Page 156 of Wicked Proposal

“Maybe I’m suspicious.”

“You always are. But you rarely let it show.”

Game, set, match.As always, Maks knows me way better than I wish he did. That’s on me for letting him, but then again, only one person was there when my family was turned into Swiss cheese in front of my eyes.

Maksim Goncharov—my late father’s freshest recruit.

Everybody else ran, but he didn’t. He got me out of there. Even as I was screaming and kicking, clawing at the carpet to stay with the bodies of everyone I’d ever loved, he got me out of there.

He hasn’t let go since.

It’s the only reason I don’t punish him for his insolence. The only reason I let him get away with commenting on my relationship with Mia.

Deep down, I know Maksim is the only person who will never lead me astray.

Of course, there was Nikita. But Nikita is lost in the wind, and her scent isn’t exactly blowing this way.

“You can rest easy,” I sigh, slumping into my chair. Maks is right—there’s a killer migraine right behind my temples that’s torturing me worse than my enemies ever could. “I’m done. I’m ending the contract first thing tomorrow. We’ll find someone else to play bait.”

“You can’t.”

My head snaps up. “Excuse me?”

“Before you bite my head off, look.” Without the slightest hint of a smile, Maksim slides a file my way. His tone is dead serious, which tells me this must be, too. “While following Nikita’s trail, I stumbled upon something. I was going to call you once you landed, but this is better, actually. I never thought I’d say it, but thank God for cops.”

In the dim light of my office, I have to squint to see what he’s talking about. The page he’s showing me is filled with numbers. Dates, figures, timestamps.

“Tell me what I’m looking at.”

“Our enemies are moving.” He points at a few key rows. “I’m afraid we must’ve spooked them. Warehouses emptying out, street corners freeing up all of a sudden, warlords looking for new weapon suppliers.” When he speaks next, he stares me dead in the eyes. “They’re leaving, Yulian. They’re packing up shop, retreating overseas.”

Maksim’s words freeze my blood. “You can’t know that.”

“With people like these, you can’t know anything. But what else could it be?”

Anything. Literally anything else.But no matter how badly I wish it, I know he’s right. Fuck me, Iknow.

“How long until they’re gone?”

“Two weeks, maybe three.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.Fury fills my thoughts, swirling with a panic I haven’t known for a long while. Cold, all-encompassing, gutting.

I’m going to lose them.

I’m never going to find Nikita.

I’m never going to avenge my family.

“BLYAT’!” I slam my palms on the desk, sending papers flying. “How did we not notice sooner?!”

“Because they’re damn good at what they do,” Maksim replies, unfazed by my outburst. “So if you want to get them, Yulian, you’re going to have to lay a damn good trap. With damn good bait.”

I know what this means. Deep in my gut, I’ve always known. I’ve tried to run from this, rewrite the story, reshape reality to suit whatever I wanted to believe. That I could save herandget my revenge.

But that would have been fair.

And the world has rarely been fair to me.