9. Giselle #2
I can’t tell if this guy is being genuine or threatening. It’s terrifying. I nod slowly, and he turns back to Artem.
“Your mother and I are going to pay a visit to Andrei and the girls today before we leave tomorrow,” Artem nods, and they continue their conversation in Russian to leave me out, so I let myself out of the room.
I decide to let myself wander around the mansion, trying to figure out where exactly everything is. I peek inside a door I find, and a hand comes to quickly shut it over mine.
“Nosy today, little G?” Maxim says as he releases my hand.
“I can’t open this door?”
“Not unless you’d like to see some blood, are you into that?”
I furrow my brows, turning back to the door and back to him. “You guys just have some freaky torture chamber casually behind an unlocked door?”
He laughs, and then adjusts his lip piercing with his tongue. Is he joking? Or is there seriously something like that here?
“If you think you want to see, I’ll show you, but I did warn you.”
I look at him with a curious look. “I’m not afraid of blood, you know,” I remind him, and he laughs.
“Yeah, I guess you’ve sent my brother away bleeding a few times.”
He passes me, and opens the door for me, gesturing for me to enter. We walk down cement steps, the lights turn on as we walk down, and I put my arm to my nose immediately.
He was unfortunately not fucking joking.
There’s a metal table and chair chained to the floor in the middle of the large room, and dried blood covers different spots of the concrete floor. I turn to face him, my arm still covering my nose to shield myself from the smell of blood.
“Maxim, must you bring women down here?” We both turn and see Roman trudging down the steps.
“What? I’m just giving our new sister a tour of her home.”
Roman sighs and puts his hand out to bring me up the steps, and I take it as he helps me up with Maxim following behind. “You know Artem told you not to mess with her,” Roman scolds.
“Mess with her? I’m just being welcoming. Right, sis?”
Maxim puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me tight.
Okay, maybe Maxim is crazier than Artem and I was underestimating him before.
The demented look in his eyes when they meet mine are something I’d never seen before, and I move myself out of his hold. Roman sighs again, as we all walk over toward the large den area.
This room looks comfortable, but definitely a room in a man’s house. It has a larger-than-life television, along with a bar and a large, L-shaped couch.
“Is this where you guys hide?” I ask, as my hand tests the couch cushion.
“It’s usually where we do business when we have company.”
“Business? Here?” I ask and Maxim laughs.
“Yeah, business or pleasure, usually.”
I raise one of my brows as I go to check out the bar. I don’t even want to imagine what kind of shit happens in here, then. Guess I will avoid sitting directly on the couch.
“Do you guys always have so many random men here?”
“Why? Afraid of them?”
I roll my eyes and pour myself a shot from the bar. “I just think it isn’t safe to have a bunch of guys here that aren’t family. Especially when you’re all so casual and leaving important doors unlocked. Someone could sneak around or take things.”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head G, no one will be pocketing your panties except Artem.”
My mouth drops open as I toss the cap of the bottle at him. “He fucking told you about that?” I scream, as Maxim laughs trying to dodge the cap.
That slimy asshole. I knew I shouldn’t have even played him in poker that night, but I hated that stupid smug look on his face. That bet is going to haunt me forever.
“Don’t be embarrassed, we’re family now after all.”
“Fuck you,” I spit out, and Roman picks up the cap I threw.
“Alright, calm down. You can’t be mad at Max just because Artem told him.”
“Actually, I can be mad at whoever I want, whenever I want to. And all three of you Sokolov brothers are pissing me off.”
Roman furrows his brows, “The fuck did I do?”
“Alright, alright. I’m sorry, okay? Truce,” Maxim says with a smile, coming over to me. “I already told you I’m on your side anyway,” he pouts.
I roll my eyes for the millionth time. “Fine.”
“Great, because it’s just going to be me and you tonight, G. Roman is going to go meet Artem later.”
I sigh and put away the bottle and shot glass. “Great, can’t wait.” I mutter sarcastically, and we all leave the den.
I follow Maxim into the kitchen and see Artem must have left already.
“Missing your husband?”
“Ugh, no, where do you come up with that anyway? Stop always trying to read my mind.” He chuckles and pulls out a bar stool from the large island to sit down. I sigh, thinking about what his mom was saying earlier before Artem swiftly interrupted us.
Would Maxim tell me?
“Can I ask you something?” I ask sitting at one of the other stools. He tilts his head in curiosity. “Who is Sara?”
His demeanor changes a bit, sitting up straighter. “Sara? Where did you hear that name?”
“Well, I was talking to your mom this morning and she mentioned it, but Artem came in before she could finish.”
He looks down thoughtfully before he replies. “Sara is just Artem’s ex.”
“His ex? He hasn’t dated anyone in all the years I’ve known him.”
He stands from the stool, going to grab himself a bottled water from the fridge. “Yeah, I mean they started dating when Artem graduated high school.”
I furrow my brows trying to think. When he graduated? He and I didn’t cross paths until three years after that, when I graduated. I guess it just didn’t last? Is that what has him so bitter?
“It didn’t end well or something?”
Maxim sighs and closes the fridge. He seems reluctant to talk about it, which is weird because he usually can’t keep his mouth shut.
“She died, a little over two years in. It was . . . sudden.”
Oh. Well, I wasn’t expecting that.
“How did she die?” I ask and he doesn’t answer. “Seriously? You won’t tell me?”
“Why don’t you ask Artem?”
I shake my head. “Because I’m asking you, I thought you said earlier we’re family, right? No secrets?”
“This is probably the only thing I won’t tell you,” he says sincerely.
He sees my expression and comes back to sit by me. “Look, I know you and Artem enjoy your little feud, and it’s fun to watch, I won’t lie. But, if you ask him, don’t be a bitch about it.”
I slap his arm, furrowing my brows. “Don’t call me a bitch.”
“You know what I mean,” he says with a light chuckle as he takes a sip from his water bottle.
“Artem isn’t delicate,” I remind him.
“He isn’t, but he’s still just a person.” I huff and stand up from the stool.
“Fine, enough of this then. I have his card and I’m ready to blow it on some food,” I say with a smirk as I pull his card out of my pocket. He smiles back, and I pull out my phone to order.
The hours flew by as we sat and watched some horror movies while eating. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge horror fan, but Maxim seems to be having a good time watching me squirm at all the gore and explaining random lore to me, so I’ve allowed it.
I think he’s weird, but I don’t really mind his company. I at least find him predictable, and that’s comforting.
I check my phone and see it’s already almost ten.
“Artem is pretty late, huh?” he asks with a smirk.
“He said he would be,” I say casually, locking my phone.
“Yeah, I bet he did.”
“Why the hell are you laughing?”
He shakes his head, and I take one of the pillows to hit him. “I just bet Lana is keeping him busy, he went over to her father’s house anyway for business.”
“And who the fuck is that?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t seen the little blond with fake boobs clinging to him before?”
That son of a fucking bitch. If he thinks he gets to go fuck bimbos while married to me, he is mistaken.
“Are you being serious right now, Maxim?” I try to confirm, before I lose my shit.
“What? He didn’t tell you where he was going? I wonder why.”
I snap up from the couch, my hand balled in a fist. “What’s the address?”
He laughs, “you can’t go in there.”
I shake my head, with a mischievous smile. “No, I’m not going in there. But I’m going to teach him a lesson.”
“Fuck it, I’m in. I’d love to see this.”
He hops off the couch and walks to grab his keys to drive me over to wherever he is.
When we get there, I see his car parked outside of the house, and I’m seething.
I’m not fucking jealous. I just can’t believe he would embarrass me by fucking someone, when everyone knows we just got married fucking yesterday. I hop out of the car, ready to teach him a lesson, just like he loves to do to me.
Two can play that fucking game.