Chapter 8
MAX
T he warehouse reeks of diesel and desperation. I stand in the shadows of the loading dock, earpiece crackling with updates from my team.
Mercer is inside, barking orders at his remaining loyal men, oblivious to the net tightening around his entire life. Three years of careful work, hacks into his shell companies, falsified transfers, quiet disruptions to his transport network, have led to this moment.
Three years of me pretending to be someone else. Pretending to be this disgusting fuck’s and his slimy peers’ friend.
Finally, today, Gerald Mercer’s empire burns. And it’s not fucking soon enough.
“Phase three complete,” my second-in-command mutters through the comms. “Accounts frozen. The last shipment of girls was intercepted twenty minutes ago.”
Satisfaction surges through me, cold and sharp. In the last few years, this is all I’ve lived for. This is what I’ve my relationship with my brother for…my relationship with Sydney, but I can’t think of that right now.
I can’t afford the distraction in this big moment of the Kedrov revenge.
The trafficking routes that snaked through Mercer’s logistics network are collapsing in real time.
His dirty money is evaporating. By morning, he’ll be a ruined man staring down federal charges that will never let him see daylight again.
I adjust my cufflinks and step into the light as Mercer’s security waves me through. He thinks I’m still the wealthy investor ready to “save” his company. Fucking fool.
“Max.” Mercer greets me with a sweaty smile, clapping me on the shoulder like we’re old friends. “The transfers went through?”
“Every one.” I keep my voice smooth, the Volkov mask firmly in place. “Though I must say, Gerald, your accounting was… creative.”
His laugh is nervous. I let the silence stretch until his smile falters. Then I drop the hammer.
“It’s over.”
His face drains of color as men flood in behind me. Feds in tactical gear. Kedrov enforcers in the periphery. They’re on site today, but in the official report, this was all the FBI. We were never here.
Mercer sputters, reaching for his phone, but it’s already dead. I watch the realization hit him, the way I’ve imagined it for months. This is for the Kedrov family and for every other family’s life he destroyed.
“You son of a bitch,” he hisses as cuffs snap around his wrists. “Who the hell are you really?”
I lean in close, voice low. “The man who brought your ruin. Rik Kedrov sends his regards. This is for his sister. You don’t remember the young Russian girl your men kidnapped and trafficked. One of many who committed suicide to escape the life you’d trapped her in. But the Kedrov family does.”
He’s dragged away screaming. I stay until the last van pulls out, the flashing lights painting the outer wall of the warehouse red and blue. The adrenaline that once would have left me buzzing now feels flat. Empty.
Because all I can think about is her.
Sydney.
The way I sent her away claws at me. I know I was too cold and distant.
I told her to pack like she was cargo instead of the woman who’s become my everything. I regret it with every breath. I was terrified, for her safety, yes, but also for the way she makes me feel. Big, messy, uncontrollable feelings I wasn’t ready to name.
Possession that goes far beyond the auction contract.
Love.
When Rik warned me she was in danger, panic froze me. I pushed her away to protect her, but I did it like a bastard.
I climb into my car and drive, knuckles white on the steering wheel. Memories flood me, unbidden and vivid.
The way she looks when riding me, head thrown back, moaning my name as her tight pussy clenched around my cock. And when she comes apart so beautifully, trembling, whispering she’s mine. The tender moments afterward. Me stroking her hair, kissing her head while she’s curled against my chest.
I want that again. For the rest of my life.
But I never explained that. I let her leave, thinking I didn’t care about her.
I fucked up.
I slam my hand against the wheel.
Rik calls as I near Alex’s house. I put him on speaker. “It’s done,” I tell him. “Mercer is finished. The family has its justice.”
“Excellent work, Maxim.” His voice carries rare approval. “Come by tomorrow for the full debrief. You’ve more than earned your place back in the family.”
I should feel triumph. Instead, I feel hollow. The revenge I chased for so long tastes like ash without Sydney to come home to. She’s my family now.
The iron gates of Alex’s house loom in front of me, reinforced and monitored. I park outside and approach on foot. Two guards step forward immediately.
“I’m here to see Sydney.”
One of them radios inside. Minutes later, the gates open just enough for Alex to step out. My half-brother looks as pissed as I expected. We share the same dark hair and build, but years of estrangement puts disgust on his face whenever he sees me.
“Maxim.” His voice is flat. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I need to see her.”
Alex crosses his arms. “No. You don’t get to drop your drama on my doorstep and then waltz in like nothing happened. Besides, your sugar baby doesn’t want to see you.”
The word “sugar baby” hits like a punch. It’s what she is on paper, but she’s so much more. “It’s not drama. Her life was in danger because of me. Because of my fucked-up life.”
Alex’s eyes narrow. “And whose fault is that? You bought her at an auction, Maxim, throwing your dick around while doing so. What were you thinking?”
I flinch. The regret burns hotter. “I know how it looks. But it’s real between us.
Or it was, until I fucked it up. I…” I trail off, swallowing hard.
“I can’t tell you all the details of why my life has been a mess for the last three years.
Not yet.” I need permission from Rik before I can share that with my brother.
I swallow. “But I can tell you, I was scared about how Sydney makes me feel and not ready to deal with it.”
For a second, something flickers in Alex’s expression. Recognition? Maybe even reluctant understanding? But he doesn’t soften. “She’s broken, man. Crying in the guest room. Barely eating. Rosie’s been trying to talk to her, but all she does is cry.”
Each word lands like a knife. I rake a hand through my hair, chest tight. “I need to fix this.”
“You could have been gentler with her. Especially with her brother in the hospital.”
My head snaps up. “Her brother is in the hospital?”
“You don’t even know that her brother has been in a coma for the last eight weeks? Alex sighs. “You’re such a fuckup.”
Holy fuck. Ben is in the hospital. That must be why Sydney needed the money. Shame fills me. “I need to see her, Alex.”
“Not tonight. Give her space. And while we’re at it—” My brother steps closer, voice dropping. “We need to talk about us too. You disappearing into this undercover shit, acting like the Kedrov name means nothing and keeping me in the dark. We’re brothers, whether or not you like it.”
“I couldn’t,” I protest. “The Feds insisted the Pakhan was the only one in the know.” The downturn of his lips shows how he feels about my excuse. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’ll grovel and fully make it up to you later. But right now, Sydney comes first.”
Alex studies me for a long moment. “She’s been paying for her brother’s care with every cent you gave her. Her savings were depleted and credit cards maxed out. The auction was the only way she could dig herself out of debt and continue paying the hospital bills.”
The ground shifts under me as Alex confirms my suspicions. Guilt crashes over me like a wave. She’s been carrying this alone while I fucked her every night and never asked.
“I didn’t know,” I whisper.
“Yeah, well, now you do.” Alex jerks his head toward the gate. “You need to fix your shit, Maxim. But a simple apology is not enough.”
He turns and walks back inside. The gates close behind him with a heavy clang.
I stand there in the dark, the weight of everything settling on my shoulders. The takedown is complete. Revenge achieved.
But the real battle is just beginning.
I drive away from Alex’s fortress with new purpose. The revenge mission is over, but now I fight for her. The most important battle of my life.