33. Maxim
THIRTY-THREE
MAXIM
P eople don’t realize karma is a bitch, and when she comes knocking, she doesn’t bother with pleasantries. She brings her fury, her vengeance, and sometimes—like tonight—she uses me as her weapon. I don’t mind. I’ve always enjoyed serving justice on her behalf. But tonight, I’m going to savor it even more. Tonight, I’ll be her executioner, and it’s going to be personal.
My hand tightens around the doorknob leading to the basement, the cold metal grounding me for a moment before I yank it open. The creak of the hinges echoes through the still air as I flip on the lights, casting a dim, yellowish glow down the concrete stairs.
“Let’s go,” I say, my voice low but firm as I lead Sophia down the steps. Luca follows a step behind, the weight of his silence adding to the tension.
The moment we reach the bottom, Sophia gasps, her breath catching audibly in her throat. Her wide eyes land on the man hanging before us, his wrists bound above his head by chains anchored to the ceiling. Blood stains his shirt, smeared across his face from earlier…preparations.
She turns to me, her brows pulling together in confusion and horror. “Danny?” she whispers, the name trembling on her lips. “Danny is the middleman?”
I smirk, stepping closer to the bastard. “Yes, Danny is the middleman,” I confirm, my tone oozing satisfaction. I slam my hand down on his shoulder, making him flinch. “Small world, huh?”
Sophia’s gaze flickers nervously between Danny and me. Her voice is quieter this time, almost pleading. “Are you sure it’s him, Maxim? Are you absolutely sure?”
Her doubt pricks at me, but I shove the feeling aside. I get it. This isn’t just anyone; it’s someone she knows—someone she trusted. A family friend. A man she has known for years.
I circle Danny slowly, enjoying the way his body tenses at my proximity. “Should I answer her, or would you like the honors, Danny?” I ask my voice light, mocking. I grab the tape covering his mouth and rip it off in one clean motion, waiting for the usual reaction—a grunt, a scream, some kind of resistance.
Nothing.
Instead, he looks me dead in the eye, defiance glinting like shards of glass in his gaze.
A slow grin spreads across my face. Oh, this one thinks he’s tough. He thinks he can take whatever I throw at him. Men like him are always the same—delusional. They think they’re unbreakable, that pain can’t touch them. But they’re wrong. Breaking men like him is an art, and tonight, I’ll make a masterpiece.
I sigh in faint disappointment before backhanding him across the face with enough force to snap his head to the side. The slap echoes through the basement. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth as I grip his face, forcing him to look at me again.
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you how rude it is to ignore a question?” I tighten my grip, my fingers digging into his jaw.
Danny’s lips twitch, and a low, raspy chuckle escapes him. “You sure you want me to talk, Volkov?” he croaks, his voice rough from disuse. “I know things—things that could turn your world on its head.”
My eyes narrow as he glances meaningfully at Luca before meeting my gaze again. “I know things that could turn everyone’s world upside down.”
For a second, his words hang in the air, and I let them. My grip loosens as I step back, studying his face.
He’s not bluffing. I’ve spent my entire life reading people, and this one? He’s got something.
“Enlighten us, then,” I say, crossing my arms casually.
For the first time, Danny falters, his eyes widened slightly, as if he wasn’t expecting me to call his bluff so easily. Idiot.
We stare each other down, the seconds stretching into what feels like hours. The only sound is the faint hum of the light above us.
When he doesn’t speak, my patience snaps. I slam my fist into his gut, earning a wheezing gasp as the air rushes out of him.
“You think I’m scared of your little secrets?” I hiss, leaning in close. “You’re going to tell me everything you know, whether you want to or not.”
He coughs, struggling to catch his breath, but he still manages a weak grin. “That temper of yours,” he rasps, “just like your father. No patience. That’s going to get you killed one day, you know.”
The mention of my father makes my blood boil, but I don’t take the bait. I smirk instead, letting the anger simmer beneath the surface. “Funny. My impatience is exactly why you’re here, Danny. Let’s see how long you last before you’re begging to talk.”
Luca snorts from behind me, the sound breaking the tension for a brief second. “I give him ten minutes,” he says, his tone casual but laced with amusement.
I glance over my shoulder, raising a brow. “Ten minutes? You underestimate me, Luca. Five, tops.”
Danny groans, his head lolling forward as he mutters, “You’re both fucking insane.”
“Maybe,” I say with a smirk. “But you’re the one hanging by chains in my basement. So, who’s really losing here?”
Sophia’s voice cuts through the tension, soft but firm. “Maxim.”
I turn to her, my expression softening slightly. She looks pale but determined, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “What if he’s telling the truth?”
“He probably is,” I reply bluntly.
Her brows furrow, confusion clouding her face. “Then why are you?—”
“Because I want to hear it,” I interrupt, my voice sharp. “And he’s going to tell me, one way or another.”
Danny chuckles darkly, his voice weak but mocking. “Careful, sweetheart. You might not like what you hear.”
I step forward, grabbing his jaw again and forcing him to look at me. “That’s not your concern.” My voice drops to a deadly whisper. “Start talking. Now.”
I pull my Glock from its holster, the cold metal steady in my hand. “As riveting as this staring contest is, I don’t have all day.” I press the barrel under Danny’s chin, forcing his head up. “So I suggest you start talking before I decide the cat isn’t the only one holding your tongue.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sophia take an involuntary step forward. But before she can do anything reckless, Luca’s hand clamps down on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. Has she lost her mind? What does she think she’s going to do—protect him?
Rage flashes through me as I catch Danny’s eyes flicking toward her. There’s hatred in his gaze, pure and unfiltered, and it sends me over the edge. I slam the butt of my Glock into his temple, the satisfying crack of metal against bone cutting through the silence. His head snaps to the side, a grunt of pain escaping his throat, and a dark, primal part of me feels sated.
I grip his face tightly, forcing him to look at me again. His pupils are dilated, his breath uneven. “You don’t fucking look at her,” I snarl, my voice low and venomous. “If I catch your eyes on her again, I’ll pluck them out of their sockets. Remember your anatomy—you talk with your mouth, not your eyes.”
Danny coughs out a laugh, his lips curling into a thin, mocking line. “I’m shaking in my boots.”
“You will be,” I say, my voice dropping to a whisper as a wicked smile spreads across my face. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you never opened your mouth at all.”
Just for fun, I punch him square in the jaw. His head snaps back, blood spurting from his split lip. I pull back for another hit, but the sharp sound of Sophia’s gasp behind me gives me pause.
I turn, my gaze finding her instantly. She’s standing rigid in the corner, her hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. Her entire body is trembling, and I feel the first pangs of guilt gnawing at me.
“Let’s go outside,” I say, my voice softer now. Sophia isn’t cut out for this—she doesn’t have the stomach for it, and I should’ve known better than to let her be here.
Luca nods, stepping forward to take over with Danny as I guide Sophia up the stairs and out into the cool night air. The crisp breeze hits us the moment we step outside, but it doesn’t seem to help her trembling. She turns to face me, her expression a mixture of fear, anger, and determination.
“You should go home, Sophia,” I say gently, reaching up to cradle her face in my hands.
She starts to shake her head, but I hold her still. “No, listen to me. If just a few minutes in that room shook you up this much, I can’t imagine how you’ll handle what comes next.”
“I want to stay,” she says, her voice steadier now. “I need to stay.”
I blow out an exasperated breath, my hands dropping to my sides. “Please, Sophia,” I say, my tone sharper now. “For once, do as I say. What you saw in there? It’s nothing compared to what’s about to happen. This isn’t about protecting you—this is about preserving you. You’re my sun, Sophia. You shine light into the darkest parts of me. I don’t want that light to dim because of what you’ll see.”
I step closer, pressing my forehead against hers, letting my voice drop to a whisper. “Hearing about it is one thing. Seeing it? That’s different. That changes you. And I don’t want that for you.”
She doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she tilts her head slightly, her expression thoughtful, her breathing slow as she processes what I’ve said.
I stand still, every muscle in my body tense as I wait for her response. When she finally nods, some of the weight lifts off my chest.
“Alright,” she says quietly. “You’re right. I won’t go back inside. But—” She looks up at me, her eyes still blazing with determination. “I want to hear what he says. I don’t want to sit around waiting for hours only to get a watered-down version of the truth. Can we figure something out?”
Relief floods me, but I can’t help the smirk that tugs at my lips. “You’re relentless,” I mutter, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
“And you’re stubborn,” she shoots back, a faint smile breaking through her worry.
“Wait for us in my office. You will be comfortable there.” She nods, and we make our way up the basement to my office, the lingering tensions of our kiss and the desire for more looming over us.
“Before you leave me in your office can we go to my car real quick?”
“For what?”
“I found a box that belonged to my dad the day I went through his stuff that I haven’t gotten around to looking through.” She shrugs with an amused look on her face. “No better time like the present, when your boyfriend is busy torturing someone, to go through documents of your dead parent.”
I snort a laugh, shaking my head in disbelief. Sophia has such a strange way of seeing things sometimes. “Of course, krasavista. Let’s go to the car.”
“Let’s get this party started,” I say as I step back into the room, my phone in hand. The call is connected and on mute, as promised.
Sophia is safe in my office, and her father’s box keeps her busy. It’s better this way—her light doesn’t belong in a place as dark as this.
“It’s about time.” Luca wipes blood from his knuckles with a sheet of paper. “I was starting to think you’d miss all the fun.”
My brows shoot up as I take in Danny’s condition. He’s tied to a chair, arms bound tight to the rests, legs strapped down, his busted lip dripping blood. His nose is crooked, likely broken, and his right eye is swollen shut.
“Looks like you got a head start,” I say, gesturing to the mess Luca’s made.
Danny smirks weakly, blood staining his teeth. “What’s this supposed to be? Good cop, bad cop?”
I crouch to his level, letting my Glock dangle loosely in my hand. “Good cop?” I chuckle dryly. “There’s no good cop here, Danny.”
His eyes drop to the gun, then back to mine. “You should save us all the trouble and just shoot me. I’m not telling you shit.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. God, I love it when they say that. The challenge makes this part so much sweeter.
“He’s been a bore,” Luca says, tossing the bloodied paper onto the table. “All the bravado he had earlier? Gone. Just the usual nonsense. ‘I know things, blah, blah, blah.’” His tone drips with mockery.
I glance back at Luca and smirk. “Let’s help him find that bravado again.”
I head to the table, my fingers grazing the array of tools laid out before me. This was one lesson my father drilled into me that I actually embraced. He used to say, “An interrogation is like a show—the louder, the flashier, the better.” Even if they try to hide it, they all break when you draw out the anticipation.
I make a show of skimming the tools, running my fingers along the blades and implements. Some of these bastards start talking before I even make a selection. But not Danny. He’s going to make me work for it.
My eye catches on a flat object—a mandolin slicer. Its clean, sharp blade glints under the light. Perfect. I hold it up, letting Luca get a good look.
“How about we start with this?” I say, my voice calm, almost casual.
Danny’s smirk falters, just barely, but I catch it. Good. Time to peel back the layers.
You’d think after two hours of punches, slicing, and stabbing—taking turns between Luca and me—Danny would’ve cracked, but he hasn’t. No matter what we do, he won’t talk.
I have to admit, I’m impressed. His willpower is unlike anything I’ve seen. Military training, no doubt. They must have taught him how to endure even the worst situations.
I’m about to press him with another question when my phone rings. My stomach twists. A call shouldn’t be coming through—I made sure no one would disturb us.
I grab the knife, placing it back on the table, and move to where I left the phone. The screen lights up with Jeff’s name. My heart skips a beat.
Something’s wrong.
“What is it?” I snap, keeping my voice steady even though dread claws at my chest.
“Sir, Ms. Sophia has left your office and is walking toward her car.”
My body stiffens. What the fuck is she doing?
Does she not comprehend the danger we’re in right now? Is she putting herself at risk because she’s overwhelmed? Is she trying to leave me?
No. Sophia wouldn’t leave—not without talking to me first.
I shake my head, forcing myself to think rationally. She’s not trying to sneak out. Jeff saw her leave, which meant she wanted to be seen. If she wanted to disappear, she’d know how to do it.
Pulling up the camera feed on my phone, I tap into the office footage. The screen loads, showing Sophia standing at the doorway. Her phone is pressed to her ear, and she looks around, her brows furrowed when she doesn’t see anyone. Then, her eyes flick toward the camera.
She taps the back of her phone twice with her index finger. A signal.
She’s telling me something.
Jeff interrupts my thoughts. “Do I stop her?”
I grit my teeth, debating. My instinct screams at me to have her stopped, to protect her. But I know Sophia—she wouldn’t leave unless she had a reason.
“No,” I say finally, my voice firm. “Let her go.”
I hang up and immediately open the tracking app linked to her car. A blue dot appears on the map, already moving away from the house.
“What’s going on?” Luca asks, his brows raised as he notices my shift in focus.
“Nothing,” I reply, glancing at Danny. “Let’s leave him to stew for a few hours. We have somewhere to be.”
Without waiting for a response, I stride out of the room, Luca trailing behind me.
“Where are we going?” he asks, confusion evident in his voice.
“I don’t know yet.” I unlock my car and slide into the driver’s seat. My eyes fix on the moving blue dot. “But hopefully, we’ll find out soon.”