23. Maksen
23
MAKSEN
A nnalise left with her father in his office, and I remained behind with Katya and Olivia. I was already prepared for any extreme situation that might come, and I wasn’t going to step backwards from protecting Annalise at any cost.
“Let’s go outside. I need to talk to you,” Katya whispered and I saw the despair in her eyes.
Olivia looked at both of us, but kept silent. Her face looked as if millions of thoughts were hidden behind it, and the tears that were almost rolling down her cheeks made me realize that she had been more than worried for us. After all, she raised Annalise.
“Do you need anything to drink?”
“Not now, Olivia. Thank you. Just come to us if you hear screams coming from upstairs,” Katya said and turned on her heels.
I followed her with slow steps, and the moment she opened the window glass door, we stepped outside and I felt shivers down my spine once the icy wind hit me. She turned to me and she was already crying.
“We’ll be marrying each other in four months, Maksen. We have to do something. My father is going out of his mind, talking about someone named Ender McKnight and how he’s going to destroy him. I-I tried to talk to him about taking Annalise with me, but he wasn’t happy to hear it and –”
She was talking so fast that I noticed she wasn’t even breathing, so I put my hands on each side of her shoulders and made her stop talking for a few moments. But as soon as I got closer to her and my fingers involuntarily pulled her sweater off her shoulders, my gaze fell on her skin and I saw bruises.
Many violent black and blue bruises were covering her skin and she instantly pulled herself away from my touch.
The next moment, all I knew was how fast I moved my gaze to her face and saw how much foundation cream was covering her skin. It was something I was used to when it came to Katya, but this time, it was too much even for her.
I grabbed her by her jaw and turned her gently to one side, and the moment her skin stretched, I noticed a darker color coming from under the layer of foundation.
“Did he beat you?”
She looked at me with fear in her eyes and was almost on the verge of bursting out crying again.
“Fucking hell!” I screamed, feeling the anger flowing in my veins as I couldn’t take my eyes off her bruises.
She instantly covered my mouth with her tiny hands, and her cold fingers made me look down at her. She was so scared. She wasn’t the Katya I knew anymore, and this happened in just three days since we left with no trace.
“We have to play his game until we create ours,” she mumbled, her voice trembling with pain.
“I’m sick of his games,” I growled, trying so hard not to raise my voice more than I already had.
Wait. She said something about Ender.
“You said something about Ender McKnight. What exactly did your father tell you about him?”
She looked at me attentively, then she wrapped her arms around her body and started chewing her lower lip.
“He said that he’ll get revenge on him at any cost. He didn’t tell me this, but I heard him talking when he was drunk.”
Revenge on Ender for what? I helped him win all the auctions and have all the beautiful girls he wanted to resell to filthy old billionaires. Why did he want to take revenge on Ender?
“Do you know that man?”
“Yes, I do,” I quickly answered, looking at her while I was thinking about everything that was going on.
“And why would my father want revenge?”
I kept the silence for a few more moments, and then I started walking in circles as I was also trying not to freeze.
I knew Lukyan hated Ender with all of his soul, but I also knew that they were good friends before something that’s unknown to me happened. I had to discover what that was, so I could dig deeper and find Lukyan’s plans.
He wasn’t going to tell me what he had in mind anymore considering I disobeyed him once again, but he was going to use me to do his dirty work because he knew better than anyone how good I was at taking care of bad people. Only that he was the bad person in this situation, and I was sure of that.
“You’ll move in with me, and you’ll bring Annalise with you too. There’s no in-between, Katya. You’re safer with me than you are with him.”
“He’s not going to let her come with me, Maksen, and you know that very well.”
“Make him,” I replied harshly, pinning her with my eyes. “And if he touches you again, I promise to you that I’ll kill him with my hands when the right moment comes.”
And the next moment, I turned on my heels and left the house. I hopped in the car and told the driver to take me home.
I needed time with my demons because I felt like I had forgotten how to dance with them.
Once I arrived home and closed the door behind me, I inhaled deeply and felt the loneliness that was so characteristic of my house. I had Taylor who cooked for me, but aside from him, I only had my bodyguards and, well, myself.
I stepped up the stairs and made my way to my bedroom, opening the door and letting it swing behind me. I grabbed the phone from the desk, turned it on, and sighed as I saw the many calls Lukyan had left me.
I couldn’t wait for the moment when he was going to talk to me or maybe shoot me again. I was stronger than him, more cold-blooded than him, and even smarter than him. I had everything I needed to erase him from this Earth.
But I felt bad that I had to bite the hand that fed me.
He was like a father to me. Since I could remember, he raised me and taught me how to be a real man in this cruel world. But I realized that he was preparing me for being his best tool in this dark odd world we were a part of.
And he made me way better than he wanted, because I was the only one able to kill him.
I woke up and the bed was soaked in my sweat. The sound of a strong vibration coming from my bedside made me furrow my brows and turn around to grab the phone from it, realizing that was what woke me up.
Once I had it between my fingers and looked attentively at its screen, I smirked as I was waiting for this moment to come. It was Lukyan. I swiped right with my finger, answering the call and letting my gaze fall on the window only to see that it was the middle of the night.
He coughed at the other end of the phone, and by the way he was making sounds with his mouth, I knew he was drunk.
“Maksen, son,” he said slowly. “I missed talking to you,” he then added and coughed again.
I kept the silence for a few more seconds, then I rose from the bed and moved my feet to the window.
“Lukyan,” I replied, gripping the phone involuntarily between my fingers.
“You know, there’s an auction coming tomorrow. You came back right on time.”
Of course, he was following his interests, but he was also looking for something else. I knew him better than anyone.
“I know. I’ll see you there.”
“We have to win, son.”
“And we will.”
He exhaled deeply into the microphone and I realized he was smoking from his favorite cigar, likely accompanied by a glass of fine cognac he always liked to have.
“You’re a hell of a boy, Maksen, and I can’t be mad at you for what you’re doing. I mean, you’re going to be my son-in-law in four months, I can’t be mad at you at all,” he explained, laughing after he spoke the last word.
The anger was coming at me with steady steps and I felt my blood rushing down my veins.
“Yes, I am, and I’ll have the most beautiful bride,” I said, knowing very well how surprised he was going to be hearing me speaking like this.
“I am indeed convinced that you two will have a beautiful marriage. Katya is perfect for you.”
“I know.”
I was lying so fucking hard that even I almost believed myself.
However, I knew Lukyan was confused, or maybe he didn’t even think about trying to believe my words. I wouldn’t have either.
“See you tomorrow, son. Prepare yourself for the war.”
“Good night.”
I ended the call, then I threw the phone on the bed’s surface and gripped my hair strands between my fingers. I woke up alone in this fucking big house and in this big bed, without anyone who could’ve told me that everything was going to work out.
I was trying so hard not to lose my shit, but I felt my heart starting to beat faster as my mind got caught in the many thoughts that were devouring my soul alive.
I was a strong man for as long as I avoided letting myself fall prey to the feelings that were coming for my sanity. Yet these past few days I let myself fall into an abyss of feelings, memories, and traumas I knew I couldn’t face with the ease I was used to.
The bird in flames. Sylvian. Annalise. My marriage with Katya. All the truths were coming for me, following me, and urging me to take them all in.
Nothing was going well, and I needed something to make me remember who I was. I needed me, the one who doesn’t let his feelings control him.
But the memories of little me trying to escape the evil things that plagued him so badly didn’t let me rest.
I moved my feet out of the room, turning on the lights in the hallway and making my way to the kitchen to eat something.
I needed time alone.
I needed time to process that I had trauma to deal with, no matter how much I was trying to deny it.
I needed time to rediscover myself, even if that meant destroying me once again, because I promised Annalise that I wouldn’t cut myself again. And I needed to keep that promise.
I was ready to conquer the world, but before doing it, I made sure to bandage my legs well enough so my suit wouldn’t drench in my own blood as the cuts I made were even deeper than I’ve ever made them.
I couldn’t keep my promise.
I just couldn’t.
With each cut I did into my flesh, I felt I was getting closer to my real self. The one who could die burning in flames and not even feel the pain.
I made sure to have my knife on my belt and my favorite Glock hidden in my jacket. I was going to attend the auction where many mafia mobs were going to attend, including Ender McKnight.
Once I checked myself up once again in the mirror, I took in a big breath, then I turned on my heels and made my way downstairs. My gaze fell on the watch on my wrist, and as soon as I saw that it was eleven o’clock, I knew that Lukyan should’ve already arrived at the hall where the auction was being hosted.
I stepped out of the house and made my way towards the armored Jeep that was waiting for me. I’ve always liked to be escorted to this kind of event with a car that not only protected me but also showed off who was inside of it. And I loved contouring this image for myself before I even got out of the car.
Boyce started the engine as soon as I hopped up on the back seat, and then he pushed the gas pedal to the ground.
My mind kept flying to Annalise and Katya, and how they might’ve been home now, talking to each other and discovering that neither of them ever wanted to harm the other one.
I was surprised myself that Katya wasn’t the bitch I always thought she was, yet to Annalise that might be more than just a surprise considering that she grew up knowing she had an evil little sister.
With each street we passed by, my heart was starting to beat even faster knowing that I’d be soon at the auction, trying to buy the best women out there and win the night.
However, my nervousness wasn’t actually coming from this, but from the thoughts of meeting Lukyan again and facing the storms and thunders between us.
I was ready for any word he had to spit in my face, and I was even more ready to face his punches or even his glock.
I knew him better than anyone, and I also knew how damned in the head he was when someone pissed him off. But I wasn’t just pissing him off, I was disobeying him, betraying him with steady movements and trying to beat him at his own game. And I was aware that he sensed it, but he needed the confirmation I wasn’t ever going to offer him.
After we turned right on the paved alley, I raised my glance and saw how bright the moon was shining on the dark sky above us. It was a cold late autumn night and the only thing I could think about was how the atmosphere matched what I was about to do.
I rubbed my hands on each other when the car stopped in front of the enormous hall. I took a deep breath and opened the door, jumping out of the car and fixing my suit as I started walking towards the entrance.
This auction was the last one this year and that meant nothing but the start of a war. All the mobs were trying to buy the best girls who were going to make the most money, so I needed to find the power in myself to face all those skanks I hated so much.
I walked past the threshold and took a glass of champagne from the table aside, raising my glance up and analyzing the surroundings.
The noise of the many discussions that were taking place at this moment made me take a deep breath and slowly move towards the first rows of seats.
“Maksen!” Lukyan’s voice caught my attention as I walked past the chairs, so I turned on my heels and looked in his direction.
He looked better than he did in the last couple of months, maybe because he was trying to portray a man he was not. He wanted to make an appearance here amongst all the vipers that were waiting to bite at any corner, and I was here to do the same. Only that I wanted to bite him.
“We’re standing in the front row,” he said, offering me a gentle smile.
I knew there were so many dark things hiding behind his smile, so I was content with just nodding and sipping a little gulp of the champagne.
He took me to the first row and sat down on one of the chairs. Before taking a seat too, I looked attentively at all the names written on the chairs and to my own surprise, I saw that we were sitting by the McKnights.
I sat on the chair next to Lukyan and I let my gaze fall on the chair beside me, where Laura McKnights’ name was written.
Great.
The lights went out in the whole room and the melodramatic music that was playing when I arrived stopped.
Now, the voice of a man opened the night as some yellow lights fell on the scene in front of us. When I raised my gaze to the scene, I heard footsteps and the moment I turned to my right side, I saw Laura walking toward me.
She was wearing a long blood-colored dress that hugged her curves in a majestic way, and she made sure to match the dress with the red lipstick she had on her lips.
“Good evening, Maksen,” she whispered as she sat right next to me.
I smirked in the corner of my mouth and sipped from the champagne, trying so hard not to look at her as much as I wanted to.
“Good evening,” I quickly replied.
“I can’t say that I’m surprised to see you here, but I am surprised to see you here alone.”
“I’m always alone,” I said, pinning her with my eyes.
“But your heart is not,” she mumbled and her lips curved into a smirk. “Where is she? When will I be meeting her? I would love to meet precious Annalise,” she then added, fixing a strand from her hair.
How did she know about me and Annalise?
“I’m marrying your girlfriend in four months. Guess what you already know is just a fake rumor,” I lied so briefly that she opened her mouth in shock.
She looked at me a few more moments before speaking further, but when she went to say a word, the man on the scene announced that the girls to be auctioned were coming to our attention soon.
“May your sins be forgiven, son,” Lukyan whispered close to my ear, and by what he told me, I understood very well that he wanted me to win the auction tonight.
Everyone kept silent in the hall as the beautiful yet terrified girls started walking on the scene. But my heart stopped beating the moment I noticed how young they actually were.
Some of them looked like they were children. The make-up they had on their faces hid the hours they spent crying, which made my body ache in pain.
They were children. All of them. And all of the men in this hall were drooling at the sight of them, including Lukyan who was probably already thinking of how much money these girls could make. I had to do something. Either kill these men or buy all the girls to save them.
Laura tensed up beside me and I turned my attention only to see her facial expression which showed me how irritated she was by everything she saw. However, she pressed her lips into a straight line, then raised her glance up to me.
“These are minors,” she mumbled, trying not to be too loud so her family would hear her.
But I could feel the burning eyes on me now that everyone had noticed I was talking to Laura, including the eyes of Ender, the biggest enemy of our families.
Therefore, I allowed myself to let my gaze fall somewhere beyond her and meet the dark irises of her father. He was pinning me with his eyes, and I felt how he projected his hatred on me, but as soon as the man started presenting each girl, he turned his head to the scene and broke the visual contact.
“Yes, they’re all minors. I’m pretty sure of it,” I whispered close to Laura’s ears and I saw how she trembled hearing my words. “And I’ll buy the youngest one because that’s what’s going to bring me the most money,” I added, feeling how every inch of my skin was being cradled by icy shivers.
I was disgusted with myself for talking like that. There was no one in this world who had to know what was truly happening inside of my heart. Only Annalise, and I was sure she had second thoughts about it too considering she knew I was an assassin.
The moment I said her name in my head, I remembered the way her lips pressed on mine felt like, and for a short period of time, I felt at home just thinking of how she kissed me so clumsily every time.
But before letting myself fall prey to these thoughts that were probably going to make me vulnerable now, Laura subtly hit me with her elbow the moment a girl who didn’t seem aged more than fourteen years old came on the scene.
“This can’t be true,” she whispered, and I felt the terror creeping into her tone of voice.
Fucking hell.
“Did you know about this?” I asked Lukyan and he gave me a smirk that made me want to puke.
“No, but we need to buy her. She’s the youngest, so she’s going to be the most wanted of them all.”
The urge to punch him in the face until I would kill him came to my senses as soon as I heard what he said. He deserved all the evil in the world, so maybe that’s why his wife died and his kids hate him as much as I do.
However, I had enough respect for him to not kill him right away. But with each word he spoke, I felt like I was losing every drop of emotion for him.
“Four hundred thousand for our beautiful Lysandre. Four hundred thousand once.”
I had to save her. I had to make her think she fell into the devil’s arms until I found a way to get her out of this world. Something in me ignited with each second I kept looking at her as if she was made from my own blood.
“Eight hundred thousand,” I yelled, raising up the little palette with my number.
The man eyed me with a smirk on his face. “Eight hundred thousand once for Mister Brown. Eight hundred thousand twice.”
“One million,” the voice came from my right side and I knew exactly whom it belonged to.
Ender fucking McKnight. If little Lysandre was going to be bought by him, she was going to be destroyed.
“One million dollars once. One million dollars twice. Let’s see who would beat the one and only Ender McKnight!”
The little girl had tears rolling down her cheeks now that she saw how high the bets were on her. I could see her frightened eyes closing, trying so hard not to face the reality she had to get used to.
“Two million dollars!”
This time, I growled, making all the people in the hall keep silent as they were too shocked to even be surprised by the enormous amount of money I bet.
Lukyan was smiling like a lion who just caught his prey, and I was feeling my heart beating faster with each second passing by.
“Two million dollars for Mister Brown!”
I felt Ender’s gaze falling on me, trying so hard not to burn me alive.
“Two million dollars once. Two million dollars twice. And our beautiful pearl is Maksen Brown’s property!”
My heart started pounding harder as I sat up from the chair and moved my feet to the scene. The little girl started crying the moment I took her hand in mine.
I wanted to comfort her, to make her feel better, and understand that she was going to be protected from now on, but it would’ve been all in vain considering how terrified she was.
We started walking out of the scene and we got lost behind the red velvet curtains from each side of it. She was trembling, breathing heavily, and considering how fast her chest was rising and going down, she was going to faint soon.
I double-checked the surroundings, making sure there was no one who could’ve heard me talking to little Lysandre, then I stopped and made her stop too. I looked down at her, and my soul crashed the moment I saw her tears drying on her face.
“How old are you?”
She looked at me with fearful eyes. “I-I’m thirteen.”
For God’s sake. It was worse than I thought.
I’m looking at her and I’m seeing the same fear in her eyes that I was feeling as a child. The memories suddenly started to come back to my mind, and Sylvian’s name began to echo inside my head. He was there, always hiding behind my thoughts, always driving me crazy, and making me forget that I have reasons to be happy in this life.
“I’ll get you out of here and my driver will take you to my house. Once you’re there, I want you to take a shower, then sleep, or do whatever you want, just don’t leave the room you’re going to be put into,” I whispered close to her to avoid any other ears hearing what I’m saying.
“Sure,” she replied, her eyes big round eyes looking at me attentively.
“You’re not going to be harmed again. You’re safe now. Once I get back home, I’ll come back to you and we’ll see what I can do to hide you from these awful men.”
Her lips parted, curving into a light smile that only hid a deep fear. I knew she wasn’t going to trust me so easily considering what hideous things she must’ve been through, but the least I could do was try to comfort her.
“Let’s take you to a safer place,” I told her, grabbing her tiny hand in mine and starting to walk to the exit door.
I knew this hall better than anyone and I also knew that my driver would wait for me here because this was the door through which I always left. There were always armed attacks when the auction was over, so Lukyan and I always wanted to avoid these situations.
I opened the door, letting little Lysandre go out first, then I followed her and the chilly wind hugged us both, announcing to us that November took the lead over the atmosphere outside.
We walked towards my car and the driver hopped out of it, welcoming us as we stopped in front of it.
“Take her home and lead her to the guest’s bedroom. Make sure she eats and protect her at any cost.”
“Sure will, Mister Brown.”
She eyed me before entering the car and making herself comfortable on the back seat. I gave her a comforting smile, then I stepped back from the car and once its tires squealed on the wet ground, my attention got caught by a laughter that made my skin itch.
“You know, Maksen, this is the night the war will begin,” Ender’s voice welcomed me as I turned on my heels, looking at him attentively.
“Then I shall prepare my weapons.”
He laughed again, in the most devilish way he could do it. “We’ll not fight with weapons, but with souls.”
“May the most wicked soul win.”
“Then you’ve already lost, because you’re not wicked. Not even a bit, no matter how hard you’re trying.”
We looked at each other deeply, and I felt my heart pounding harder in my chest.
He wasn’t ready for the war. And I wasn’t ready either because I didn’t know how deep I could dig in the darkness.
But the way his eyes flashed with a spark before going back in the hall made me realize that I had to prepare for the worst.
I had to be the wickedest to beat the wicked.