Page 13 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

B oredom rolls through me. The bedroom is so quiet that it feels loud. Something I didn’t even know was possible.

Once upon a time I used to dream of the day when I could lie in bed and do nothing. I would fantasize about not having to be anywhere or do anything. My time would be my time and my time alone.

I once heard that dreams aren’t all they are chalked up to be. I thought the person who said it was crazy, but now I find merit in it.

I never would have thought that a bed would become my gilded cage.

How did I end up here? How has my life become this?

I know exactly how this happened, but that’s beside the point.

Quietly, I sigh.

I can feel Maxim’s eyes on me even though I have my back turned toward him. He’s always watching me. Or at least he has been since he found me.

Why didn’t he just let me die? Why did he have to save me? It’s not like my life matters to him.

I shift ever so slightly as I pretend to be asleep.

“I know you’re awake and have been,” he says gruffly.

Shit. Why can’t I do anything right?

I roll over and face him but keep my mouth shut.

I know how this goes. Carefully I get out of bed.

Once I’m sure I can stand without feeling faint, I move toward the bathroom.

For a split second I contemplate closing the door to pee in peace, but I know how that will play out, so I keep the door open.

Not that he would tell me I couldn’t, but he would time me and burst in if I take too long. He’s already done it once this week. Leaving the door open seems to give him some comfort.

After doing my business and washing my hands, I walk back into the bedroom. He’s standing by the door and ushers me to walk in front of him. I make my way to a stool at the island and sit while he starts grabbing food for the both of us.

For the last three days this has been our lives. He doesn’t trust me, not that I blame him. Without thinking, I let out a heavy sigh.

“What do you need, Olena?” he asks without looking up as he puts toast in the toaster.

“Nothing. Sorry for disturbing you. It won’t happen again,” I say quietly.

He looks over his shoulder and quirks his brow. “What did I tell you about lying?”

Maxim told me he hates liars. At the time the remark stung because I feel like that’s all my life has been. One giant lie.

I bite the inside of my cheek as I contemplate telling him the truth. What’s the worst that can happen? He says no?

“I need some space. I’m not used to someone constantly hovering.”

“Your father didn’t have a guard permanently with you?” he asks, making me cringe.

“He did, but I was always allowed some alone time as long as I was home,” I tell him, honestly.

He’s quiet as he plates our food and then sets a plate in front of me.

“I’m afraid if I were to give you space like you wish that you would hurt yourself again,” he says bluntly.

“Why?”

He raises a brow, silently telling me to complete my sentence. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. The man knows exactly what I’m asking.

“Why do you care so much?”

“I just do.”

I shake my head. “I don’t understand. You don’t know me.”

“You’re young, and your life has barely started. You deserve to live.”

“But I have nothing to live for,” I tell him softly.

I feel tears fill my eyes as I think about my siblings. God, I miss them so much my chest aches.

“You have your siblings to live for.”

“If Father has his way, I’ll never see them again, and if I do, it might be too late. He will kill me if I try to see them again.”

Maxim walks around the kitchen island toward me. He swivels my chair and steps as close to me as he can as he cups my face, making me look him in the eye.

“I can promise you, Сонечко, that you will be reunited with your siblings if it’s the last thing I do. I need you to remember how much you love them. Don’t let your demons win,” he says adamantly.

His promise catches me off guard. I don’t know if anyone has ever promised me anything other than pain before. I don’t know why, but for some reason I believe him.

“What if I can’t?” I ask quietly.

The corner of his mouth twitches. “You can, and if it gets hard, I’ll be here.”

A small flicker of hope rushes through me, and I can’t help but nod. He’s so confident in my abilities that I feel a little spark of confidence in myself as well.

What if he’s telling the truth? Maybe this is the little bit of hope I have been needing.

One thought swirls around in my mind.

“How do you plan to keep your promise?” The question slides from my lips unbidden.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“How do you plan to keep your promise when you never leave here anymore? You’re always watching me.

” I point out the obvious. He hasn’t left my side since my incident.

If he is going to keep his promise, he needs to be out there making plans to get my siblings from my father.

He needs to put a little trust in me to keep up my end of the bargain.

It will be hard, but I know I can do it.

For them.

Trust.

That’s what this is all about. I need to trust him, and I need him to trust me.

Crazy, right? To think I could trust a man who spent money to own me.

Maxim tips his chin to his chest and chuckles. Something about the sound of his raspy laugh makes my body heat in a way I’ve never felt before.

What the hell is wrong with me? Am I coming down with something? Why do I suddenly want to smile? The feeling inside of me is unfamiliar.

When he looks back at me, his eyes shine with humor, and once again I’m reminded how attractive my captor is. It’s really not fair.

I can’t go there, though. There’s no way he could ever see me as more than the toy he bought at auction. Sure, he is making a promise to me to bring me my siblings, but that could be another way to control me.

No, Olena. Trust the man. It’s the only hope you’ve got.

“I have a plan but you need to promise me you’ll behave,” he teases.

I’ve heard the tone he is using before, but on Szymon. I think…no, it can’t be. He can’t be flirting with me, can he?

“I’ll behave,” I say quickly, maybe a little too quickly if the way his eyes narrow are anything to go by. “I promise.”

Maxim hums as he steps back and out of my space. I watch as he pulls out his phone. Without looking away from me, he presses a button before bringing his phone to his ear.

“Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be using this phone.” He pauses. “Well, this is an emergency. I have a situation I need help with.”

I listen as he fills the person on the other end of the line in as carefully as possible.

For the first time in days, I take a deep breath.

Maybe, just maybe, Maxim will be the man to finally keep his word. If the way he’s staring at me is anything to go by, he will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

I only have to do the scariest thing I have ever done. Even scarier than facing my own death.

I need to trust him.

A feeling I can’t quite name moves through me, making my leg bounce as I wait for the knock at the door.

Surely this isn’t nerves, right?

The last time I recall being nervous was when I was a child.

My eyes drift over to the woman who’s curled up on the couch, asleep once again.

This time I know she’s not faking it. I can’t help but smile as I watch her.

The girl thinks she’s so sneaky when she pretends to be asleep, but I can tell the moment she wakes up.

Her breath catches before she holds her breath. For some reason I find it endearing.

When the knock finally comes, it startles Olena so badly that she flinches as her eyes shoot open.

“Easy, everything is fine,” I say softly, as if she’s a wounded animal.

Only when Olena nods do I stand and make my way to the door. As I unlock the door, I place my hand on the handle of my gun in the small of my back. I look through the peephole to confirm I know who it is. Carefully I open the door. When the woman on the other side looks up, I relax.

Perfect.

I open the door further and step to the side. Thea walks in quietly as she eyes the room. I shut the door and lock it once again.

“How are you?”

Something flashes through her eyes before her face goes carefully blank. “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

I bite back a chuckle when she doesn’t ask how I am.

“Thank you for coming,” I tell her.

“Alexei told me it was important. What can I help you with?” she says, getting right to business.

I turn and see that Olena is curled up in the corner of the couch, eyes wide as she stares at the other woman in the room.

“Olena, this is a friend of mine, Thea. Thea, this is Olena,” I say, introducing them to each other.

Calling Thea a friend is a stretch, but it’s the best cover I have right now. Thea doesn’t have any affiliation to the family, so her coming over is safe. Her loyalty lies with Alexei.

A couple of years ago, when we saved Lia and Ivanna from being sold, Alexei saved her.

We were all a little surprised when instead of letting her go, Alexei moved her in with him.

They’ve been attached at the hip ever since, and when we ask him about their relationship, he tells us it’s none of our business. Something I respect.

“Hi,” Olena says as she awkwardly waves from the other side of the room.

“Hello,” Thea says as she nods toward Olena before turning back to me. “I have a message for you.”

She pulls out a letter from her back pocket and hands it over.

I take it and look over at Olena. “I’m going to give her a tour. Stay put, okay?”

Olena nods, so I tip my head toward the hall. Thea falls into step with me.

“What is wrong with her? All Alexei told me was to not let her out of my sight,” Thea says quietly.

“She is delicate. She escaped once, which caused her a world of pain. Then she decided that her life wasn’t important and tried to end it.”

“Did she do that because of something you did?” Thea asks, her voice dripping with venom.

I turn toward the woman and look her in the eye. “She did it because the last thing she wanted was for her father to sell her like a slave. She hasn’t realized it yet, but I mean her no harm. I only wish to save her from the shit show she was born into.”

Thea must believe me because her face softens as she nods. She would understand about being sold. That was her own fate when my family found her.

“Olena’s been through a lot. I need you to keep her safe. She is the main priority for me.”

“Even over the mission?”

I’m not surprised she knows about the mission. I’m sure Alexei works around her since neither ever leaves their home.

I give her a look before I give her a small nod.

She looks surprised but gives me her own nod of respect. “I can handle it. Nothing will harm her while I’m here.”

“Thank you.”

“You should read that,” Thea says, nodding toward the piece of paper in my hand.

While she walks around the place, checking it out, I open the envelope to see what Alexei has to say.

The message is in code, but I quickly break it down.

Alexei tells me that the families are getting antsy and ready to end this.

He also lets me know that Olena’s brother has been spotted out doing business with their father.

Anger courses through me. He’s just a boy, and he’s already seeing more than he should against his will.

Alexei tells me that the girls miss me and are ready for me to come home. I can’t help but smile as I shake my head. I’d never admit it out loud, but I miss those two more than I should. For a split second, I think about introducing them to Olena and how they would take her under their wings.

Stop it.

She will never meet Lia and Ivanna.

As soon as this is over, I’m setting her free. She deserves to live her life in peace. If she wants me there to protect her, I will be despite my ties to the family. If she doesn’t, I’ll still stay around, but she won’t see me.

Either way, this is likely my last mission for the family. Olena has become my priority.

Focusing back on the letter, I finish reading it.

Last but not least, Alexei ends the letter by telling me to take care of his girl and that if anything happens to her while she’s in my home, I will never be found.

Interesting. Maybe there is more there than what meets the eye after all.

When I finally come up from the letter, I hear faint murmuring coming from the living room.

Shit.

Thea walked right by me, and I didn’t even notice.

Maybe it is a good thing that I’ve called her in. I can’t become distracted now. Not this late in the game.

I make my way back down the hall and come to a stop right out of sight.

Thea and Olena are sitting next to each other on the couch, talking softly to one another. For the first time since I met her, Olena looks at ease, and fuck me, is it a beautiful sight. The urge to keep her to myself when this is all over rushes through me.

Jesus Christ, maybe Alexei was onto something.

Olena looks over at me and smiles, knocking the wind out of my sails.

All of a sudden I understand Alexei, Nik, and Dimitri. I never quite understood their urge to protect their women, but now I do.

I’ll protect Olena if it’s the last thing I do.