Chapter 24
MAKSIM
Ilie on the guest bed – no use getting the four-poster messy – as Lia packs and bandages my wound. She works efficiently, humming under her breath. I think it’s a way to keep herself calm.
“I can talk to your mother for you, if you want,” I say.
She glances at the window. The estate sits outside the city, with thick, tall walls and guards around the clock.
But hell, we had guards on Evelyn’s property, and this still happened.
Was somebody following me? Did somebody tip them off?
I vet all my men thoroughly, and I’ve never had any problems. I can’t think of someone who would fear Conrad Vale more than they fear me.
“Just worry about yourself right now,” she murmurs, securing the bandage.
I touch her hand. “Are you okay? This is more than you bargained for.”
She offers a shaky smile. “This whole thing has been more than I bargained for.”
I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her. She lets herself rest her head against my chest for a few moments, then finishes the bandaging.
“You’ll need to call work and tell them you’re sick,” I say. “You can’t leave here until I’ve handled this.”
“What does handled mean?” she asks.
“Putting them in the dirt. Conrad and his goons will have retreated now. But I’ll find them. I’ll find them and make them pay.”
She swallows, stepping away, arms folded.
“Are you going to tell me not to do it?” I ask in disbelief.
“No,” she replies. “I’m just shocked by how badly I want you to do it. They could’ve killed you, could’ve killed Mom, and for what? Because you dared to visit us for tea? Is that how this world works? Is that fair? If you’ve told me the truth?—”
“I have,” I say fiercely.
“Then you have a code. You have rules, at least. Where are the rules in this?”
“Vale is getting desperate. He must want our business badly. But he’s made a fatal mistake. He thinks he can pretend he’s a Bratva man too. But he’s not. He’s just a rich asshole who knows how to pay the right muscle.”
The door burst open, and Nikolai rushes in, his face pale, tears in his eyes. I’ve never seen my little brother so devastated. He kneels at my side and grips one of my hands in both of his.
“God,” he whispers, squeezing my hand tightly. “Brother, I thought you were gone. These dogs. Who do they think they are? We need to ride out tonight. We need to burn every goddamn Vale property to the ground. We need to kill them all.”
I squeeze his hand, then pat him on the arm. “Chin up, brother,” I tell him. “We’ll get our revenge, but we can’t be hasty. We need a controlled attack.”
Nikolai stands, turning to Lia. My heart warms when he asks, “Are you okay?”
She nods. “I think so. A little shaken up.”
“That’s understandable. I’m sorry you have to be part of this. I wish things could be different.”
I think about a different world, where this could simply be a heartwarming scene between my brother and my girlfriend. Well, my kind of girlfriend, my almost girlfriend.
But there’s too much at stake.
“Lia,” I say gently. “I need to speak with my men.”
“Okay, sure. I should go and talk to Mom. What should I tell her?”
“The truth,” I say immediately. Nikolai gives me a look. “She deserves it. And I’m not going to force Lia to lie to her mother.”
She walks over and kisses me on the cheek.
“Best nurse ever,” I whisper, and she kisses me again.
A minute later, Anton joins us.
“Were you followed, boss?” he asks. “No tracker on your vehicle. One of our men dead. Two of theirs. We’re talking to cops. They know to shut their mouths.”
“I don’t think I was followed,” I say. “But hell… I was distracted.”
Nikolai and Anton look at me in shock.
“I know,” I snap, sitting up, wincing as the bullet wound tugs and flares in pain. “This doesn’t leave this room, but I was thinking about Lia, about meeting her mother. I might not have been as vigilant as I should have.”
Anton nods. “Happens, boss. No one will know.”
“Nikolai, you should check on Rachael and her son.”
His face goes pale, his eyes widen. He looks like a little boy suddenly, wearing a kimono one size too big with an anxious smile on his face. Will you teach me, big brother? Can I be strong like you?
“Why?” He asks tightly.
“Listen,” I tell him. “I’m pretty sure Rachael is the woman who’s been giving you trouble.
I think you did more than save her and her boy.
I think you’ve fallen for her, and hell, there’s nothing wrong with that.
But it’s time we were honest. If you have fallen for her – and if they somehow find out – she could be at risk too. ”
“She’s in New York,” Nikolai says uncomfortably.
“Yeah, a four-hour drive,” I grunt.
He massages his forehead. “I’ll call her.” He looks at me with hard eyes. “If Vale hurt Rachael or Mikey, I won’t be able to stop myself. I’ll burn it all down.”
“I get that,” I say. “You did a good thing, saving them. Make sure it all wasn’t for nothing.”
Nikolai leaves the room. Anton stands at the window, then turns, frowning.
“What?” I ask.
He moves closer, lowering his voice. “I have to say.”
“Say it, then.”
“He’s been acting… strange,” Anton says. “He can always know where you are?—”
I dart my hand out and drag Anton toward me. It’s not often this hard, grizzled man is afraid. But he is now. My blood is boiling. My vision red.
“Nikolai has saved my life multiple times,” I snarl. “Nikolai has never betrayed me, never even come close. He's the only family I have left. Do you understand me? Do you fucking understand me?”
“Yes.” Anton gasps, wheezing out a breath. “I know. Boss. Sorry.”
I shove him away, shaking my head in disgust.
I can’t believe he’d even say some twisted shit like that.
“Find Vale,” I snap. “And get ready for war. That’s all you need to worry about.”
He bows at the hip. “Boss.”
Once he’s gone, I grab my phone and make a flurry of calls. My men will now scour the city. Crack skulls. Kick down doors. Until we find this bastard with half a key and less than half a heart.
A text comes through from Lia.
Lia: Mom isn’t mad. I thought she was going to be furious because I lied to her.
But she just hugged me and said she was sorry.
She said she feels terrible because I didn’t feel comfortable telling her the truth.
She says that if I chose you, then she trusts my judgment. I wasn’t expecting this reaction.
Despite everything – the attack, Anton’s absurd accusation – the message makes me feel lighter.
Maksim: I’m happy for you. She’s a good woman. She clearly cares about you. She just seems trapped. And I understand that. I’ve been trapped in one role for my entire life. Until I met you.
Lia: I think you’re just dizzy from the blood loss.
Maksim: No, Lia. I’m dizzy from being with you. I know this isn’t simple. I know when this is over, you might want to walk your own path. You might want to forget this ever happened. But I want you to know, I’ll never forget it.
Lia: I can’t make any decisions right now. But I know I’ll never forget this either.
For now, that has to be enough.
A minute later, my phone rings. I shake my head in disbelief.
“Vale,” I say, answering.
“Volkov,” he replies. “I hear you were involved in an unfortunate incident today.”
Shit-eating prick.
“I’m in the process of rectifying that,” I grunt.
“Is that so?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“Hmm.” He pauses. “I wanted to propose a business deal. Our programmers have been hard at work, but your code is solid. You wouldn’t happen to remember if you misplaced another phone someplace, would you?”
“All this for half a key,” I say, laughing at him. “All this just to fail. When you realize your end has come, when you look up at me and understand you’ll never see another sunrise, will you think this was all worth it?”
I hang up, grinding my teeth.
Steal from me, attack me, threaten me, that’s one thing.
But risk my light’s life?
He’s a dead man walking.
After a few moments, my paranoia gets the better of me. I call Anton. I give him instructions. “Just in case.”
He grunts. “Yes, boss. Good thinking.”
I feel sick.