Page 21 of Maxim

“Stop what?”

“Pretending to be nice. I know cruelty, but this is worse. I’d rather know the monster now.” I brace myself for the worst.

When his hand touches my face, I flinch.

“I’m not like them. I didn’t want to buy you, Olena.”

“Why did you then?”

“Because if I didn’t, you would have gone to a man who would have raped you and abused you, and I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I could have stopped it. So I bought you and brought you to my home. It’s fucked up, but it’s all I had, Olena. I won’t hurt you.”

I want to believe him, but life has proven to me that there is no good. Only the bad and the worse. I don’t tell him that, though. I only nod.

He gives me a small smile before standing. Then he heads back into the kitchen, leaving me with my thoughts.

I need to get out of here.

Soon.

She’s been pretending to be asleep for an hour now. I only know because I’m stalking her with my phone like a creep. I thought Alexei was crazy for insisting on cameras in every room, but here I am using the bedroom cam to watch my new guest toss and turn.

I fucked up. I shouldn’t have bought her. I can’t be sorry for it, though. Watching her on that stage, I knew I had to save her. I don’t know why she called to me specifically, but she did. I should have taken note of who bought her and passed it along as was our plan, but I couldn’t. Not when I saw who else was bidding on her.

Now I likely blew my cover.

Nik is going to kill me.

As I have the thought, my phone lights up with a message. I wish it was Nik, but he would never risk it.

No, it’s from Jan.

My office in an hour.

It’s not a request. It’s a demand. One I must heed.

What if Olena was a test?

He didn’t ask me to bring her, though. I can only hope he doesn’t plan to kill me then take her back.

I look at her once more through the camera.

She wants to go home. Maybe not to her father, but she doesn’t want to be here. I wish I could have told her that she was free to leave. Truth is, like it or not, we are stuck together for the time being.

She still thinks I will hurt her. I won’t, though. I’ll do anything to protect her.

Pulling my burner phone out, I send a message to Alexei in code. He will check the feeds and see what I want him to see. He will know to watch over her.

Then I head to the door, punching my code in to lock the house down.

I meant what I said to her. I have no one but me here. That doesn’t mean the place isn’t safe. Alexei set me up with the top-of-the-line security. If anyone gets in, it’s because he allowed them to. Like when Jan had his goons search my place. We allowed them to break in, then watched their every move.

This is my first invite to his house. I don’t like it, but I have no choice. It’s either go or take Olena and run back to the Bratva with my tail between my legs. That would do us no good.

So I make the drive, stopping by the gate.

“Name?” the guard barks.

“Maxim Boyoko.”