Page 14 of Bound Vows (Empire City Syndicate #3)

Maya

Waking up with the taste of regret and Andrei Volkov lingering on my lips ranks among the stupider decisions I’ve made in my twenty-seven years of questionable life choices.

I roll out of my bed in the guest bedroom and immediately regret the movement when every muscle in my body reminds me what I did last night.

Not just the sex—though my thighs feel the aftermath of that particular mistake—but the comfort I offered a man who’s forcing me to marry him.

The way I let him touch me, the way I touched him back, and the way I enjoyed watching him come apart beneath me.

“Brilliant, Maya,” I grumble while pulling on a robe. “Sleep with your captor. Again. That’s going to end well.”

The shower does nothing to wash away the memory of Andrei’s hands on my skin or the way he looked at me when I made him come.

I scrub until my skin turns pink, but I still feel the phantom pressure of his fingers and the heat of his mouth.

Worse, I can remember the broken sound he made when he talked about his family’s massacre.

I dress in jeans and a sweater, hoping casual clothes will help me feel less like the woman who seduced intelligence from Italian patriarchs and more like the woman who plans to escape this golden prison.

The transformation doesn’t work. Every time I catch my reflection, I see someone who’s compromising everything she was raised to believe.

Breakfast waits in the dining room along with Andrei, who’s dressed in a charcoal suit that makes him look like he stepped off the cover of a business magazine. He glances up when I enter, and his smile carries enough heat to melt glaciers.

“Sleep well?” he asks while buttering his toast.

“Like a baby. A guilty, self-loathing baby who makes terrible decisions.” I pour myself coffee and add enough sugar to fuel a small army. “You?”

“Better than I have in years.” Andrei sets down his knife and studies my face with satisfaction. “You have a remarkable talent for providing comfort, Maya.”

“Don’t get used to it. Last night was…” I search for words that won’t further inflate his ego. “A lapse in judgment.”

“Of course it was.” His tone suggests he doesn’t believe that for a second. “Though I hope you’ll experience more such lapses in the future.”

I take a large gulp of coffee and burn my tongue, which seems appropriate given my current situation. “Speaking of the future, what’s on your agenda today? More restaurants to burn down? More lives to destroy?”

“Business meetings. I’m flying to Philadelphia this afternoon to finalize territorial agreements with families who’ve decided cooperation serves their interests better than resistance.” Andrei reaches for his phone and scrolls through a packed schedule. “Should be back tomorrow evening.”

The words “flying to Philadelphia” hit me right in the solar plexus. Andrei will be gone for an entire day, which means this is my chance to negotiate better conditions while I have whatever leverage last night might have created.

“That sounds important,” I reply while my brain works through possibilities. “I’m sure you’ll convince them that cooperation is their only viable option.”

“Persuasion comes naturally when you hold the right cards.” Andrei finishes his toast and stands to refill his coffee cup. “Though I confess, leaving you here alone makes me somewhat nervous.”

“You could always take me with you. I’d love to see Philadelphia.”

“I’m sure you would. Unfortunately, this particular trip requires my complete attention, and you prove rather distracting.” His gaze travels over my body in a way that makes me remember how distracting I can be. “Alexei will ensure you have everything you need while I’m gone.”

This is it. This is my opening to ask for something he might grant because he’s feeling generous after last night’s encounter. I set down my coffee cup and turn to face him.

“Actually, there is something I need.”

“Oh?” Andrei leans against the counter and crosses his arms. “What might that be?”

“I want to call my brother.” The words come out in a rush before I can second-guess myself. “Five minutes. Just enough to let him know I’m alive and unharmed.”

Andrei’s face transforms from satisfied lover to dangerous businessman in the space of a heartbeat. “Absolutely not.”

“Max is losing his mind with worry. According to what I heard last night, he’s making increasingly desperate demands for assistance from families who might not survive your expansion plans.

” I saunter over to him, exaggerating the switch of my hips.

“A brief call would calm him down and prevent him from doing something stupid that gets more people killed.”

“Your brother’s emotional state isn’t my concern.”

“It should be. Desperate men make reckless choices, and reckless choices create complications you don’t need while trying to consolidate territory.” I stop just close enough to remind him of our physical connection without being obvious. “One phone call could prevent significant problems.”

Andrei studies my face for a moment before he says, “You’re attempting to manipulate me.”

“I’m attempting to solve a problem that benefits both of us. Max’s desperation is endangering the very people you’re trying to bring under your control.” I cross my arms and match his analytical stare. “Unless chaos serves your purposes better than order.”

“Chaos never serves my purposes.” Andrei drains his coffee cup and sets it aside. “However, communication with your family presents obvious security risks.”

“Then minimize those risks with conditions. Monitor the call, limit the duration, and screen everything I say.” I lean against the counter beside him. “You’re smart enough to control a five-minute conversation.”

Andrei doesn’t respond for several moments. He stares out the window at Central Park while his fingers drum against the granite countertop. I can see him weighing risks against benefits, calculating whether my request serves his interests or threatens them.

“Five minutes,” he finally declares. “Monitored, recorded, and terminated immediately if you attempt to pass any information about my operations, my location, or my security arrangements.”

“Agreed.”

“You’ll speak only about your health and safety.

No coded messages, and no subtle references to anything that might provide intelligence about your situation.

” Andrei turns to face me with a look that could freeze vodka.

“Any violation of these terms results in immediate consequences for the people you’re trying to protect. ”

“I understand the conditions.”

“Do you? Because if you think last night’s encounter grants you special privileges or exemptions from consequences, you’re dangerously mistaken.

” His voice drops to the deadly whisper that makes rational people reconsider their life choices.

“I might have allowed you to see my softer side, Maya, but that doesn’t mean I’ve become weak. ”

“I never thought you were weak.” I meet his stare without flinching. “But I do think you’re smart enough to recognize when cooperation serves your goals better than intimidation.”

Andrei considers this for another long moment before nodding once.

“The call will take place before I leave for Philly. Two-thirty this afternoon.” He checks his watch and frowns.

“That gives you six hours to prepare what you want to say. Alexei will monitor from the security room while I supervise. You’ll have five minutes to reassure your brother, after which communication ends regardless of what he says. ”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. If your brother attempts to trace the call or uses information from your conversation to mount a rescue operation, he’ll discover that my gratitude has very definite limits.” Andrei straightens his tie and heads toward the dining room exit.

After he leaves, I stare at my barely touched breakfast while my mind races through everything I need to accomplish in the next six hours. Five minutes isn’t much time to convey the information Max needs without triggering Andrei’s suspicions, but it’s more than I had yesterday.

The key will be using references that mean nothing to Andrei but everything to someone who’s known me since birth.

Family jokes, shared memories, childhood nicknames—all the tiny details that create a language only Max and I understand.

I’ll have to be subtle enough to avoid detection but clear enough that Max grasps what I’m telling him.

I finish my coffee and begin planning the most important conversation of my life. Five minutes to save my family without destroying the fragile trust I’ve built with a man who’s capable of systematic genocide if I push him too far.

No pressure at all.

The hours crawl by. I read books I don’t remember, watch television shows that run together, and pace the penthouse like a caged animal counting down to feeding time. Every clock in Andrei’s home seems to move backward, and by noon, I’m ready to climb the walls.

Alexei appears around 2 p.m. with updates about security arrangements and departure schedules. Andrei’s flight to Philadelphia leaves at six, which gives us plenty of time for my supervised phone call before he heads to the airport.

I pause at the window overlooking Central Park, watching people move through their normal lives while I prepare for a conversation that could determine whether my family lives or dies.

By 1 p.m., my nerves are stretched tight enough to snap. I’ve rehearsed my conversation a dozen times and planned every word and pause. The challenge will be delivering information that sounds innocent to Andrei while providing Max with everything he needs to understand my situation.

Andrei appears in the doorway, wearing a different suit and carrying a leather briefcase that probably contains enough sensitive information to bring down half the crime families on the Eastern seaboard. He checks his watch and nods toward the study.

“Time to make your call, Piccola.”