Page 1 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

S ilence falls across the room as the video conference ends.

My heart is beating so fast I feel as if it’s about to jump out of my chest. Under the table I squeeze my fists tight in time with my breathing, trying to keep myself calm.

I can feel Nikolai and Dimitri staring at me.

I know they want me to say something, but I have nothing more to say than what I just did.

So I wait them out.

“Are you sure about this?” Nikolai finally asks.

I look over at my Pakhan and nod.

“I did not see this coming…” Dimitri mutters under his breath as he shakes his head.

“It makes sense. I can speak the language and easily blend in compared to everyone else,” I tell them.

“We could send in…” Nikolai trails off as he tries to think of who we could send instead.

I shake my head. “I said I’ll do it, and I will. Think about it, I’m the only one without any family. If anything happens to me, then there will be no one to mourn. Not only that, but you have kept me in the shadows. No one knows of my affiliation with you. No one that’s still living, at least.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. The girls would mourn you,” Dimitri snaps back, referring to his and Nikolai’s partners.

I’ve spent a lot of time with Ivanna and Lia over the years. They are the sisters I never had, and while I know they care about me, it’s not like that.

“The girls will understand. They know that this life comes with risks. This needs to end.”

Nikolai leans back in his chair and studies me. “You’ve made up your mind.”

“I have.”

“What do we need to do to protect his identity?” Nikolai asks Alexei without looking away from me.

Alexei clears his throat and shifts in his chair. “I’ll create an airtight cover story for him starting back at birth. I’ll try to keep as much of it as I can true to him so it will be easy to remember.”

I tune out while they hash out the finer details and start to think about all the things that I need to wrap up before I go under.

Shit, who knows how long this will take.

Will it be a month or more than a year? Do I keep my place, or do I ask someone to check on it from time to time?

I’m not worried about anyone being dumb enough to break in considering the building is owned by the Bratva, but you never know when a window will break or a pipe will burst. I need to make sure my will is up to date in case anything happens and that my assets are properly handled.

“Maxim, you still with us?” Nikolai says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I clear my throat and sit up straight. “Sorry, I was thinking of things I need to do before I go under. What did I miss?”

Nikolai’s eyes narrow, but before he can say anything, Alexei speaks up.

“I told him it would take me a week to build you a background and put everything into place on my end.”

“A week.”

“Is that too soon? Do you need more time to get things on your end taken care of?” Alexei asks.

I chuckle and shake my head. “And here I thought you were the best in the business. A week seems to be a long time if you ask me.”

Alexei scoffs while Dimitri chuckles.

“And for that I’m going to embed something embarrassing into your background.”

“Don’t tease me with a good time,” I quip.

“Enough, children. Alexei, get to work, and Maxim, tie up whatever loose ends you need to. We don’t have much time,” Nikolai tells us.

Nodding, we all stand. Nikolai and Alexei step out of the room first, and Dimitri falls in behind me.

Dimitri slaps me on the shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing.”

“Thank you.”

“Just remember, get in and get out. We want you to come home,” he says before breaking away.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly as I make my way out of the compound. Men nod to me as I pass by, showing me the respect I’ve earned.

Will I still have their respect when I get back?

Getting into my car, I head home. The drive goes by in a blur as my thoughts race with what I’ve just agreed to.

When I step into my house, I look around.

The place is sparse at best, but it’s mine.

The furniture is used and old, but it’s good enough for me.

I head toward my bedroom and sit down on the edge of the bed.

My nightstand drawer sticks before sliding open.

Reaching in, I pull out the only photo I have.

The edges are worn, but the woman is easy to make out. She’s standing sideways in a long lace dress, holding a bouquet. Her hair is curled and pinned back. What really gets me is her face. She looks miserable and maybe even a little scared.

My grandmother.

The only woman who ever loved me and whose story so closely matches those of the women being sold right now.

Her father sold her to a wealthy Russian man who then raped and abused her until the day he died.

When his heart finally stopped, she cried so hard she fell to the floor.

While everyone assumed that she was mourning him, I knew that they were happy tears.

The man who controlled her every move and impregnated her ten times, with only six of them making it to full term, was finally gone.

She was finally free. She lived for twenty years after he passed, and in that time she did everything she wanted. I made sure of that.

While the guys might think I’m making a rash decision to go undercover, they couldn’t be farther from the truth.

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now and have kept to myself.

I can’t sit by anymore and watch children and women be ripped from their homes and forced into a life worse than death.

On my grandmother’s grave, I swear I’ll do whatever I can to put an end to this. If it’s the last thing I do, then so be it.