Page 33 of Vicious Vows

I move into the bedroom, tearing a pair of slacks and a shirt out of my closet. They have some nerve taking her friend and then calling me to gloat, or threaten me. I don’t know yet.

“You’ve been stealing from me, Mr. Santoro, and I don’t take that lightly.” The more this guy speaks, the more familiar his voice becomes. I’m speaking with thePakhanhimself, the man in charge of the entire Russian organization.

I lay my phone down on my dresser as I speak and dress at the same time. If I hurry, it’s possible that Micah can trace this call. “I think you’re mistaken, Mr. Zaslovsky. My business practices are above the table. If you remember correctly, it is your men who are currently awaiting trial for attempted grand larceny.” My fingers work the zipper of my pants as quickly as I can, and I bypass putting socks and shoes on, not even buttoning my pants.

He continues speaking, but I pick up the phone and race downstairs to the office.

“Your wife is quite the talent, isn’t she? It’s very weak of a man like you to keep a woman like that around after she stole from you. Your men must not even respect you at all now. She should be dead. If I get my hands on her, she will be.”

My blood is boiling by the time I get to Micah’s side. She’s busy at work, trying to track her friend, but this way will be faster. I point at the phone as I lay it down next to her and continue my conversation.

“Well, I apologize that you won’t get that opportunity. You see, Mrs. Santoro is quite valuable to me and I care very deeply for her wellbeing. I’ll be keeping her safe.”

Micah looks up at me with wide eyes and nods, then she opens a new browser on her computer and gets to work typing code. Ihave no clue what she does or how she does it, but watching her work is amazing. I’m in awe of her skill and intelligence.

“I have my own special means. Now, I need to go. I have some business to attend to, but it was nice chatting with you. Oh, and give my regards to that wife of yours. She’s a real talent. It’ll be a shame for the world to lose someone so gifted.”

The line goes dead, and Micah huffs out a sigh. “Fuck!” she grunts, and her fingers keep working overtime.

“What is it? Not enough time?”

She shakes her head. “I have it triangulated down to this area,” she says, and a map shows up on the screen next to hers, but she keeps working. “That call came from that twelve-block radius, but if I keep working I can get it down to one or two blocks. Do you think they were calling from the place they have him?”

I straighten and start buttoning my shirt. “If they’re smart, no. They’d have a separate safehouse, but it may be close.” I don’t think for a second that thePakhanhimself is dumb enough to call me from where he’s keeping Micah’s friend. And for all I know, it isn’t even the Russians who have him. It’s quite possible it’s the Albanians who have him.

But I’ll never convince Micah of that. She’s so focused on what she’s doing, she doesn’t even look up when I pick up my phone and walk out. I shoot Vic and Tony a text message, telling them where the hot zone is for thePakhan. I know they’ll check things out for me, and if there is any activity, they’ll report in. I just have to keep Micah calm and not let her leave.

“Hey, I need to go out there,” she calls, and I turn and walk back into the office, hovering by the doorway.

“Go where?”

“I need to go search for Will. I can’t sit here doing nothing. I have it down to twelve blocks, Luke.” Her expression is pleading, eyes full of fear.

“I can’t let you go out there.” I move toward her as her gaze clouds with anger. “It’s not safe for you. Didn’t you hear what he said? He wants to kill you, Micah. And he will if you give him the chance.” I don’t understand how she can’t see that. Why she isn’t afraid…

“I don’t care. Someone I care about is out there right now. They have him. I will gladly trade my life to give him his life back.” She rises defiantly, and I glance down at her ankle monitor. That thing won't keep her here if she’s that determined to leave, and next time, I may not be so lucky as to be able to track or find her.

“You’re staying here. I have men out right now. They’re going to the area you traced that call to. They’ll find him. You just have to keep doing what you’re doing.” I don’t leave any room for argument in my tone, and she glares at me, though I know her feelings aren’t directed at me. She’s as outraged by this as I am, and she wants vengeance as much as I do.

She plops back into her chair and gets back to work, and I shut the door behind me. Mark, who stands near the front door, comes when I beckon him with a gesture. “Stand here, and don’t let her out of your sight. If she leaves this place again, we may not get her back.”

Mark nods at me, and I head up the hallway. I need to be ready for anything, including a chance that I have to go out tonight. So, I go to my den and get my guns ready. If there is a chance we’re going to end up at war, I want to be prepared for battle. Micahhas stirred up a hornets’ nest and she did so at my command. Now, it’s my job to protect her, and no one is going to stand in my way of doing that.

25

MICAH

This entire day has been a whirlwind. From starting out with the boring software installs and then seeing a glimpse of Will on the dark web, to chasing down a lead, only to learn from his family that he’s been missing for weeks—I’m emotional and impulsive. I have to admit the glass of wine in the bath helped, so did sex with Luke, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is horribly wrong. If I don’t get to him soon, they’ll kill him, if for no other reason than his skill can’t compare to mine.

I’m not stupid. As I sit here typing away at the keyboard, hunting him down, all I can think about is how men like Luke don’t leave loose ends. Will is a liability to them. When they learn he can’t do what I can do, they’ll off him just to keep their dirty secret silent, and they’ll make someone else take his place, maybe someone better than me next time.

“There you are,” Luke says as he walks into the office carrying a drink. He also carries my empty wine glass and the bottle is tucked under his arm. “I thought I’d join you and pour you a drink.”

“No thanks,” I tell him, refocusing on my work. He doesn’t know it, but I’m so close to locating the building Will is in. I have it down to now only three blocks of the city, and there are only twelve buildings there. Even if I have to search them all myself, I can find him tonight. I just have to get there. “I can’t be drunk if I’m going to find Will.”

My hand races over the keyboard, my mind formulating a plan for how I can get out of this house without being caught. Luke said he’s got men out there searching, but they don’t know what I know. I may not be some muscled sack of meat who can beat down someone who comes at me, but I am smart and fast. And I get an idea for how to make this all work.

“I am thirsty, though,” I tell him, knowing his house staff aren’t on duty this evening. He offered me dinner earlier, but I turned him down in favor of working. The kitchen is empty, and so is the pantry where they keep the medications, which is what I’m thinking I may need to step out tonight.

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