Chapter 26 Maxim
MAXIM
“Do you think this is a good idea?” Sergei asks me as we board our private plane to Paris.
“I’m not sure, but I want to see Grace again.”
“Do you think it’s a trap?”
I shake my head. I don’t think Grace would set me up like that.
She told me how she had finally told her sisters about us and that they wanted to meet me on neutral ground.
They wanted to talk to me about something.
If that means I get to see Grace, damn the consequences.
I understand Sergei’s reservations especially as one of her sisters’ fiancé’s cousins works for Interpol.
If they knew she was meeting me, someone on their most wanted list, there would be a hundred agents surrounding us.
I can’t believe how nervous I am about meeting Grace again.
Or maybe it’s the prospect of meeting her family.
Does her request mean something? Or does she just need my help?
Finally, we arrive in Paris, and a town car is waiting for us at the private airport to take us directly into town to the private apartment of her sister’s fiancé.
Again, Sergei isn’t happy about going to a private home, especially the home of the cousin of the Interpol agent, but there are only so many times I can reassure the old bastard until I’m over it.
“I trust Grace with my life,” I tell the old man, who gives me a disgruntled huff and stares out the window.
The town car slows to a stop outside a luxurious townhouse in the Saint Germain area.
“Are you ready?” Sergei asks.
“I think we can handle four women, don’t you?”
“If they’re like Grace, I’m not sure.” He shrugs.
I clap him on the back as we get out. “Come on, old man, I guess there are worse ways to go than at the hands of four beautiful women.”
This makes him laugh as we stride toward the wooden door and press the buzzer. Moments later the video screen appears, and murmurs are heard through the intercom because we are buzzed in.
“Relax,” I tell him through gritted teeth as we make our way up the foyer staircase. He shakes himself out before we turn the corner.
“Maxim,” Grace squeals as she stands across the luxurious room, with three beautiful women standing around her.
She cuts her conversation short, rushes across the parquet floor, wraps her arms around my neck, and then pulls me in for a kiss.
As soon as her lips are on mine the entire room fades away and I kiss the ever-loving shit out of her.
Like a man dying of thirst, I’ve found my oasis.
Hoots and hollers filter through the room, pulling me from Grace’s kiss.
“Forget about them,” she says, pressing her forehead against mine.
“I’ve missed you, Wildcat,” I say, running my hands down her body. She’s dressed in a pink dress that clings to her incredible body. My hands land on her peachy ass and I give it a squeeze which makes her giggle.
“Sergei, it’s good to see you,” she says, unwrapping herself from my arms as she greets the old man.
“Grace, we meet again.” He grins, giving her a wink and a hug.
Reaching out, I pull Grace back into my arms, wrap my hand around the back of her neck, and pull her to me again to give her another kiss, not believing she’s here. Her makeup is minimal, I notice her glossy lips, and I just want another taste, so I do.
Then I hear a man clear his throat and I push Grace behind me.
Sergei is beside me, ready to protect me, to protect Grace if need be.
“Stand down, Brooks,” a petite blonde, who doesn’t even make it up to the man’s shoulders, chastises him. “You didn’t see Grace pushing him away.” She turns and smiles at me, holding out her hand. “I’m Sophie, Grace’s older sister.”
I shake her hand. “I’m Maxim, and this is Sergei.”
Sergei shakes her hand as well, but both of our eyes never leave the man standing behind her.
“Come in, come in. We have much to talk about.” Sophie smiles, welcoming us into her living room where an assortment of French sweets is laid out before us.
Grace takes my hand, and I enjoy the feeling of her skin against mine again. It’s the only way I’m staying calm right now. Sergei is on full alert.
“He is so handsome,” another blonde mumbles, winking at Grace. “Hi, I’m Mackenzie, the oldest sister,” she says, introducing herself to me.
I give her my hand, but she pushes it away and gives me a welcoming hug instead. I stand there stiffly.
“Ignore her. It was probably an excuse to feel your muscles. We can’t take her anywhere. I’m Zoe.”
I turn to the other woman, the one I’ve heard much about, the one I watched on video during her darkest hours. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Who wants champagne?” another male voice calls out into the room. That must be Mateo, I’ve seen him on the covers of magazines. And the other man walking in with the champagne glasses, his eyes narrowed on me must be Tomas.
Mateo pops the champagne, and the cork goes flying which makes him chuckle and Mackenzie whoop.
“These are my fiancés,” Zoe says, introducing the two men to me. Tomas places the glasses on the table and holds out a hand for me to shake. He gives it a good old squeeze which makes me smile.
I’m on his shit list.
Then Mateo comes over after passing the bottle of champagne to Mackenzie to pour for him. “We’ve heard so much about you,” he says, shaking my hand nicely. “He is so hot,” he whispers to Grace behind his hand, but it’s more like a stage whisper and everyone can hear him.
“No hitting on my man, you understand me,” Grace warns with a smile.
Which eases my tension. I wasn’t expecting all these people.
“Sorry, they all come as a package deal,” Grace leans into me whispering as if she can read my mind. “That’s Brooks, the big guy. He’s ex-special forces, military, you name it, he’s done it. And the other guy who’s just come out of the bathroom is Damon, the IT guy.”
I turn and look at Grace who snickers. That is the IT guy she was teasing me about. Wait till I get her alone, she is going to get it.
“You’re the guys that hacked that cloud,” he says with a big smile on his face and an open hand for Sergei and me. “That was impressive as fuck,” he gushes.
Not sure why everyone is here, but I’m hoping Grace has a plan. Mackenzie hands around all the champagne glasses to us.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming to this meeting. I know this is strange, but we are doing this for Grace and all the jewels that need to be found. We wanted to meet you, Maxim and Sergei, because you both mean so much to Grace. And because of that you get us. We wanted to formally welcome you to the crazy house,” Zoe says, raising her glass.
I think this means everything is okay? I’m still unsure.
“Welcome,” everyone mumbles as they raise their glasses at Sergei and me. We do the same back before Grace breaks away and hugs her sister.
“They don’t look happy to see us,” Sergei says in Russian.
“Do you think you’d welcome your sister’s kidnappers with open arms?”
Sergei shrugs. “Probably shouldn’t have gone for the kiss straight away, they seem overprotective.” He tries to keep a straight face as he teases.
Grace comes back and wraps her arm around my side. “Sorry, this turned into something bigger than you were expecting.”
“I don’t care. You are in my arms, that is all that matters,” I tell her as I kiss the top of her head which makes her sigh.
“If everyone could take their seats, we can begin the meeting,” Sophie says.
“Meeting?” Sergei asks in Russian.
Not sure what’s going on, but I follow Grace’s lead and take a seat on the sofa with her, and Sergei takes a seat beside me.
Once everyone has stopped fussing about, Sophie begins again. “Thank you both for meeting us today. I know it wasn’t the warmest of welcomes, but I can assure you both, nothing untoward is going on.”
“Firstly, thank you for the intel you provided,” Brooks says sharply. “It’s helped us immensely in our investigations. Regarding this information, Grace has brought to our attention that a jewel named Emerald is your sister. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“He thought she was dead. It wasn’t until I was snooping that I found an old photo of Max and his two sisters, that I realized I knew her. But I knew from our conversations that he had lost both of his sisters,” Grace adds.
Brooks nods as if checking the information was correct.
“Sergei’s daughter, Anna, disappeared that day, too,” Grace explains.
I feel Sergei tense beside me.
“There’s no mention of an Anna in the information you’ve provided?” Brooks questions me.
“We haven’t been able to find anything on her,” I answer.
Brooks nods. “We wanted to meet with you today to discuss
working together to help find the jewels, your sister, and Anna.”
Sergei and I turn and look at each other, surprised by the turn of events.
“You want to work with us? Why?”
“Because of Grace,” Sophie adds.
I turn to Grace in confusion.
She smiles at me. “I thought it would be better if we joined forces,
since we’re all after the same outcome.”
“And everyone is okay with me?”
Grace stands up and stares down at her family. “You all better get over how we met because I love this man. He’s mine, and I’m not giving him up.”
The room erupts in nods and head shakes and grumbles and cheers.
“Yeah, they’re fine now,” she says, flopping back in the chair beside me.
This woman. How the hell did I ever let her go.
After that the apartment turns into a party. The men in the room haven’t one hundred percent accepted me, but at least they aren’t glaring at me.
Sergei excused himself earlier to go check on our safe house in Paris while I stayed and played nice with Grace’s family.
“When do you think we can be alone?” I whisper against her ear.
Grace’s cheeks are flushed from one too many glasses of champagne. “Downstairs there’s a bathroom I think we can use.”
“How will we escape all these eyes.”
“Fuck it. Zoe, which room is mine?” she turns and asks her sister.
“Down the corridor and to the left.”