Page 26 of Maxim

To them, they all need saving. I agree with them too, but Olena is special. Different. I couldn’t let someone else have her. Not knowing the horrors that she has already faced.

It’s a weak excuse even in my head.

The truth is, something compelled me to buy her. I don’t know what it was, but I refuse to apologize for trusting my gut.

“That’s good. Plan on winning any others any time soon?”

“Nah. Got this new gig. Don’t need to win anything anymore. I got an in,” I inform him.

“That sounds promising.” He hums.

“Yeah. I’m happy about it. I’ll have access to all the prizes.”

“I’m sure the big boss at the end will be happy to hear it.”

He means Nikolai. Nik will be happy to hear that I’ve made some progress. It’s the first real step we have gotten to take in getting rid of this organization.

As the round comes to an end, so does our conversation.

“Great job. You won that round,” Alexei praises me.

I don’t deserve the praise, though. I bought a person. I did what we are trying to stop.

“Doesn’t feel great when you realize what I had to do to secure the win,” I admit.

“You do what you need to do to get the win. It doesn’t matter what lines you have to cross. The ends justify the means.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Truth is, I’m not sure I will survive the concessions I’ve had to make in order to take these people down. I know it’s important to get rid of the evil, but at what point do I become part of that evil?

Iroll over to my other side and stare out the window. I’ve been with my master for a week now, but it feels as if time has stopped. Almost as if I’ve been frozen in time. I hate everything about the situation I’ve found myself in. I’m homesick for my siblings, bored out of my mind, and lonely.

So fucking lonely.

Most of all, though, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. He doesn’t know it, but after he left the other day I checked all the doors and found that I was locked inside. While I wasn’t surprised, it was still disheartening and a reminder that in the end he bought me and I’m his possession. His slave.

Maxim has been nice and has stayed away. While I’m thankful for the distance, I know it will eventually end. One day he will decide to get his money’s worth out of me. It might not be tonight or six months from now, but it will happen.

My heart aches with despair. I push thoughts about my impending doom away and think of my siblings, which makes my chest ache even more. I would give anything to see them or,at the very least, speak to them. If I miss them as much as I do, I can’t imagine how much they miss me.

A knock on my door has me looking over my shoulder. Maxim stands there with his hands fisted at his side and a crease between his eyebrows. Even when he’s frowning, the man is attractive.

I guess it’s true what they say. The devil is attractive to draw you into his clutches. To damn your soul to hell.

“Good morning,” he rasps. Maxim must know I’m not going to respond because he pushes forward. “I have to leave for a few hours, but I’ll be back before dark.”

I nod, letting him know I heard him loud and clear.

Maxim huffs as he shakes his head before he walks down the hallway. When I hear the front door shut, I roll onto my back and my heart begins to race.

I know it’s a risk, but I can’t wait anymore. If living with my father taught me anything, it’s that I can’t be a sitting duck. I need to move when he least expects me to. Turning my head, I watch the arms of the clock click by second by second, minute by minute, until fifteen minutes have passed. I get out of bed and head into the closet. Quickly, I put on a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of leggings along with running shoes.

When I first found them in the closet, I was shocked. My father never let me own a pair of tennis shoes or leggings because they weren’t ladylike. Since living with Maxim, though, they’ve grown on me.

I guess one good thing has come out of this situation.

I take a deep breath as I pick up the hammer I found under the kitchen sink. I walk over to the window in my bedroom and look outside. Once I’m sure the coast is clear, I step to the side and swing. I grunt when the hammer rebounds, almost hitting me. Shock moves through me when I see the window didn’t even crack.