Chapter 30 – MAKSIM
Thirty
MAKSIM
Ifollow the echo of gunfire and stand behind the glass, watching her feed round after round down range. Each hitting their mark. Growing up in a family like ours, and working around people whose job is death, marksmanship stops being impressive, except when it’s hers.
Maybe I’m just biased because I like her.
Pride swells in my chest watching how deliberate she is. Each move clean, every motion timed, every shot precise. And she looks damn good doing it, too.
The range had already closed for the night, but I intercepted Remi in the parking lot, and she let me in. I didn’t have to ask, and she didn’t say a word, but I’m sure she knows about Valentina and me. The side-eye and the faint, knowing grin gave her away.
It doesn’t surprise me. From the moment Remi was born, Valentina was drawn to her, protective, patient, and endlessly gentle for a girl her age.
They grew up side by side…inseparable. Seeing that bond now, still unshakable after everything, makes me feel a little less guilty about the years I wasn’t here.
Valentina props the door open with a crutch, bends to retrieve her bag from the floor, and tosses it across the threshold. When she straightens, she gasps, not expecting me, and in a flash her fist collides with my abdomen, followed by a left hook to the chin.
Even through the pain of unexpected punches, instinct kicks in, and I throw my arms out to catch her before the momentum sends her off balance.
“Maksim! What the fuck! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“No,” I grunt, wiping my mouth, “but I think you split my lip, beautiful.”
Her thumb swipes the bead of blood, guilt flickering across her face. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you.” Her tone suddenly hardens as she swats my chest. “Why would you sneak up on me like that? What if I hadn’t holstered my weapon? What if—”
“Shut up.”
I fist her ponytail and kiss her. She gasps, but then her bad leg hooks around my waist, pulling herself up. My hands find her hips, holding her there, anchoring her to me.
I don’t realize how much I’ve missed her until now…until everything clicks into place the second she’s in my arms.
Fuck. What has she done to me?
“How’d you get in?” she asks, lips brushing back and forth against mine.
“Remi,” I murmur, nibbling, licking, tasting.
She tips her head back as I trail down her throat. “You miss me or something, Ruso?”
“I did.”
With a laugh, she scrapes her nails down the back of my neck. “I would’ve felt terrible if I’d shot you in that pretty face.”
“Yeah, that would’ve been bad,” I say against her skin. “But I might’ve forgiven you…for the right price. Or a sexual favor.”
Valentina bursts into laughter and kisses me harder.
“Come back to my place,” she whispers, lips peppering small kisses along my jaw.
I’ve never been the kind of man for soft gestures. I fucked, and I moved on. But with her, it’s different. Every glance, every word, every taste cuts deeper. And I crave it—I crave the inevitable ruin.
“I want you to come with me somewhere first.”
She eyes me curiously. “At this hour?”
“What? You don’t trust me?”
“Of course I do. Take me anywhere.”
I pull into the back lot of the fair and cut the engine. It’s dark. No flashing lights, no music, no stray laughter or sounds of a crowd. The park has been closed for over two hours.
“I hate to break it to you, Maxy, but we’re a little late.”
I laugh, exit the car, and circle the hood to open her door, offering my hand. “You said you trust me.”
“I do. But this feels a lot like breaking and entering.”
Little does she know we’ll be adding grand theft to that charge.
We reach a chain-link fence, and I pull out a slim key and slide it into the padlock. Valentina’s brows climb as she flashes me another incredulous look.
I run deals, move product, and earn the respect of all those who work for me, but this type of job is new territory. One motivated solely by the reward of putting a smile on her face. The two grand I paid for secrecy, and this damn key was worth every penny.
God, I don’t recognize myself when it comes to her. It’s almost laughable.
Inevitable ruin.
“Success,” I say as the door swings open. I step aside and motion for her to go first.
“So what exactly are we doing here after hours? What are you getting me into?”
“So many questions, Ptichka.”
Valentina glances over her shoulder and smiles. “Almost as many as the nicknames you’ve given me.”
I close the distance, my breath brushing her ear. “You told Remi about us?”
“I did. If I were going to start somewhere, it’d be her.” She stops but doesn’t turn around, just leans back into my chest. “Did she say something?”
“No,” I say, tracing the edge of her shoulder with my gaze. “She didn’t have to. The way she looked at me, the way she let me in without a single question, told me everything I needed to know.”
“She likes you—likes us. Together.”
I step around her and close in until she has no choice but to look up at me. My hands find her face, thumbs brushing her jaw.
“Yeah?” I smile. “I have to agree.”
“Maksim, where are we going?” she whispers over my lips.
My original plan will have to wait. Because I need her now. Need to feel her, taste her, die in her arms.
“Detour.”
Before she can question me, I hook an arm under her thighs, crutches be damned, and lift her effortlessly. She squeals, clutching my shoulders as I carry her through the deserted fairgrounds. The wind catches her hair as we near the one place I know we’ll both enjoy.
The mirror maze.