Ruthless Secrets (Elites of Macedon High 2)

I shake my head. “Unbelievable.”

“It makes for great business meetings. A lot of people could bond over a line done off the snatch of a good hooker.” He smirks wide and shrugs me off, returning to his chair to sit down. After ashing his clove, he takes a puff and lets it roll from his lips as he says, “The Persian is in Capital City.”

“You’re lying.”

He shakes his head. “Swear on my soul. He killed Felipe too. Dad confirmed.”

“You’ll believe anything he says.”

“Is that so?”

I scoff. “The Persian is a myth.” Mikhail scoffs as I persist, “One that scares Mafia children into behaving. That’s it. You fell for the trick, brother.”

“No, he is real, and he is after the Morettis.”

I don’t show my interest in my expression, but I can’t help wanting to dig for more. But as much as my brother is deeper in the criminal world than any of us around here, he doesn’t have much else to report. I give him the usual spiel about how he’s wasting his life—just for good measure—and then I leave, trying not to look back as I return to the staircase.

In my heart, I whisper goodbye.

***

As soon as I leave the estate, I rush to get to Alex. Mikhail’s report of the Persian being real and having his sights set on the Morettis puts me into a panic, one that doesn’t appear until my hands hit the steering wheel of my car. The headlights flash over the parking lot of Thasos, revealing an empty lot as I had anticipated.

I’m seconds away from warning the girl of my dreams about this world that threatens to suck us back in. Surely Mikhail understood what it would mean to tell me something like that. And maybe his warning was just as genuine as his loyalty to the family.

But it doesn’t matter. I have to get to Alex. I have to make sure she is safe from harm. We are destined to leave tonight—I will make sure of that.

After I park, I race up the pier toward the dock at the rear of Thasos. It’s a little more out of the way and remote, farther along the path where most of the slots end up being a lot smaller. Some deliveries come back here, but mostly, the place isn’t used for anything.

By the club, anyway. By us? Different story.

Huffing, I dart along the wooden boards, my footsteps thumping through the cold evening air. It almost sounds like another set of steps rumbles behind me, but when I turn, I see nothing but dense darkness billowing behind me.

When I reach the end of the pier, I pause with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. In my careless fleeing, I left my bag behind, but it’s of no consequence to me. Alex first. Everything else second. That’s just how it has to be.

“Where the fuck is she?”

I spin around when the boards creak. A shadow creeps along the edge of the pier, advancing. I squint through the darkness, realizing in my haste that I forgot to wait for my eyes to adjust to the shadows. That figure is too large to be Alex.

A step back reveals I’m as far along the pier as I can get. Any retreat would put me directly into the freezing water of the lake. The creaking boards worsen, wheezing under whoever is approaching me. With a frantic motion, I whip my phone out of my pocket and tap the screen, turning on the flashlight.

The portly man who attacked Alex at the party shields his face. “Put out that light, you idiot.”

“No.”

“No matter, then. You’ll meet your end either way.”

My lips curl into a grimace as my heart races in my chest. Anxiety swarms my body like locusts, pricking my skin in every direction. A shudder runs through me as my stomach drops open, and I feel how heavy my bones are in my body.

This is bad.

“Did my father send you?”

The portly man lowers his hand, revealing a Cheshire grin. He adjusts his suit jacket and procures a flashlight from his pocket, pointing the beam at my eyes. I’m blinded.

“No,” he says flatly. “The Persian sent me.” The light flashes across my vision, causing me to step back instinctively. I nearly fall into the lake when the man grabs the front of my hoodie and draws me close to his face. “But that secret dies with you.”

Using my weight, I shove past him, sending the flashlight to the ground. He snatches the hood of my jacket and yanks me back, the zipper of my hoodie choking me. My hands fly to my neck as he wraps an arm around my shoulders.