Chapter Two
Olivia – Five Years Ago
Where the hell was Max?
He was the only reason I survived these awful events.
I managed to avoid most of them by following his advice and being a diva, but the yearly gathering of all the families was unavoidable.
I stood beside the swimming pool, the fairy lights from the garden creating patterns on the surface of the water.
“I believe congratulations are in order?” A deep voice said from behind me.
I pursed my lips together for a moment to stop my heart from trying to escape, before turning to face the man who seemed to be the constant fantasy of every girl I spoke to.
“My sister is delighted with her engagement,” I replied, drinking in every aspect of him.
The lanky youth has disappeared, and in his place stood a distinguished man with wide shoulders, and hair so dark it reminded me of a raven’s wing.
Max had an easy energy which screamed he was at the top of the food chain, and he always seemed to have a glass in his hand.
I took the glass and tasted a sip. “No alcohol?” I queried.
He shrugged one broad shoulder. “Someone is always trying to fuck me or fuck with me. It’s easier to keep a clear head.”
Yeah, I’d seen the lust-filled gazes watching his every move.
“How’s Poppy?” I asked, changing the topic of conversation as it made me uncomfortable thinking about all the women trying to get in his boxers.
He sighed, trailing his fingers through his hair in the characteristic Max move that said he didn’t agree with the situation. “Engaged. She has been with Lucio since she was thirteen, and dotes on him.”
“And?” I queried, taking another sip from his coke.
He gave me his side-eyed stare that would send most people running. “And, she’s my little sister, and he is an animal.”
“At least he was her choice,” I replied.
“He was her way of rebelling against Dad.”
“Every one of us has a different prison cell we reside in,” I said, turning to stare at the lights of the city below us.
“I heard a rumour about you and Dale,” Max said, leaning on the rail beside me, and nudging me with his shoulder.
I had taken another page out of Poppy’s book, and “dated” Dale who was shy and didn’t fit into our world. Neither of us had any interest in each other, but it gave us breathing space with our families.
“You shouldn’t listen to rumours,” I replied.
“They tend to be spread by people who don’t know the whole story.
” Since it made my stomach curdle, I didn’t mention the names of all the women he had been associated with in the past few months.
It had also been the reason I had avoided these parties as I didn’t want to see the glamourous women clinging to him.
“Amen to that,” Max said, retrieving his glass from me to sip his drink.
We stood overlooking the city in the comfortable silence I always associated with Max.
When we returned to the party, Maximus re-emerged and that man was a playboy who drove fast, partied hard, and left a string of broken hearts behind him.
We had forged a friendship over the years, gossiping about those around us, and complaining about our fates.
“I’m travelling to Europe next month,” I said, leaning forward on my arms and closing my eyes. “Mama’s sister lives in England, and she invited us to stay for a while. It’ll make a change from the constant rows at home.”
Dad didn’t approve of Dale. He had other men in mind for me to marry, and solidify his standing in this world of darkness and corruption. I could live a life with no love and companionship, but what I couldn’t do was marry a man who disgusted me, and allow him into my bed and body every night.
“Take a coat, every time I go there it rains on me,” Max replied. He stared into the night, his jaw tight as if something was bothering him.
“What’s up?”
He glanced down at me and groaned. “No one else can read me, but two minutes with you, and you are psychoanalysing me.”
I turned to lean my back against the rail. “We’ve known each other a long time.” It was a statement, and we had an unspoken understanding that we didn’t lie to each other.
Maximus remained silent for several moments. “There’s shit happening at the moment that doesn’t sit well with me. Our fathers are getting greedy, and it’s costing lives.”
I had heard the whisperings between our security officers.
“They are creating a war, and won’t listen to reason.” He trailed his fingers through his hair, and I resisted the urge to smooth it back into place.
“All you can do is try your best. We both know that nothing we say or do will stop our fathers.” The men who ruled this empire played a game of chess, leaving players dead on the board without remorse.
His dark eyes met mine, and I witnessed the anguish Maximus was currently experiencing. He was a good man stuck in an impossible situation.
A noise in the bushes made him stiffen and slowly turn, casually handing me his glass. He moved with lithe predator movements, even though my pulse pounded in my ears. A figure dressed in black stepped from the bush, the gun in his hand lifting to point at Maximus.
“I was told any of the heirs would suffice, but the heir to the kingdom is a bonus.” I didn’t recognise the man, but he had a familiar accent. “The bitch is a tasty extra morsel that will fetch a high fee.”
“Who would be stupid enough to send an assassin to the annual gathering of the clans?” Maximus asked, but I noticed, his hand moving slightly to his belt as he tilted his body to protect me.
The man waved his gun to indicate we move in the direction he had appeared from. “Move, both of you,” he commanded. “Don’t try and play the hero. I have no problem blowing your brains out, it will be the same result as what is planned.”
I stumbled forward, Maximus’ hand steadying me.
“Let the girl leave,” Maximus said in that low growl I recognised as his angry tone. “She has nothing to do with our organisation. You got what you came here for.”
The man huffed out a laugh. “There is no one here tonight who is not linked to your organisation. Even the waiting staff have been vetted, and work in your organisation.”
A second man in black emerged from where we were being herded. He indicated that Maximus lift his arms before he patted his body down.
“Do you really think I would be carrying under a designer suit?” Maximus queried, his toned bored and arrogant. “Not that you would understand the mechanics of fine tailoring.”
The second man looked like he was about to backhand Maximus, but the first man pulled him back. “He’ll be under our control soon enough, and his smart mouth won’t save him. The boss will make him watch while every man has a go with his little girlfriend.”
I grabbed Maximus’ hand, needing his strength right now since no one had ever pointed a gun at me the way this man had dared, or implied what he just had. His thumb stroked the side of my hand, and I tightened my grip.
Behind the elegantly pruned bushes was a pathway that led away from the house toward the back of the property. There didn’t seem anywhere we could escape to, and I didn’t know how many other enemies were out here lurking in the darkness.
Maximus nudged me slightly, and I stumbled in the ridiculous shoes I was wearing. He made an exaggerated display of helping to steady me, his hand returning to the fancy circular metal buckle of his belt. The middle detached to reveal a flip knife.
His eyes met mine, and my mouth dried at the expression in those eyes. My friend had disappeared, and in his place there was a coldblooded killer. I had heard tales of the infamous Maximus, and now I witnessed the man be had become.
Man two moved forward to drag Maximus away from helping me, and I watched in horror as he stuck the blade into the side of his neck, the light from the moon allowing me to see the blood spurting from it in pulses that coincided with his heart trying to pump his blood around his body.
Man one turned to see what was happening, and lunged forward. Without thinking, I leaned back on the ground, spinning slightly to kick up and assault him in his balls. My personal trainer always told me to aim for anything that came in twos.
He flinched, my blow only slowing him down marginally, but it gave Maximus enough time to turn his attention to him.
Maximus’ first punch, resulted in a sickening crunch, and blood pouring down the man’s nose.
I crawled back, shying away as the man on the ground reached for me as blood oozed from where the knife was still embedded in his neck.
I had watched men spar before since I had trained in kickboxing for years, but this was different, a feral violence present in every movement of limbs.
Both were skilled fighters, connecting with their opponents.
However, Maximus moved with a lithe precision which reminded me of a wild tiger, manipulating his rival to where he wanted him before he pounced.
Several times, a scream crept up my throat before I swallowed it again, not wanting to alert any colleagues they may have waiting for them.
The man overreached on his next move, and Maximus grabbed his wrist, twisting it and bringing his weight down.
The sickening crack said he had broken his arm.
Without missing a beat, Maximus contorted his body until he stood behind the man, his arm snaking around his neck.
I couldn’t look away, even as my breath caught in my chest. My eyes were glued to Maximus’ dark gaze. His arm jolted, and a crunch sounded before he dropped the man to the ground.
I had never witnessed anyone dying before. In my head, they should be in a hospital bed surrounded by those who loved them most in the world. I slowly turned my head to look at the other man. He lay on his side, blood covering his hands and face, his eyes and mouth open.
“Come on.” Maximus stood in front of me with his hand held out. “We don’t know how many more there are, and we’re sitting ducks out here.” He didn’t wait for me to take his hand, reaching down to lift me up.
He shook me by the arms until I looked at him. “If anyone asks, they were trying to take you when I stepped outside. Do you understand?” Maximus shook me again, and I nodded slowly.
Everything after that happened at high speed and slow motion at the same time.
Constant questions made my head spin, yet I stuck to the story of going outside for some fresh air and to look at the city at night.
The men came from nowhere, Maximus appearing just as they were about to drag me down the path.
I was sitting on a chair when I saw two large, dark coloured plastic bags being carried by some of the security officers.
“Are they dead?” I whispered, already knowing the answer since I had seen Maximus murder both of them.
“Don’t look,” Mama said. “It’s best if you forgot everything you saw here tonight. We’re bringing the date of our trip forward and will be leaving tomorrow.”
Papa nodded absently, his gaze trained on the two bodies being carried away. “Why Olivia?” he finally said.
“They were probably just waiting for the first person to arrive outside, and she had the misfortune of being that person,” Maximus said, appearing from nowhere.
My head jolted back to stare up at him. A stranger glared back at me, a barrier forming between us that had never existed before.
Tears began to escape and roll down my cheeks, and a cacophony of emotions flooded me.
Maximus took a step back, and it felt as if a ravine opened between us.
I started to shake uncontrollably, and Mama stepped in to hug me, Papa barking orders to someone in the background.
I hated my life, the violence, the security officers watching my every move, and the constant stream of strangers arriving to speak to Papa.
Maximus turned his back to take a phone call, his fingers dragging through his hair again. He had always been a stranger to me in these ballrooms, becoming my friend behind closed doors where no one knew we existed.
My shivers intensified, the room closing in around me.
Images of the dead men swam through my mind, and I found it difficult to breathe.
The last thing I remembered was a man with a black leather bag appearing, and him injecting me.
Even as I fell into unconsciousness, I was aware of Maximus watching me, his dark gaze never once leaving me like an avenging demon who had clawed his way up from the depths of Hell.