Chapter Eleven Maksim
It was after midnight when I arrived with Sarah at the mansion in Gwynedd, a suburb of Philadelphia.
It hadn’t been my first choice to rent a secluded mansion, but it afforded me the necessary privacy that my downtown penthouse didn’t.
Since we were on two acres and without neighbors up against us, I didn’t have to worry about her screams being heard.
“Jesus,” I muttered aloud.
I’d never been a good man. I’d done terrible things in the name of family honor. But worrying about whether a woman’s screams of fear, not pleasure, could be heard by my neighbors was a new low even for me.
It had been easier than I thought getting Sarah to the car.
With Lev’s hacking skills, all the cameras in the manor went offline for the ten minutes it took me to move my car to the back loading area shortly before the hunt began.
Then they went offline again in the five minutes it took me to get her down the back staircase and to my waiting SUV.
I didn’t have to worry about looking suspicious in front of any of the staff.
They were used to women and even men being carried during a sub drop, which was a term used in the community for the drop of adrenaline and emotion in a submissive after an intense scene.
Of course, most Doms didn’t have a bag of their sub’s belongings hidden under their cloak during this time, but it was necessary for my escape.
Thankfully, I didn’t run into anyone. After depositing Sarah along the bench in the backseat, I covered her with a blanket and then drove like mad out of the manor.
Once I’d gotten onto the main road, I’d been careful of my speed.
The last thing I needed was to be pulled over and questioned why I had an unconscious woman in a robe in my backseat.
I’d made the two-hour drive in relative silence. I’d left the radio off and hadn’t answered any of my phone calls. While the interior of the SUV was quiet, the inside of my head was raging.
Not only was I consumed by my thoughts of my plan with Sarah, I also had Dima’s recovery on my mind.
In the last few days with the help of a top-notch physical therapist, he was starting to walk.
While he was on his feet, he had a hell of a way to go since he couldn’t stand long, and he relied heavily on a cane or walker. If anyone could do it, Dima could.
Since I’d needed a reason for disappearing from the Korolov Bratva while working with Sarah, a rumor had been planted that I was trying to overthrow my Father since he planned to name Aleks as heir. Because I’d dared to go against him, I’d gone underground.
A snort erupted from me at the thought of my father thinking of me living a hand-to-mouth existence while escaping from one safe house to another to stay off his radar. The truth was I’d be cozying up in a mansion with a heated pool and tennis court.
As I pulled into the winding driveway, I flicked a glance in the backseat to once again check on Sarah. Thankfully, she remained soundly asleep. The last thing I needed was for her to wake up along the drive and go ripshit on me while I was driving.
After putting the SUV into park, I threw open the door. Before I could go to get Sarah, Aleks stepped out of the garage. At the sight of me still in the mask, he quickly pulled his gun.
I held my hands up. “It’s me, jackass.”
“How do I know it’s you?”
“Eto ya, pridurok,” I replied, repeating what I’d just said in Russian.
When he still didn’t lower the gun, I jerked the mask off. “See?”
“You should’ve ditched that thing the moment you got out of the car. I mean, what if I’d shot first and asked questions later?”
“For fuck’s sake, I’m d-driving one of our SUVs.”
“Yeah, without a bodyguard, so you could’ve totally been taken over.”
“Whatever,” I mused.
Aleks’s attention dropped to the mask in my hand. “That thing is something else,” he remarked, his lip curled slightly in disgust.
Snorting, I replied, “I’m sorry it d-doesn’t do it for you. I mean, you’re not the t-type I’m trying to attract.”
“I think it’s more the voice thing that is creepy as hell.”
At my slight wince, he cursed under his breath. “Fuck, Maks, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No. I was being stupid, especially when I know the reason why you wear an automator.”
I reached over to ruffle his hair, which he hated. “It’s all g-good.”
After side-stepping me, Aleks said, “I know I should change the subject after putting my foot in my mouth, but can I ask one more thing?”
“I d-doubt I could stop you.”
“Like why the fuck were you still wearing that fucking thing on the drive here?”
“In case Sarah woke up in the car.” When Aleks remained looking at me with furrowed brows, I said, “I want t-to keep the Beast’s persona separate from mine.”
Aleks cocked his head at me. “So, the Beast is going to be the bad guy who kidnapped her while you play the poor, pitiful guy who needs her services?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Fuck you. T-That’s not it at all.”
Aleks crossed his arms over his chest. “All right. Enlighten me”
“It’s about protecting my identity and in t-turn t-the family’s.”
With a maniacal laugh, he said, “Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you forgetting how you had me waltz into her office in broad daylight to proposition her? I’m pretty sure she would have no trouble identifying me.”
“All she knows is you were my associate. You had nothing to do with her kidnapping.”
“Yeah, I’m sure she won’t put two and two together,” Aleks mused.
“Look, it’s simple. With me wearing the mask, she won’t ever have a name t-to g-go with a face. By having her treat “the client” via closed-circuit, she won’t ever see my face. The Beast will remain just the client’s associate–the one who was with her last when she was kidnapped.”
“You seriously expect me to believe that you’re not doing this split persona thing so you can put a move on this chick?”
Shrugging, replied, “You d-don’t have t-to b-believe shit. I’m just t-telling you the plan.”
Fuck. Aleks had both my emotions and speech all rattled. It didn’t help that he was able to see through me so easily to know my plan was absolute bullshit.
“Whatever, brat,” Aleks muttered as Lev came out the side door.
He must’ve noticed the tension because he glanced between the two of us. “Did your abduction go okay?”
“Fuck. You,” I growled.
“Ah, I guess that means it did,” he mused.
Aleks snorted. “Maksim was just telling me how he’s going to wear the mask to protect his identity in front of the doctor.”
Lev frowned. “Seriously?”
As I shot daggers at both of them, Aleks said, “He thinks the highly intelligent doctor won’t make a connection between my handsome mug with the people who abducted her.”
Making a face, Lev asked, “Does that mean we’re going to have to be masked while we help you?”
“I haven’t worked out all the p-parameters, but I would say it’s a p-possibility.”
Both Lev and Aleks groaned. “You owe us big time for this.”
I cocked my brows at them. “I b-believe the two of you forget you’re speaking to your future p-pahkan.”
“Co-pahkan,” Aleks replied with a wink.
“And Father’s not dead yet,” Lev countered.
“Unfortunately,” Aleks remarked.
“I wish I’d never t-told you two mudak’s about D-Dima’s and my plan,” I grumbled.
“If you hadn’t, Dima would have,” Aleks reasoned.
“Whatever. The point is I’ll still b-be fifty percent more in charge than you t-two.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re never going to let us forget it, right?”
“Fucking straight.” Jerking my chin at the car door, I said, “G-Get the luggage and g-groceries in while I take Sarah upstairs.”
“Seriously? That’s grunt-level work,” Lev complained.
A grin spread on Aleks’s cheeks. “Why can’t one of us carry Sarah?”
Closing the gap between us, I glared at him. “Because no one b-besides me lays one finger on her.”
With a wink, Aleks said, “Jesus, brat, you’re one possessive step from pissing on her leg.”
“I’ve already filled her with my cum, or I would.”
“Holy fucking shit, Maksim,” Lev remarked with a grin.
Aleks clapped me on the shoulder. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d been unhinged over a woman.”
“I could say the same about you.”
“Unlike you, I may be filling them but not claiming them,” he teased.
With a roll of my eyes, I said, “Ty svin'ya.”
“You’re right. I am a pig when it comes to women, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
I pinned him with a hard stare. “It will end very soon. Dima and I are going to need both of you in marital alliances.”
Both Aleks and Lev’s eyes bulged in horror. “I’m only twenty-one,” Lev protested as Aleks grunted, “Fuck that.”
“When we t-ake Father out, we will b-be weak. We will need allies, and the quickest way t-to do that is t-through marriage.”
“And what about you and Dima? Are your cocks gonna be on the block too?” Aleks countered.
“Do you t-think we could g-get out of it?”
“Just making sure.” Aleks jerked his chin at the back seat. “Especially with how you’re acting about the good doctor.”
I jerked my hand through my hair as a ragged breath escaped my lips. “Regardless of what I might feel about Sarah, I know what my d-duty is.”
It felt even worse saying it out loud as it did floating around in my mind. At the end of the day, I needed to remember my duty to the Korolov Bratva. Even if she ever dared to give me a chance, there was no place for Sarah in my life.