Page 178 of Wicked Proposal

I blink. “Like, ditch the party?”

“Oh, believe me, this isn’t the party. This is a corporate sausage fest. Therealparty’s downstairs.”

“Downstairs?”

“You’ll see. It’s where Yulian hides all his actual friends.”

“I—” My gaze darts to the crowd, to where Yulian is. But the sea of suits remains unchanging. And the cold dread of running into Brad without him by my side?—

It makes Nikita’s offer incredibly inviting.

Besides, I want to know more about Yulian. What kind of company he keeps when he isn’t wearing his CEO mask. What his friends are like.

“C’mon.” Nikita hooks her arm through mine. “Gotta pay you back for last night somehow, don’t I? Consider this my rescue mission to you.”

And, well.That’dbe rude to refuse.

So I let Nikita drag me through the crowd, push me into the elevator, and push the button to the basement floor.

56

YULIAN

I catch sight of Mia just before the elevator doors close.

What the hell is she doing?

“Maks.” My second is at my side in an instant. “I just saw Mia leaving.”

“That’s odd.” He touches his chin with faux pensiveness. “Could it have anything to do with you ditching her all night?”

“I didn’tditchher,” I snap. “I kept getting dragged away. Why the fuck did we even invite this many people?”

“For their money,” Maksim supplies unhelpfully. “You know, like we do every year?”

I grind my teeth into dust. Without a word, I start swimming through this sea of faces and suits, every single one vying for my attention.

I should have kept better tabs on Mia—I know that. With all that’s at stake, I should have kept her glued to my fucking side.

And yet…

You couldn’t look her in the eye, could you?That cold, merciless voice laughs in my ears.You couldn’t bring yourself to. It hurt to have her close, didn’t it?

Knowing it’ll be the last night you ever get to?

I shake my head and rush to the elevator. “I have to find her.”

“Relax, man. She’s with Nikita. She’s perfectly?—”

“Safe?” I snap. “Tell me, Maks, how long has Nikita been missing for?”

He frowns. “What’s that got to do with it?”

“I’ll tell you how long:Three. Fucking. Months.You don’t think that’s long enough to be concerned?”

The second he understands, his expression sobers. “You think she’s been reprogrammed?”

“Can’t fucking rule it out, can I?” I mash the buttons, impatience coursing through my veins hand in hand with rage. “Blyat’.Too slow.”