Page 16 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

W aking up, I feel better than I have in a long time.

I still don’t have my siblings, but the future is looking brighter than it ever has, and it’s all because of him.

Maxim.

My angel dressed as a monster.

Turning over, I’m surprised to find myself alone in the room. Usually he stays in the room with me until I wake up. If he has to leave, Thea is usually in here with me reading a book.

Sitting up, I wonder if this means he is trusting me more. After the conversation we had last night, I feel like we have taken a step in the right direction. I feel closer to him now. I may even like him.

A knock at the door startles me, and the door opens slowly.

“Hey, breakfast is ready if you want to come eat.”

I nod. “Let me freshen up, and I’ll be right out.”

“Take your time.” He shuts the door behind him.

I’m shocked. He is usually standing by the bathroom door waiting for me to come out. Especially the master bath because of what I did in there.

Sliding from bed, I head into the bathroom and quickly clean up. Once I feel I’m put together, I head out into the kitchen. At the bar, Maxim sits with a plate in front of him. There’s another plate next to him in front of an empty chair.

I take my seat, looking down at the omelet and hash browns with a piece of toast. “Thank you for breakfast,” I murmur.

“Of course. Dig in.”

I notice that he hasn’t touched his food. As soon as I begin to eat, he does as well. I don’t know why, but I find that little detail charming. He is a gentleman.

“So what are you doing today?” I ask, feeling like I can, now that everything is out in the open.

“Your father is supposed to make me an offer by this evening, so until then, I’m not doing anything. Did you have something in mind?”

I shrug. “You could watch a movie with me?”

He smirks. “You don’t want to watch your little vampire show?”

My cheeks heat. I guess he figured out my Damon comment from the night before.

“Thea advised me that as her binge partner, I am not allowed to watch episodes without her. I guess it’s a serious thing,” I inform him.

He chuckles. “It is impolite, but how would she know?”

I shake my head. “She’s my friend. I don’t want to upset her. I’ll wait for her.”

He smiles. “How about we start our own show then? I like the idea of you being loyal to me like that.”

My heart races at his words. I don’t know why, but I like the idea of that too.

“What would we watch?” I ask, slowly eating my food between responses.

“Anything you want.”

I’m not used to making decisions. I feel like I’ve been a prisoner so long that this new freedom he is showing me is making me anxious.

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. How about we pick together?” Maxim asks, his hand on my forearm.

Taking a deep breath, I center myself. “I would like that.”

We each finish eating, doing the dishes side by side because neither would concede toward the other.

Once we are finished, we make our way toward the couch.

Maxim sits on one end. I consider sitting on the other, but I follow my gut and take the seat next to him.

He smiles at me, helping ease some of my nervousness.

He picks up the remote and starts flipping through the different options. “What do you like to watch?” he asks.

I sigh. I had this same conversation with Thea too.

“I don’t know. I was never allowed to watch television.”

“Never?” he says. “I swear your father needs to die.”

The thought causes me panic and relief all at the same time. My father has been my master for so long that the thought of him being gone scares me, but at the same time, knowing he would never be able to hurt me or my siblings again would be a blessing.

“Well, I know you like vampires. Do you want some romance? Action? Horror?”

I shake my head. “No horror. I’ve lived through enough of it.”

He gives me a sympathetic look. “How about a comedy? I have heard this show is funny.”

“Sure.”

He starts it and settles in. I sit stiffly next to him as the opening scene comes on. Everything is moving fast as a mother calls out to her children. Within the first several minutes, we are both laughing.

When the AC kicks on, I shiver. Maxim rises and grabs a blanket before bringing it over to me.

“Thank you.”

He nods, going back to watching the show. So I do too.

We are six episodes in when his phone rings. I can feel him tense next to me.

He answers it. “Yes.”

I can’t hear the other person, but from the way Maxim is now sitting, I know it isn’t good.

“I’ll be there.” He hangs up the phone before hanging his head.

“What’s wrong?”

He sighs. “Your father has an answer for me. It all rides on this.”

I lean forward, wrapping my arm around him as I hug him from the side. “You’ve got this,” I whisper to him.

He has to. We are depending on him.

He turns, wrapping his arms around me, hugging me back. “Everything will be okay.”

I savor his hug. I’ve only ever hugged my siblings before, but hugging Maxim is becoming an addiction. It’s different. He’s giving me comfort as much as I’m giving him. It’s intoxicating.

All too soon he pulls away.

“I better go. I’ll call Thea to come sit with you.”

I don’t argue with him. I only nod as I watch him go.

Once he’s gone, I’m alone for the first time in days, and all I want is for him to come back. What he is doing is important, though.

I only hope it ends soon for both of our sakes.

I’m not surprised that Jan waited until the last minute to give me my answer. He’s a man used to being in power. He would never want to give in too quickly.

He thinks he has had me sitting at home worrying about what he might say. He would be wrong, though. No matter what he says, I will find a way to fulfill my promise to Olena and take him down.

I didn’t want to leave Olena. We were making strides in the right direction. She sat next to me instead of across the couch from me. She laughed, and it sounded like the angels were singing.

Hell, she hugged me again. I would rather be there with her spending the day, but I can’t. I have a job to do.

The ride to Jan’s house isn’t a long one. I go through the same procedure as before, being vetted at the gate, then stripped of my weapons at the door.

I’m led to the same room as I was in before, which I now know to be Jan’s office. The same men are inside.

“Welcome back,” Jan says as soon as I step through the door.

The guards shut the door behind me as I make my way toward the only free chair.

I’m paying closer attention this time to the dynamic between Szymon and Jan.

The other man in the room is the same man that Olena described.

The one that I met once before. Well, not exactly met. Jan refused to introduce him.

Seems today is no different.

“Let’s cut to the chase. We all have things to do. Do you have an answer for me?” I ask.

He chuckles, but I can see the slight flash of anger in his eyes. He likes to make a production of everything. Swing his dick around as if he’s the biggest and baddest in the room.

I won’t play his games, though. I asked for a seat at the table which means I need to show him I deserve to be there.

“You sure like to get straight to the point, huh? You ready to hit the ground running, huh?”

“I don’t like wasting time. You asked me to join your organization, and I agreed, but on my terms. If my terms don’t work, no worries. I’ll be happy going back to being a customer.”

He laughs as he waves to Szymon. “Get us a drink.”

I glance at Szymon and see the bitterness in him. Jan calls him his second-in-command but treats him like shit. He treats everyone in his life like that.

Szymon brings us all a glass of vodka with ice.

“This is a favored drink of the Polish. In Ukraine as well, right?”

“Yes. You’re stalling. Should I be worried that someone is waiting outside that door to kill me?”

He shakes his head, a smile on his face.

“I like your brashness. I went to my partner and told him your offer. He didn’t want to agree, but I really put my neck on the line for you.

I think you will be an amazing addition to the team.

I’ll send you what we will call a sign-on bonus along with a list of names to vet.

These are new members who want to come to the auctions.

Due to the recent raids of our pickups, we need to be extra careful. Anyone could be a spy.”

“I’ll be awaiting the package,” I tell him.

“Not so fast. Because of your demands, my partner had his own stipulation. Instead of waiting to see how you do, he wants a pound of flesh.”

I swallow hard. That could mean anything. I don’t give in to his flair of dramatics. I wait him out.

He huffs. “Actual flesh. He wants you to bring in five bodies to sell at auction. He wants you to have skin in the game literally. It also will show that you aren’t a spy yourself. What do you say?”

I want to scream hell no . I would never bring women into his depravity. I don’t have an option, though.

“Of course. I’m happy to prove myself.”

“I knew you would. Szymon will come with you to pick up the products. We will give you five days.”

“Plenty of time. Thank you for the generosity.”

My mind is racing with what I will have to do. I need to get word to Alexei quickly. The best way is to get home and send a letter home with Thea.

We need to be more careful with her too. They will be watching me more closely now. I’m grateful my house is hard to look into. Alexei did a great job outfitting it to my needs.

“Are you sure you are up for this? Once you are in it, there’s only one way out.”

He doesn’t need to speak the threat. I can infer it from his words.

If I want out, it will be in death.

Only he doesn’t know what I do. He made a deal with me, but he doesn’t know who I am. He sees me as someone beneath him. Someone who shares his interests. One of those men would fear this man.

I don’t, though. Tonight there was a deal made with the devil. He thinks he’s that top dog, but he’s not. He doesn’t realize that he’s not looking in the mirror. He’s staring the devil in the face as he shakes my hand.

I’ll take him down one way or another, and then he will see the flames I make as I burn his organization to the ground.

“Na zdrowie!” Jan calls out.

“Будьмо!” I say in response, saying my own sort of cheers in Ukrainian.

We clink glasses before we all swallow it back.

“I better go. I have some tasks to complete.”

Jan looks pleased.

“Remember five bodies. Doesn’t matter if they are male or female, young or old.”

“Understood.”

My stomach feels sick at his words. I don’t know how I am going to pull this off. It goes against everything I believe in. Everything we are trying to stop. How can I claim to be the good guy when I’m going to have to become the evil I am trying to chase from the world?

I can feel that moral compass of mine bending further and further.

How long until it finally breaks?