Page 64 of Deceptive Vows
“He said it would ‘protect’ her,” Lucas replied, his disgust evident. “Said she needs a ‘strongman’ to guide her.”
Ari cursed under his breath. “Like his father ‘guided’ his mother?”
I thought of Sofia’s flinch when the glass shattered, the way her father’s fingers had dug into her arm. “She’s terrified of him.”
“I noticed,” Lex said quietly. For a moment, something crossed his face, a flash of protective fury that I recognized all too well. Lex had always had a soft spot for those who couldn’t defend themselves.
“And you believe Gabriele’s claims about Marco?” I asked Lucas.
“Absolutely not,” Lucas replied.
“What if neither of them are the real threat?” Lex leaned forward. “What if the Wolves are planning to take them both out once they’ve weakened each other? Gabriele might be using Sofia as a bargaining chip to save himself.”
A chill settled over me as the room went quiet.
“We need to find those women,” I said finally. “That’s the priority. Everything else is just noise.”
Lucas nodded, his expression somber. “Agreed. But I think we need to adjust our timeline. If Marco’s planning something bigger than just an auction...”
“We can’t wait until the day of,” Nazar finished for him. “We need to move sooner.”
I nodded. “I agree.”
Somewhere out there, women were being held against their will, facing horrors I couldn’t imagine. And time was running out faster than we’d realized.
“Christmas is in five days,” I said quietly. “The auction is scheduled for the 27th. That doesn’t give us much time.”
Nazar’s hand found mine, warm and firm. “Then we don’t waste a minute of it.”
Lex spoke, his voice thoughtful, “Sofia might be useful.”
“Lex,” Lucas warned.
“I’m not suggesting we use her like her father does,” Lex clarified, his tone sharp. “But she’s in that house. She sees and hears things. If she’s as afraid as she seems, she might be looking for a way out.”
I studied my brother for a moment. There was something else there, something he wasn’t saying. Had he spoken to her at the party? Part of me wanted to ask him, but perhaps that was a conversation for another, more private, time.
I turned to look at him, struckby the intensity in his usually calm eyes. “You’re suggesting we make contact?”
I saw something flicker in Lex’s eyes—resolve, maybe. Or guilt. Or something else entirely.
He shrugged, but there was nothing casual about it. “I’m suggesting we consider all our options.”
Silence fell over the room again. I couldn’t shake the image of Sofia’s terrified face or the predatory way Gabriele had watched our group throughout the night. Something bigger was happening, pieces moving on a board we couldn’t fully see yet.
And now my brother was in the game—whether he wanted to be or not.
Chapter Twenty-Two
NAZAR
The doorto the terrace opened, and Thea stepped out, immediately hugging herself. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Just hours ago, she wore a floor-length dark blue gown that showed off her shoulders and hugged her curves. The color complimented her skin, and it took effort not to pull her to me and kiss those dark-red-stained pouty lips. Just one of the many reasons sleep had eluded me since we’d arrived at the penthouse.
Now, dressed in black silk pajamas with her hair pulled up in a messy bun with a matching silk hair tie, her beauty was all the morealluring. Apparently, absence did make the heart grow fonder.
“No. I tried, but I was too restless.” I stood and met her at the door. “Is everything okay?”
