Page 89 of Savage Vows

She lifts her head, wiping her cheeks. “Are they looking for who did it?”

“They will, but the case is complicated,” I say. “And she may not be the only one. There are other girls who vanished the same way. One is Samie—another name tied to the club.”

Julianne’s eyes widen. “Samie? I remember seeing her once.”

“Well, I spoke to her boyfriend—Mik didn’t know much either.”

She turns to Luka. “Isn’t Mik a friend of yours?”

Luka lets out a slow breath. “We knew each other. Nothing close.”

I glance at him. “You knew Samie personally?”

He shakes his head, gaze sliding away. “Only met her at the club.”

Suspicion tugs at me, but my phone buzzes before I can dig deeper.

A message from Bella:Oleg is awake. You need to get back.

I swallow my questions for now. “Jules, I have to go.”

“Adi, I’m scared for you. Dante isn’t someone to be messed with. Are you sure it’s right for you to continue your investigation?”

I sigh. “I have no choice. I can’t betray myself and everything I stand for.”

Luka turns to me. “Your husband’s business partner Remik now runs Portello. Trouble started when he showed up.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard rumors of another girl that went missing a few months ago, I think her name was Yuri,” he says.

I stand up. “I’ll look into it, but I really have to go before my security gets suspicious.”

Julianne gives me a wry smile. “I don’t miss that part of my life anymore.”

I hurry through the mall, ducking past closing shops and teenage couples who wander like they have nowhere else to be. When I reach the escalator, I smooth my hair, pinch my cheeks for color, and stride up toward the theater lobby as though I never left.

Oleg is planted outside the auditorium doors like a very large, very annoyed ficus. The second he spots me, his thick brows knit together. “Where did you go?” he rumbles.

I flash what I hope is an innocent smile. “Ladies’ emergency.”

He narrows his eyes. “You were gone a long time.”

I tilt my head, lowering my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Oleg, trust me. When a woman says she had a ladies’emergency, you do not want the details. There were—supplies involved. And…tactical maneuvers.”

His face goes a shade paler. “Tactical maneuvers?”

“Very tactical.” I widen my eyes for emphasis. “Let’s just say restocking was critical to the mission, and the first restroom was out of inventory.”

Oleg clears his throat, suddenly fascinated by the movie posters. “Understood. Next time text.”

I nod, grateful he didn’t ask about the mystery shopping bag tucked inside my purse. “Deal. Now, shall we?”

He pushes open the door, still looking slightly traumatized, and waves me ahead. Bella catches my eye from our row, mouthing, “Supplies?” I shrug and raise an eyebrow, and she nearly chokes on her soda trying not to laugh.

Mission accomplished. For now.

Bella’s building glows soft yellow in the streetlights. After quick good-nights she disappears inside, leaving Oleg and me alone in the car. The ride across the city is quiet, only the hum of traffic filling the space between us. I try not to think about the alley or about Luka’s guarded answers, but the questions circle anyway.