Page 14 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

“I f you need me, I’m only a phone call away,” Maxim tells me.

I don’t have a phone, but I guess Thea does.

“We will be fine. Now go,” Thea says as she ushers him toward the door.

Before he slips out, he looks over his shoulder at me one last time. Thea shuts the door and locks it behind him. She types in the code on the panel, setting the alarm.

For a second my heart races.

She knows the code. We can leave.

Then I remember that Maxim made me a promise. I’ll never be able to get my siblings out on my own. He is my last hope. I need to trust him.

I have no need for the code anymore.

She leans against the door and faces me. “I thought he would never leave,” she jokes, making me smile.

She pushes off the door and walks back toward me, and I watch her as she sits down. Maxim said she was a friend, which I would have never expected. In all honesty, they appeared to be more like acquaintances, if not strangers.

Thea seems nice enough, though.

“I’m not going to lie to you. It seems counterintuitive.

Maxim told me what happened. I can’t say I agree with your actions, but I understand them.

I’m here to make sure it doesn’t happen again, but I’m not your jailer.

I won’t follow you around or watch you go to the bathroom.

I am trusting that you won’t try to harm yourself again,” she tells me.

“I won’t. I have too much to lose now,” I tell her, thinking about the deal Maxim made me. “How do you know Maxim?”

“I owe my life to a friend of his,” she says, looking down at her hands.

“Oh.”

Out of all the things I thought she would say, that wasn’t one of them.

Do Maxim and his friends just go around saving women for shits and giggles?

It’s then I realize what I just thought. I have been thinking of Maxim as my captor. My owner. My master.

Not anymore. Somewhere in the last few days I’ve started to think of him as my savior. Our dynamic has changed.

When Thea shifts, I look back at her. She looks like she’s contemplating what to say as she looks out the window.

“A couple of years ago I was a lot like you.”

“Your father sold you?” I ask, shocked.

Thea flinches but shakes her head. “I was actually taken on my way home from school.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Anyway, I was taken to a place and held hostage.

They stripped me naked before waxing my body.

Then one day they came in and made me put on this lingerie I would have never picked for myself, then they did my hair and makeup.

I quickly figured out that I was going to be sold like a piece of meat. ”

My heart races the more she talks. I guess we have something in common after all.

She runs her hands over her thighs. “I was dragged into a room where they made me walk in a circle. Four hundred thousand. That’s how much a man from Canada bought me for.”

“How did you escape?” I blurt out.

A small smile plays on her lips. “After they were done bidding on me, I was taken back to my room to wait. Next thing I knew, this man was busting in. He wasn’t looking for me but someone else. He got me out of there when he didn’t have to.”

“And that’s yours and Maxim’s mutual friend?”

“Yes.”

I look down at my hands as I wring my fingers together. “The man who saved you, he’s a good man?”

“The very best,” she says without missing a beat.

“So I should trust Maxim?”

“Trust should be earned. Not given freely,” she says, making my heart sink.

“But I would put my money on him. The main thing I’ve learned from the little bit I’ve spent around Maxim’s friend is that he doesn’t go out of his way for just anyone.

I don’t think you realize how dangerous it is for me to be here right now.

So Maxim must be a man of integrity if I’m here right now as a favor. ”

I don’t know her from Adam, but for some reason, her words offer me a small level of comfort. She could be lying to me, but I have a feeling she is telling me the truth.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“Of course.” She leans back in the chair and looks back out the window. “If you ever want to talk about your situation, I’m more than willing to listen. We both know I understand what you’ve been through.”

Should I open up to her? She’s not wrong when she says that she would understand when most people wouldn’t.

I take a deep breath. “Like I said, my father sold me.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watch her tense, but I keep going.

“I always knew I was a puppet for him. A means to an end. At first it wasn’t too bad.

He would have me working the bar during his business dealings.

” I cringe just thinking about being dressed in small scraps of fabric because he demanded it. “Then one day I messed up.”

“Let me guess, you pissed him off,” she says knowingly.

I nod and push through. “Next thing I know is I’m kneeling on rice, and he’s telling me that I’ll never see my siblings again. After that it was like what you went through, only I ended up here.”

“I’m sorry,” she says sincerely.

“I’m sorry too.”

We fall silent for a moment, both lost in the past and what we’ve been through.

“Well, as far as I can tell, you lucked out with your buyer,” she says, making me smile.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” I wince. “I haven’t been easy on him, though.”

Her eyes drop to my wrists, so I bury them under the blanket, out of sight.

“You said you have siblings,” she asks.

Her change of subject catches me so off guard I shake my head. “Yeah, a brother and sister. I’m the oldest.”

“Do you think they are safe with your father?”

“Is anyone truly safe?” She raises a brow at my question, making me sigh. “No. I don’t think they are. It’s only a matter of time before something happens since I’m not there anymore. Maxim, though, he says that nothing will happen and I just have to trust him.”

“I know it’s not easy, but you should. You have to start believing everything will work out. Just give it some time, okay?”

“Okay.” I nod, agreeing just to agree.

She claps her hands. “Now tell me, how do you feel about pho? Because I’m fucking starving.”

“I’ve never had it before. What is it?”

Thea gasps as if she’s offended. “Well, shit, we can’t have that now, can we? It’s a brothy, soupy goodness. Just trust me, and I’ll order for you. Is there anything that you don’t like?”

“I’m not picky.”

“You’re going to love it. Just wait,” she says as she whips out her phone.

As she places the order, I look down and smile. This wasn’t how I expected the afternoon to go, but I can’t say that I’m mad about it.

For the first time, I feel myself relaxing. I don’t have to run after my siblings even if they are always on my mind. Maxim isn’t the monster I thought he was. And now I have a friend. At least, I hope I do.

Maybe everything really will be all right.

It’s been four days since I brought Thea in to watch Olena. The first three, I lingered outside, unable to leave Olena alone. I can’t keep pushing off her father, though. I know they have to be wondering what happened to me.

That’s why I’m here.

Tension rolls through me as the guards check me over for weapons. I haven’t shown my face since Olena tried to take her life, and it will either work in my favor or against me.

Only one way to find out.

When the guards step back, signaling that I’m clean, the man at the desk hits a button, opening the door.

The music is toned down compared to other times I’ve been here, making it feel like my senses aren’t being attacked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot her father keeping court with a group of men, smoking cigars.

I force myself to head to the bar instead of heading right over to him. The last thing I need is to look eager.

“What can I get you?” the woman behind the bar asks, keeping her head down.

“Best vodka you have.”

While she pours my drink, I study the room in the glass mirror behind the bar. It’s definitely less crowded than it typically is.

This must be the normal clientele, the ones who get the first call.

The bartender comes back, and I force myself to look away from my marks.

“Thank you,” I say as I lift the glass.

“Mr. Boyko, come join us!” Jan says.

Gritting my teeth, I force myself to smile and try and look relaxed when I’m anything but.

“Good to see you again,” I say as I approach.

None of the men bother to stand as I join them.

“Sit. Sit,” Olena’s father says as he waves toward a chair directly across from him. “Gentleman, meet Maxim Boyko. He’s the one who bought my daughter.”

One of the men groans as he tips his head back. “You lucky bastard.”

I force a smirk. “I know it.”

He reaches over and introduces himself. “Samuel Collins.”

“Nice to meet you.”

The man’s name isn’t familiar. I don’t think he’s even been on our radar, which is suspicious enough. What is he doing here? I file away his name and try to subtly take in everything about him so I can describe him later.

“Speaking of Jan…don’t think I didn’t notice that your children have Ukrainian names instead of Polish,” the man who I’ve never seen before says.

Jan smirks. “Yes, well, let’s just say that I have a soft spot for Ukrainian women. I figured it was the least I could do before getting rid of their mothers.”

The other men chuckle, and I force myself to play along.

Sick fuck.

“So, how did you punish her?” Jan asks, leaning forward. Before I can respond, he tells the others, “Olena escaped his hold and came running home. I had to make an example of her.”

“How did she escape?” Samuel asks, eyes lit with curiosity.

“She escaped through a window.”

“That’s it? You didn’t have her under lock and key?” a man who I don’t know asks.

“When I take in someone new, I like to test them. I give them the ground rules, and if they fail, then I increase security. She’s currently chained up because of her actions.” I look at her father and nod. “Thank you for calling me when you did.”

It’s a lie, of course. I did have her chained, but I can’t stand the thought of doing it to her again. I won’t be the cause of more pain for her.

He doesn’t need to know that, though.

“Of course. I did contemplate keeping her and selling her again, but I called you in good faith,” her father says.

“I appreciate it.”

The topic turns away from Olena and myself, so I sit and listen.

Samuel calls the stranger next to me Rick, and without having to press, I find out that he has a thing for people of color.

He comes from a long line of racists who believe in pure bloodlines.

He buys people of color to keep them as the help during the day, but at night he uses them for his pleasure.

He even goes as far as to admit he has several bastard children.

My stomach rolls when his eyes light up in delight as he describes one of his bastard daughters.

It wouldn’t shock me if she’s his next victim.

It seems Samuel likes to fuck when in bodies of water while holding women down until they pass out.

He sighs wistfully. “The real magic happens, though, once they’ve stopped breathing.”

“What do you mean?” Rick asks.

“I’ll drag them out of the water and perform CPR while still buried inside of them. The way they flutter around you as they come back to life, gasping for breath.” He brings his fist up to his mouth and bites it.

Jan chuckles. “I guess we know what you are doing when you leave here.”

Samuel winks. “Don’t you know it. It’s been far too long.”

Rick stands. “I could use another drink. Sam, why don’t you come with me? I would love to hear more about this.”

Samuel gets up and follows behind Rick, leaving Olena’s father and me alone.

“Tell me, Mr. Boyko, are you looking for work?”

I try to keep my face blank, hiding my intrigue. “I just bought your daughter. I’m sure you know I’m not hurting for money.”

“I’m not asking if you need one but if you would like one.”

“I’m not currently looking, but I’m always open to new things. What do you have in mind?”

“You’re an attractive man and could be good for business.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to become one of your inventory,” I say, making him laugh.

“That’s not what I was thinking, but good to know.” He takes a drink as he studies me. “What I’m offering you is all the free pussy you want to explore your darker side.”

“And what would I have to do for you?”

He smiles darkly. “Just join the family operation, of course.”

My heart races in my chest. This is what we have been working toward. This is the next step to our plan.

So why do I feel like I might puke?

“What would that entail?” I ask, feigning interest.

“Your job would be to do background checks on all potential members. If you do well at that, we will have you partner with one of our men to bring the merchandise in.”

I frown. Having me vet people is a lot of trust. Feels like a trap.

“Why me?”

“We both know that you worked in intelligence for the Ukrainian military before you were forced out. That could be helpful to us,” he says, referring to the fake background Alexei built for me.

“While I am intrigued, I won’t just work for pussy. I can always buy pussy. I would need more.”

“I’m open to negotiations,” he muses.

“I would need to be a partner. If I’m going to go through each member personally, there will need to be something monetarily in it for me. Especially if you want me out on the frontlines snatching product.”

“Understood. I’ll bring that to my partner for us to discuss.”

“I’ll need an answer from you back in forty-eight hours, or I will consider the offer null and void.”

“You don’t waste time, do you?” he asks as he studies me.

“No, I don’t. I’m the all-or-nothing type.”

“I respect that. You will be hearing from me soon.” He stands. “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a woman who needs to be reminded of her place.”

I nod as I stand, holding out my hand. “I look forward to doing business with you.”

When he’s finally out of view, I head toward the exit. Only when I’m back in the safety of my car do I take a deep breath.

Holy shit. This is it.