Page 101 of Maksim
Or she hates me so much she’d rather die than be near me.
Pushing away that thought, I look at the people on the sidewalk even though I don’t expect to see either of them there. Anya’s phone is off, and no one even remotely connected to Tanner knows where he is, so they obviously don't want to be found.
My phone rings, and I snatch it from my cupholder. No part of me thinks it will be Elira or Anya, but my heart quickens anyway.
“Yes?”
“Still looking for the hitman’s ID,” Alik tells me. “Shouldn’t be much longer. I’m tracking the financials to an organization. Doesn’t look freelance.”
My teeth grit as I turn a corner. I’m running out of places to drive.
What if she isn’t in Vegas?
Where else would she go?
“You called to tell me no news? Why are you not getting all this out of the wife?”
“Lev went to Bakersfield, but she wasn’t home. She’s at her mother’s home in New York, according to a neighbor. The Koslov Bratva is looking for her for us.”
“I told you to find her,” I growl, although I don’t know why I care. I’m just angry. Especially at Alik for being right and knowing it.
“In the middle of the day? I’m more memorable than Lev, boss. Easier to pick out of a lineup. But uh, sorry. Did you want me to go to New York myself, or do you want me to track the payment? I can’t do that on my phone.”
“Just shut the fuck up, Alik.” I lean forward to look down an alleyway when I see someone, but it isn’t Elira.
He starts to say something else, but I hang up, my heart hammering as I slow the car to a crawl and look around.
Anya will turn up. She always does.
But Elira…
I may have lost her.
“You all right?” Anthony asks.
I don’t answer. Don’t know how. It’s been too many hours without any sign of her. She could be long gone by now.
And if she is… What am I going to do about it?
Nothing.
She isn’t in danger. The hitman is in Albania, and he’ll be taken care of soon enough. The wife is in New York. The organization is paid off. She’s … free.
I pull over to the side of the road, my face hard even while my insides turn. After putting the car in park, I just stare out the windshield, unable to look Anthony in the eye. “I think it’s time to call off the search.”
It’s quiet for a full minute while he waits for me to change my mind. But I won’t.
I meant it when I said that I loved her. That she wasn’t my prisoner.
But… But what?
Anthony makes the call to send his own men home, and I shoot Hugh a text to do the same. I’ll keep looking for Anya, all night if I have to. But I’d rather do it by myself.
“I’m sorry, man,” he says, letting that hang in the air for too long. “Just give her some time. She’ll be back.”
What he’s saying could apply to either Anya or Elira, but I don’t have to guess who he’s talking about.
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t come back. Would you?”