CHAPTER 6
MAXIM
I keep my eyes on the Hammond Whiskey I’m swirling around in my glass, forcing myself not to take in the men around me who are lounging with deceptive casualness around Kirill’s office in our home.
The tension between us is palpable, but I’m not going to be the one to break it.
Not tonight.
Kirill is too on edge, and I learned a long time ago when to push and when to sit back and wait.
This is definitely one of the times to wait.
I can see the wheels in his mind turning from here.
He’s calculating.
He’s analyzing.
I’m not going to be the one to disrupt the way he thinks.
He needs this.
And he’s not the only one.
All of us have been quiet since the moment we walked out of White Stone’s private dining room.
The food, which I was looking forward to since it reminds me of my mama’s cooking, sits like a stone in my gut.
It was delicious, as always, but it was the company, and the offer Chambers laid on the table that made it feel like I ate glass instead of the traditional food of my homeland.
The bastard.
How dare he offer up his daughter like some prize.
She is, don’t get me wrong, but still.
The moment I saw her, I wanted her.
Underneath me.
Writhing and moaning my name.
Coming all over my fingers, my mouth, my cock.
There is something more there as well.
It wasn’t the innocence she seemed to display, which was truthful, but there is so much more to Oaklynn Chambers than she allows others to see.
She reminds me of a chameleon hiding in plain sight.
I want to know more.
I’m man enough to admit that even though the thought of settling down has never crossed my mind before.
My soul is screaming that she is the woman to tame me, to make the darkness recede, to bring me peace in times of chaos and strife.
How can one woman make me feel so much when she hardly said a word and we were able to spend so little time around her?
It makes no fucking sense and thinking about it only makes my headache pound behind my eyes with more force.
“That man doesn’t deserve a daughter like Oaklynn,” Kirill breaks the silence first, his voice filled with malice and fury.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Baker offers to the room and all of us nod in agreement.
He’s not fucking wrong.
My instincts are screaming at me.
“Chambers didn’t offer up his daughter just as an incentive for a partnership. There’s more to it,” Kirill’s voice is cold, but I can see the red-hot fury in his eyes when I glance away from my whiskey and lock eyes with him.
He takes a sip from the vodka in his glass while studying each one of us in turn.
While I’m normally good at reading my brother, I’m not sure what he’s thinking right now.
It’s unsettling.
“You want her,” I throw the words at my brother while gauging his reaction.
He stands abruptly and starts to pace the room, his glass of vodka forgotten.
He reminds me of a caged lion, the energy around him dangerous and filled with a threat of violence.
I know it’s not directed at me, but my own primal need, the feeling I’ve been trying to ignore since meeting Oaklynn, roars to life inside of me.
He’s not the only one who wants her.
“Like you don’t?” My brother snarls the words, throwing the question right back at me.
I smirk at him and revel in the way he’s unraveling for a moment.
It’s so unlike him.
“No,” his voice is hard, “don’t do that.” When I arch an eyebrow in question, he points at me.
“She deserves more than your games.”
I hold a hand up in surrender and admit, “I’m not playing a game.”
Kirill’s narrowed eyes study me for a moment before his shoulders slump and he sits back in his chair.
It’s as if something settles inside of him with my words.
It would be laughable if this weren’t so serious.
“I want her,” Kirill announces without preamble.
“You want her, or you want to take the deal?” The question slips past my lips before I can stop it.
My brother’s eyes are sharp when he looks at me.
It’s a look I’ve seen him give to his enemies and the thought of him looking at me the same way, over a woman, has me sitting up straighter.
Oh shit.
“You felt the same thing I did,” I exclaim, the surprise evident in my voice.
“She’s mine,” he confirms with a decisive nod.
“I know there is more at play, but I don’t care. If he can use his daughter as a bargaining chip, I have no doubt he’s trying to use her in other ways.”
“Maybe he thinks she’ll be a mole if he can get her in our inner circle,” Baker offers, his voice soft.
When I look at him, it’s clear he has more to say.
Huck has the same look on his face.
And I know.
They want her as well.
Have we found the woman meant to be shared between us?
The women who will become our heart?
My own heart pounds in my chest at the thought.
I never thought we would find a woman capable of taking on all of us.
The strength of such a woman would have to be astounding.
There’s no doubt in my mind, given what I saw from Chambers tonight and what I already know about the way he’s conducted business, Oaklynn has that kind of strength.
“I want her too,” Baker finally admits and when I look at Huck he’s nodding his head.
“There’s something about her,” Huck adds.
Their words feel like a lifeline.
I didn’t even realize how tense I was at the thought we weren’t all on the same page.
I should have known better.
These men are more than my friends, more than blood, they are my family.
Of course, when we meet the woman meant to be ours, we would all recognize it.
“Chambers has something up his sleeve,” Kirill’s voice is threaded with steel.
“He’s not going to be happy I didn’t jump at his offer.” His gaze meets ours in turn.
“It’s going to take all of us to protect our woman.”
Our woman.
“Oh shit,” Huck whispers, the words resonating with him the same way it feels like they reverberate through me.
Kirill’s eyes widen as he realizes what he’s said.
But he doesn’t try to backtrack, not that I would expect him to.
He’s always been a man of action.
Our woman.
The declaration settles around us, wrapping us each in the certainty of the truth hidden in something so simple.
Something so fucking right.
The looks shared between us go from surprised and confused to determined and possessive.
I can’t keep the smirk off my face.
Oaklynn has no idea what she is in for, but she will.
Soon.
I hope she isn’t in on whatever her father has planned.
My gut is telling me she’s innocent.
I’ve gotten damn good at reading people over the years and even though she tried to hide it, I saw the flash of fear on her face along with a fire in her eyes she tried to keep from us.
“There’s a fire in her,” I murmur, “but there is also pain in her eyes.”
Huck sighs and slumps into a seat on the large, oversized couch in the room.
“I saw it too,” he admits, his eyes fixed to a point in the distance only he can see.
Pain flashes across his face for a moment before he schools his features.
His voice is pained, “Do you think he’ll hurt her?”
Kirill’s head snaps in his direction, anger radiating off him.
“Did you find any evidence of past abuse?”
Huck shrugs while shaking his head.
“Not specifically. There were some medical records, but I didn’t dive into them. Nothing raised any red flags in that direction, but I was focused on finding out everything about Chambers, not his daughter.”
“Dig deeper,” Kirill growls.
Baker cracks his knuckles and pulls out one of his knives, a menacing look on his face.
“If he’s hurt her, I’ll gut the bastard.”
“You’ll have your chance,” my brother promises.
Hopefully, Baker leaves a little bit behind for the rest of us to play with.
When I glance in his direction, his face is hard and his jaw is clenched.
The joking air about him is gone, replaced by cold fury and determination.
I can’t help but grin and shake my head.
“Oaklynn has no idea what is coming her way,” I mutter.
Baker meets my eyes, and his stone facade cracks, a grin growing on his face.
“You’re not wrong, brother,” he teases.
I roll my eyes and then direct my attention back to my brother as he downs the last of his vodka and slams the glass on his desk.
He takes the measure of each of us for a moment before he nods, finalizing our plan and what we’ve discussed.
“Looks like we have a woman to claim without selling our souls to the likes of Richard Chambers,” amusement dances in Kirill’s eyes with his proclamation.
I scoff, “Sell our souls? What is left of them?”
“Good question,” Huck fires in my direction while pointing at me.
“I’m always up for an abduction,” I offer up only to get glares from the other men in the room.
I hold my hands up in surrender and bark out a laugh.
“What? If we stole her out from under his nose, then we wouldn’t have to pretend to take his deal. She’d still be ours. We’d still be able to give her the freedom she so clearly craves.”
Kirill shakes his head, but he can’t hide the way the corner of his mouth twitches with amusement.
“No,” he shakes his head, “I think it’s a better idea to have Chambers think he’s fooled us and take the deal. He’s the kind of man to let his guard down in favor of greed and pride.”
“Then we’ll just need to convince Oaklynn we aren’t just using her like her father,” Huck’s voice is thoughtful.
He sighs, “I’m not sure it will be an easy task.”
“Maybe not,” I offer, “but if she’s anything like I think she is, underneath what is expected of her, she’ll see the truth quickly.”
“Don’t underestimate the need to survive,” Huck whispers.
He points out, “You don’t know what he is holding over her head.”
I sit up straighter in my seat, anger filling me and making me want to blend into the darkness and track down Chambers right now.
“We’ll eliminate all threats to our woman.”
Kirill nods, the safe movement filled with pride.
“Richard can think he’s getting what he wants,” he offers up to the room, “but I’m going to wait a few days. I don’t want to seem too eager. He’s expecting us to play his game, but he has no idea what the rules really are.”
After I stand and give a nod goodnight, every step toward my room is heavy.
We have a plan.
I try to find solace in it, but the thought of harm coming to Oaklynn before we can get her to safety has my gut churning.
If Chambers were a smart man, he will protect his daughter with his life.
But I already know he’s not bright enough to do so.
Not when he not only walked into the demon’s lair without a second thought but invited that darkness into his life with open arms.
He’s going to be in for a surprise when all dust clears.
I can only hope that the only blood left on the battlefield is that of our enemies.
If our woman is hurt by what is coming for us, I’ll burn the world down to avenge even a single drop of hers spilled.