Unholy Tsar: A Dark Mafia Romance (Ruthless Dynasty Book 4)

Chapter 15

When we get into the elevator, Maksim presses the B button. B for basement. My brows shoot up. “Umm, where are we going?”

He gives me a distracted glance. He’s been acting strange since he got that call earlier. Cold almost. “I’m taking you to your apartment.”

My heart sinks, and a strange lump forms in my throat. “What? What do you mean? I thought I was supposed to stay here a little longer?”

“I changed my mind,” he says simply. Before I can protest, the elevator opens into the underground parking lot. Shit, shit, shit.

I trail behind him reluctantly as we walk through the dimly lit basement. Our footsteps echo off the concrete walls, and the sound feels almost ominous, like it’s amplifying the coldness between us. He’s walking with purpose, his steps strong and steady. I try to keep up but the increasing distance between us suddenly makes it hard to breathe.

“But wouldn’t I be safer here?” With you. I swallow those words.

He stops briefly and turns to face me. I search his eyes, hoping for some sign of warmth or reassurance, but his expression stays hard, unreadable. Why? “I’ve changed your security detail. Your new guards are more efficient. They’re aware of what happened to the last ones. It should motivate them to do better.”

What? His words swirl in my mind as we continue walking, clawing through the confusion and hurt growing inside me. Oh my god… What does that mean? What happened to the last guards? Fuck. Roy.

I feel a frigid wave run through me as we reach the car. Maksim opens the back door for me. I hesitate.

“Well?” he demands.

There’s no point in arguing. I slowly slide in, and he shuts the door behind me. As he walks around to get in from the other side, my gaze meets his driver’s in the rearview mirror. He gives me a polite nod before rolling up the privacy partition.

Once Maksim’s in the car, we start moving. The first few minutes are quiet. I use the silence to gather my courage and figure out how to ask about what happened to Roy and my previous security detail. Do I even want to know? “So–um, I was wondering—” I trail off, losing my nerve when Maksim glances at me.

The corners of his lips pull up in a slight smile. “Lost for words, Myshka? How unusual.”

“I want to know what happened with Roy and the rest of my guards,” I blurt out in response, unable to hold back any longer.

His face closes off. “They’ve been taken care of.”

They’ve been taken care of. They’ve been taken care of.The words ring in my ears over and over as my heart starts to palpitate. That sounds awfully like they’ve been killed to me.

“How? How were they taken care of?” I press, needing to know for sure.

“Don’t worry, they’re alive.” Maksim reassures me, but before I can blow out a breath of relief, he continues. “But at this moment, they’re probably wishing for the mercy of death.”

It’s like a punch to the gut. This is all my fault.

“Maksim, I—”

“They’ve been taken care of, Myshka,” he interrupts. “That’s all that you need to know.” His tone is final. Part of me is desperate to push back, but a heaviness settles over me, and I sink into my seat, unable to speak. I glance out of the window, trying to distract myself.

At least they’re alive. Whatever they’re going through, they’ll eventually heal from it, right? Right?

I look back to Maksim. His nose is buried in his phone, and he’s typing furiously. Should I ask him for mercy? No. The only reason they’re still alive is because I begged him to do anything but kill them.

“What?” he asks without glancing up.

“What do you mean, what?”

“You’re staring. What is it now?”

I shift my gaze to the window, pretending to be interested in the passing scenery. “Nothing.” I can feel his eyes on my face, but I stubbornly keep staring outside, even though I’m not really seeing anything. My heart starts racing again, but for a different reason this time.

When Maksim’s burning glare finally drops from me, I melt into the chair. It takes a moment for me to realize that the car is slowing down. We’ve arrived. Shit.

I stay seated, even after we stop and the engine is turned off.

“We’re here,” Maksim announces gruffly—as If I couldn’t tell.

Still, I’m reluctant to leave. Not because I fear for my safety or anything, but because I want to stay with him. Crazy, I know.

“What about our lessons?” I ask, desperately trying to think of a reason to convince him to come inside with me.

“Don’t worry, we’ll continue tomorrow.”

“Do I come to you or do you come to me?”

“Does that matter right now?” The exasperation is clear on his face. “One of my men will give you the details tomorrow. Anything else?”

“Um—no, that’s all.” I tuck my tongue into my cheek and finally find the courage to look at him. Our eyes meet and hold. “Why—” I stop myself before I can ask him what’s changed.

I shouldn’t care. I can’t care.

But I do.

He seems to understand the unspoken question, his eyes darkening with understanding. My cheeks heat up with embarrassment. “Anyway, good night,” I murmur and quickly get out of his car.

My plan is to rush into the house, but my feet stall when I reach the front door. It’s like some invisible force tugs at me, urging me to steal one last glance back at him. And of course, I give in. With a hesitant turn, I look over my shoulder. He’s still watching me. Oh, no. My heart thuds, and I give him a quick wave before finally opening the door.

Once inside, I lean against the door, feeling weak and foolish. Why did I wave? Shit. I should’ve just come in without looking back. And what was that understanding on his face? Did he know I wanted him by my side? No, right?

“Miss Lombardi?”

I jolt at the sudden voice and turn to my left to see Marie, the chef, lingering near the doorway. As usual, her black hair is pulled into a tight bun, and her hazel eyes are fixed on me with curiosity.

I clear my throat and push away from the door. “Oh, hi. You startled me.”

“That wasn’t my intention, ma’am. Are you okay? I heard what happened yesterday.” Her eyes flick to my bandaged hand. As if in reflex, it throbs with pain.

“Yes, I’m fine now. Thank you.” I offer her a small smile, which she doesn’t return.

“The men from your new security team are waiting in the living room. Would you like to meet them now or later?”

My heart squeezes. I can’t help but wonder what Roy’s going through right now.

At this moment, they’re probably wishing for the mercy of death.

I push Maksim’s words out of my head and give Marie a nod. “Might as well get it over with.”

I follow Marie, and sure enough, when we enter the large living room, there are about a dozen men loitering around. I scan their faces, semi-hopeful that I’ll recognize some of them, but none of their faces stand out. Maksim really did get rid of everyone. I swallow my disappointment.

The second the men see us, they stiffen, and like a well-rehearsed symphony, they shoot to their feet and turn to face me with a swift bow. I force myself to smile. “Hello everyone, I’m Cecilia.”

One man separates himself from the group. “We know who you are, ma’am. I’m Mykel, your new head of security.”

I take him in. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s somewhere in his late thirties. He has a military-style buzz cut, a neatly trimmed mustache, and a slightly bent, aristocratic nose. The exact opposite of Roy. He gives me a kind smile as I walk forward to shake his hand.

“I see. Nice to meet you, Mykel. I hope we get along well.” After we exchange pleasantries, he gestures to his men, and they come forward one after another to introduce themselves.

This is already so different from my interaction with my old security detail. I never knew any of their names except for Roy’s. Why are they acting like this? Is it Mykel’s doing or Maksim’s?

Shit. It doesn’t really matter. My heart aches with guilt as I think about my old crew again. Wherever they are, they’re probably suffering because of me, and I don’t even know their names. The weight of that knowledge presses down on me as everyone sits back down. Before we can continue, I excuse myself.

I retreat to my room, exhaustion suddenly flooding over me like a tidal wave. Collapsing onto my bed, my mind races through the events of the past two days. Did my ex really send those men after me? There’s no other explanation. Why else would anyone bother trying to kidnap someone as useless as me?

Ugh, when will this ever stop?

That bastard was the one who left me, so why can’t he just stay gone? I know it’s pointless trying to understand his twisted mind—I’ve tried and failed countless times before—but I can’t help but wonder what his end game is. What happens if he manages to get me back into his greedy clutches?

It’s hard to say, but one thing’s for sure: If that happens, I won’t be the only one suffering for it. My new security guards will also feel Maksim’s wrath. Would they face the same fate as Roy and his men, or something even worse?

I wouldn’t be around to convince Maksim to spare them, not that I think I could again. He wouldn’t listen to me anymore. Things have changed between us. Again.

A heavy sigh escapes my lips as my thoughts drift to Maksim. It’s ridiculous how much I miss him. What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t let myself fall for anyone, especially not him. I know how that story ends; I’ve lived it before—heartbreak.

My left hand trembles as I lift it to study my fingers. The once vibrant wedding band is now just a faded reminder of a love that is long gone, and the ring itself is nothing but a distant memory.

Clenching my jaw, I turn my wrist to examine the bandage Maksim wrapped around my injured palm. Why is he suddenly so distant and cold toward me?

Maybe I was wrong about him.

“What is going on with me?” I sigh, turning my hand back around again. I can practically see the old wedding ring shimmering on my finger. It haunts me like a ghost. Maybe that’s why I can’t see what’s going on with Maksim, with myself, with the present, with my future.

Because I’m forever stuck in the past. If I ever want to escape it fully, if I want to have even the slightest chance of living a happy life, then maybe I need to face it. But I’ve been avoiding it for so long now that I’m not sure how.

Should I seek out that fucker who’s determined to destroy me? Goddman, seeing his face again is the last thing I want. I can hardly even bear to think of his name, let alone say it.

But how else can I move forward?

If I find him, maybe I can—

What? Tell him to leave me alone again? Tell him that I’ve found another man? Hah. Don’t make me laugh.

But maybe…

I flex my fingers and savor the soreness in my palm. That blade I held was sharp, sharp enough to kill the demons from a girl’s past.

Maybe I could kill him.

The thought sticks to me like a shadow.

Kill him. That wasn’t even a possibility before. But now—well, now I know how to use a gun. The big problem would be getting close enough to hit my fleshy target.

Though, I guess I could let myself get kidnapped again…

No. What would happen to my new guards then? Fuck. The only way to keep them safe would be to run away somehow when I’m with Maksim. That way, he can’t blame anyone but himself.

I sigh again and turn face down on the bed. Burying my head into the pillow, I let out a frustrated scream. But I can’t leave now.

When my lungs are empty and my throat is sore, I twist back around and stare up at the ceiling.

Yes, I need to perfect my self-defense skills before I can face the monsters from my past. And I need to recover from the last attempted kidnapping. My body still aches, and there would be no hope for me to face him in such a vulnerable state.

But I can’t wait too long either. The stress might fracture my mind. I need at least two weeks to prepare, no three—no, fuck, that’s too optimistic. I just shot my first gun. I’m going to need at least four weeks.

“What am I doing?” I whisper to the ceiling.

Do I really need that much time, or am I just stalling? Making excuses so I can stay with Maksim for a little bit longer?

Shit, I like him, don’t I?

“You sure have a type, Cecilia.”

It’s impossible to ignore. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve fallen for a bad boy with tattoos and a criminal record longer than my arm. But for some reason, Maksim feels different.

Maybe it’s his maturity and experience… among other things.

He protected me when I needed protection. He taught me when I needed teaching. He—

“No, Cece. Stop it. He’s not different. He’s not special. And he’s not going to save you. Only you can do that.”

I know it’s the truth.

But part of me is desperate for him to prove me wrong.