before her death. And with each passing day that Elise remains missing, it has become harder and harder to stay optimistic.

“Luca—”

“What,” I snap, turning to see Enzo standing beside me with my phone in his hand. My mood has decreased horribly since Elise was taken, Enzo’s relation to her and her deep love for him and his safety being the only reason I can stand to have him so close. And with Romelo and Nicolai both working around the clock to not only find Elise, but figure out who is after us, Enzo is the only one I trust myself to be around.

“It’s Romelo,” he says.

I take the phone from him, making my way out of the warehouse to my waiting car as I answer.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I think I found something that could lead us to her,” Romelo says.

For the first time in weeks, relief floods over me. “What?” I ask.

“There’s a pawnshop in the next state over that has her wedding ring,” he says.

My anger rises, but I force myself to keep a level head.

“She ran away?” I ask.

“Not likely. The owner said an older woman brought it in to sell. She didn’t want it back. I tracked it to someone named Sophia Petrov.” Romelo pauses, waiting for me to catch on.

“Russian?” I ask.

“Yes. Followed her for a few days, and it took a while, but she’s a lackey of the Sokolovs,” he says.

My heart dips as he reveals one of the worst possible outcomes of this.

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Very. The factory she works at isn’t a factory. It’s their most popular auction house,” he says.

I lean against my car for support as the air feels like it's been ripped from my lungs.

“Why would the Sokolovs take Elise?” I ask in confusion.

If they are involved, they know who she is. They know the damage that comes with taking someone of my caliber’s wife. It would mean war. And seeing as I have more influence in this world than them, I can bury them alive.

“I think it goes beyond that. It goes higher than the Sokolov’s. Ivan is in deep with some higher ups,” he says.

“Fuck,” I murmur again.

I shift my attention to Enzo as he exits the warehouse. He looks like I feel. Exhausted. He broke down when news of Elise reached us. And I know why. I remember the argument they were having just as I entered the kitchen. I’m sure he regrets leaving things like that.

“We’ll meet you at the auction house,” I say.

“Do you want me to reach out to Ivan?” Romelo asks.

“No. We’ll show him I can be worse than whoever he is in debt to.”

* * * * *

The Pasquinos don’t deal in human trafficking. There’s no moral high ground behind it. I am aware of how many innocent lives have been taken because of my dealings, but still, I find it disgusting as I look around the now cleared auction house. We spent the better half of the morning, taking the auction house down. Now, it’s only a matter of finding this Sophia woman, and waiting for Ivan to arrive.

I quietly step past the shivering women who have been rounded up. They’re dressed in little clothing with makeup slathered over them as they waited for their fates this morning. My men stand quietly around them, their eyes trained forward as they wait for my command.

“Find their homes,” I say before making my way deeper into the auction house. The silence is stifling as I pass the large auditorium, which must be where the main event happens. It takes all of my willpower to control myself as I imagine what Elise must have gone through.

I continue down the dim hallway until I reach a back room, where I hear the whimpering of more women. As I push the door open, I immediately recognize a difference between the women here and the women we set out front.

Romelo and Nicolai stand at the center of the room where an older woman sits, her eyes defiant until they recognize who has just entered the room. She tries to keep a brave face, but the closer I get, the more color drains from her features.

I study her quietly, enjoying the fear she releases without me speaking.

“Ivan will make you pay for this,” she says.

I laugh, kneeling in front of her as I pull out Elise’s ring. It takes all but a few seconds for tears to form in the woman’s eyes.

I quietly pull out my gun, gently placing it against her cheek.

“Shh,” I murmur.

“What is your job here?” I ask.

Her eyes widen, and her sobs begin again as she shakes her head.

“Please, I only do as I am told, I did not know—”

I release an irritated breath, shifting my weapon at the nearest worker. Screams erupt as I shoot the nearest worker in the head. Her body falls next to us with a heavy thud, and the screams heighten as I aim my weapon back to Sophia.

“I won’t ask again,” I say.

“I…get women ready…f-f-for auction,” she stammers.

I press the gun against her jaw, keeping my tone level as I speak.

“Get women ready… come on now, Sophia, you need to be a little more specific than that,” I say.

She squeezes her eyes shut as she realizes I know exactly who she is.

“I get them primped. I choose what they will be sold in, how they will be styled, and if they go to the public or private auctions,” she sobs.

“So what you’re saying is, you primped my wife to be sold?” I ask.

She bursts into tears again, shaking her head. “Please, I had no idea she was your wife!”

I know she’s lying.

“Who bought her?” I ask.

She shakes her head, claiming she doesn’t know, and I press my weapon against her chin.

“If you don’t know, that makes you of much more use to me dead than alive, Sophia,” I growl.

I step back, lifting my gun so that it is level with her face.

“It was an anonymous bid! Everyone went in anonymous from the beginning!” she cries.

My rage swells until all I can see is red. “Like I said, you’re more useful to me dead—”

“Luca Pasquino.”

Silence fills the air as a new voice enters the room. I hear my men shifting to aim their weapons, and I slowly turn to face the scum in charge of this entire operation.

Ivan Sokolov.

“How your father would shudder in his grave if he knew you were stepping into others’ jurisdiction without so much as a phone call,” he says.

He’s an older man, his hair graying on the sides. His bright blue eyes are cold as he watches me, and I note that he only has a handful of men with him. He’s either very confident, or has no idea what has happened right under his nose.

I hear Sophia behind me, whimpering to him in Russian about making a big mistake and not knowing who she was, but we both ignore her as I step forward. I quietly cross the room, irritation slowly creeping up my spine at this man’s arrogance.

I stand directly in front of him, toe to toe as I speak.

“You sold my wife,” I say.

Once again, silence.

Ivan tries to keep a straight face, his eyes shifting briefly to Sophia before shifting back to me. All the confidence he had entering the room has been instantly sucked out as he looks at me.

I release a bitter chuckle, keeping my eyes on him.

“Romelo,” I call.

Suddenly, I hear the gunshot go off and Sophia’s whimpers stop. Ivan doesn’t react other than holding my glare.

“My father would shudder to know what I’m going to do to you if you cannot produce an ounce of information regarding who bought her, and where the fuck they are.”