Page 69 of Beautiful Revenge

“You’re worried Dante would hurt your wife and sister?”

Viktor sighs and runs his hand down his face. “I’m not sure. I asked Dante and Erik to keep this war between us men and not interfere with the women in our lives. We all agreed. I have to hope Dante sticks to that. But he’ll kill you for sure when he finds out you don’t have Aria. He’ll think you’re free game then.”

“Then help me find her.”

“And when we do, you return Aria.”

“Why? She’s our best bargaining chip.”

“So we can come up with a solution that benefits us all,” he says. “I don’t want to be in an alliance with Erik and Dante. Not after how they fucked me over. But I do want some sort of peace for the safety of Inessa and Julia. We could guarantee that by giving Aria back. It wouldn’t be an alliance treaty but it could be a call for peace. A call to respect each other but stay out of each other’s lanes.”

I stare at him in confusion. “That’s what you really want? I thought you wanted them both dead.”

“I do. But if we can’t kill them, then this is the next best course of action. So either kill Erik and Dante or find Aria and return her.”

“I need help finding her,” I admit. “I have no idea who that man was. I have no idea where he could be keeping her. I need your help, Viktor.”

His eyebrows raise. “Are you actually asking me for help? You? The great Finn Murphy.”

“You want her found too, so help me. She’s innocent and I know you have a soft spot for innocent women. Help me find her.”

“Fine. I’ll do it but not for you. I’m doing it for her and for what she can do for us. I have friends in the police department that can give me access to CCTV footage. We can start to look around the area of where your hitman attacked you.”

“Good. Great. Do that.” I head for the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I have someone I need to talk to.”

Jack Williams is easy enough to be found.

He’s getting drunk in some bar not too far from his house where his wife and baby were murdered brutally. Because of him.

If anyone is going to know the other hitman’s name, it will be Jack. He hired the hitman after all. He has to know something. While Viktor looks into the CCTV footage, I can do this. Standing still and waiting around is the last fucking thing I can do.

Aria needs me.

Fuck. I’m starting to actually care for her. That has never happened before. But I know in my gut that I’m worried about her and I never worry for anyone.

I slide onto the barstool next to Jack’s. “Hello, Jack.”

He almost spits out his beer. “You!”

“Lower your voice. You don’t want to make a scene, do you?”

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

“And yet, I’m not.” I grab his beer and take a big chug from it. “So, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to give me the name of the man you hired to kill me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I’ll kill you if you don’t.”

Jack gives me a smug smile. “Then you’ll never find out his name.”

“Or I can just steal your phone and see your contacts. I can find his name that way. If you tell me now, I won’t kill you. If you don’t, I’ll kill you and steal your phone and find out who he is. Which one will it be?”

“You can’t kill me in a bar full of people.”

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