CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Maxsim
The firelight flickers across the room, chasing shadows up the paneled walls. The warmth doesn’t reach me. I sit in the leather armchair, staring at the glass of vodka in my hand. I’ve barely taken a sip, though the bite of it lingers on my tongue.
I can still hear the echoes of the storm outside, but it’s not enough to drown out the memory of today.
Nikolai.
I tighten my grip on the glass, its weight grounding me as my mind spirals. My cousin. One of my closest lieutenants. My… mistake.
The betrayal cuts deeper than I’ll admit, even to myself. I trusted him, and it meant nothing. I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair, my fingers brushing the bruise near my temple. The pain is sharp, but it’s nothing compared to the thought of how close I came to losing her.
Twice.
I see her face from earlier today—defiant, angry, and so damn alive. And then I see what could have been: her crumpled on the ground, rain pooling around her, lifeless.
I slam the glass down on the table harder than I mean to. The sharp clink echoes in the room, but it doesn’t shake the image from my mind.
I lean forward, elbows on my knees, head in my hands. The fire pops in the hearth, a sound that should be comforting but isn’t.
This is on me. Nikolai, the ambush, the cracks in my organization—it all leads back to me.
I replay every moment, every sign I ignored. Nikolai’s hesitation during the ambush. His questions about the shipments. The way he avoided my eyes when I called him out weeks ago.
The truth gnaws at me: I didn’t want to see it. I let myself believe that loyalty could still mean something in this life. That family could still mean something.
I’ve built my life on control, on never leaving anything to chance. But lately, everything feels like it’s slipping through my fingers.
And then there’s her.
Ari disrupts everything. She challenges me, defies me, forces me to confront parts of myself I thought I’d buried long ago. She makes me weak.
But when I think about how she stood her ground today, even with Nikolai pointing a gun at her, I can’t bring myself to regret it.
I don’t know what’s worse—that she makes me lose control… or that I don’t want it back.
The study door creaks open, pulling me from my thoughts. I don’t have to look up to know it’s her.
“Could’ve knocked,” I say dryly, keeping my gaze fixed on the fire.
“I figured you wouldn’t answer,” she replies. Her voice is light, but there’s an edge to it.
I glance up, and the sight of her stops me. She’s in one of my sweatshirts. It hangs down to her knees, making her look fragile and unshakable.
She crosses the room slowly, her eyes scanning me like she’s trying to solve a puzzle. “You look like hell,” she says, perching on the arm of my chair.
I let out a short laugh, dry and humorless. “Thank you. Just what I needed to hear.”
She tilts her head, studying me. “You’re welcome.”
Her presence fills the room in a way the fire never could. I should send her away, tell her I need space. But I don’t.
She grabs my glass and takes a sip, watching me over the rim. “So, what happens now?” she asks, her tone casual but pointed. “You kill Nikolai and pretend this never happened?”
I take the glass back and stare into the clear liquid like it holds the answers. “That’s one option.”
Her lips twitch, but there’s no real humor in it. “And the other options?”
I glance at her, my jaw tightening. “You don’t want to know.”
“You think I don’t see the cracks?” she continues, her voice softer now. “You’re not invincible, Maxsim. Even you can’t see everything coming.”
Her words hit harder than I expect, and I respond before I can stop myself. “You think I don’t know that? I almost lost you today. Twice.”
The admission slips out before I can reel it back. My voice cracks slightly on the last word, and the moment it does, I regret it.
Ari’s teasing smile fades, replaced by something softer. She leans forward slightly. “Max—”
Before I can respond, the study door creaks open again.
Alexey steps inside, his presence filling the room like a cold wind. He doesn’t bother with pleasantries, his sharp gaze moving between me and Ari before settling on me.
“I take it you’re brooding,” he says flatly, pulling a chair across from me.
I gesture to the empty glass on the table. “This doesn’t look like brooding to you?”
He snorts. “Anton is finished with the man from the guesthouse.”
I sit up straighter. “And?”
Alexey leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. The firelight sharpens the angles of his face. “Sal is working with people outside the country. Nikolai is just a bit player in a drama with far-reaching consequences.”
The words hit like a blow. I tighten my grip on the glass, the vodka sloshing against the sides.
“Did we have names yet?”
“Not all of them,” Alexey replies. “But we will very soon.”
The weight of his words settles over the room.
“Anything else?” I ask, my voice tight.
“Yes.” Alexey’s gaze shifts to Ari. “Your wife needs to stay out of this.”
My jaw tightens. “She’s not the problem.”
“She’s a distraction,” Alexey counters, his tone sharp. “And distractions aren’t something we can afford right now.”
Ari stiffens beside me, but I don’t look at her. My gaze stays locked on Alexey.
“She’s my wife,” I say evenly. “And this is my decision.”
For a moment, Alexey doesn’t respond. Then he stands, his chair scraping against the floor. “Don’t let your feelings cloud your judgment, Max.”
He leaves without another word, the door clicking shut behind him.
I glance at Ari, expecting anger, but her expression is calm.
“Distraction, huh?” she says lightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
I exhale sharply, a hint of a smirk breaking through despite myself. “You? Never.”
Her laughter is soft but genuine, and for a moment, the weight on my chest feels lighter.
She stands, brushing past me as she heads toward the door. “Don’t stay up all night, Max.”
“I will be up soon,” I mutter.
After she disappears into the hallway, I realize one thing: Alexey might be right about a lot of things. But not about her.