Page 29 of Maxim

“Up,” I demand.

As she tries to push herself up off the floor, she slips in the small puddle of blood that gathered under her. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as a young boy shifts his weight when she hits the hardwood.

Is that her brother? Did her father really beat the shit out of her in front of the child?

I wouldn’t put it past him.

Again, Olena pushes herself up and then stands. She keeps her head bowed. She flinches when I reach forward and grab her by the chin. I lean down until we meet eye to eye.

Olena’s eyes are the saddest ones I’ve ever seen, and it fucking kills me. No one should ever live through the shit I’m sure her father has put her through.

And to think, he has two more kids under his roof. Who knows what he’s doing to them.

“You’ve been naughty. You understand that you will be punished for your actions, correct?”

A single tear tracks down her cheek, and I quickly wipe it away before anyone else notices.

Instead of doing things the easy way, Olena only makes shit more complicated by keeping her mouth shut.

My hand moves to her throat, and I squeeze until she sucks in a breath. “Answer me.”

Olena opens her mouth to say something but is cut off when a little ball of fury crashes into us.

“Let her go!”

I look down at the little girl with ringlets of brown hair as she uses her fists to pound away at my thigh in anger. This must be her sister. I go to release Olena’s throat, but she shocks the shit out of me when she reaches out and squeezes my wrist. When my eyes meet hers, I realize she’s silently begging me not to let go.

What kind of situation did this woman drag me into? Because this really isn’t as cut and dry as it should be.

“Why, you little brat. You were supposed to stay in your room with the nanny. You’ll pay for being disobedient,” Jan hisses as he stands.

The little girl stops hitting me and latches onto my pants as she buries her face into my leg. My heart breaks as I feel her shake with fear.

I need to de-escalate the situation before he hurts anyone.

Think, Maxim. Think.

Before I can think of my next move, Olena shocks the shit out of me. Her hand cracks against my cheek so hard I barely stop myself from flinching. I guess that’s one way to do it.

I narrow my eyes at her while she silently pleads with me to do something.

“I’m going to have so much fun punishing you when we get home,” I mutter as I start to apply pressure on her throat.

The entire time I squeeze, she doesn’t look away from me.

I silently plead for her to forgive me for what I’m doing.

All too soon, her body goes limp, and I catch her as she begins to fall.

“What are you going to do with her?” one of Jan’s men asks.

Before I can say anything, her father speaks.

“It’s not any of our business what he does with his property, Szymon,” he father scolds.

Anger flashes through Szymon’s eyes, but he dips his head in compliance.

Spineless prick.