Page 31 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

I shouldn’t be nervous, but I am.

Ever since Maxim saved us all from my father, we have been in our own little bubble.

He didn’t bring us back to the home I had come to know as his.

Instead, he brought us to a small apartment.

He promised it would only be temporary, but I would live here forever with him.

I would live anywhere with him if I’m being completely honest.

It’s only been twenty-four hours, but it already feels like a lifetime. Especially since I feel free for the first time in my life.

“Are you sure the children will be welcome?” I whisper to Maxim.

He stops, cupping my face while Alek keeps Daryna distracted, and gives me his full attention.

“They will be more than welcome, Olena. They will be cherished. My family treats our young as a gift, not a burden. I know it will be a transition, but I need you to trust me.”

I take a deep breath and nod. “Will Thea be there?”

“I’m not sure. They usually work remotely. Let’s go find out.”

Taking my hand, he turns to Alek. “Keep an eye on your sister, okay?”

Alek nods, taking his job seriously. I hate that he’s lost his childhood innocence. It breaks my heart.

Maxim walks up to the mansion, walking in without knocking. My anxiety increases as he does. My father would have killed anyone for feeling they could do the same.

Will his Pakhan be like my father?

He assures me he is not, but it’s hard for me to trust anyone in power. Not after living with the devil for so long.

Maxim continues to lead me down a hallway until we enter a large, formal dining room. I stop in my tracks when I see the number of people waiting.

“Olena, there you are,” Thea calls, jumping out of a man’s lap to rush over to me.

She wraps me in a hug, helping me relax a little bit. She is familiar to me. Almost like a comfort blanket.

“Who are these cuties?” she asks, kneeling.

“My name is Daryna,” my sister announces proudly.

I am still worried about the nightmares she has been having, but it seems like she hasn’t lost her personality. I am beyond grateful for that.

“That is a beautiful name. My name is Thea. I’m a friend of your sister. Who is this handsome boy?” she asks.

I’m well aware that everyone in the room is staring at us as she speaks, but I choose to focus on her and the children.

“Alek,” My brother answers coolly.

He will find it hard to trust. I don’t blame him. Not after what he has witnessed.

“Nice to meet you. How about we go explore while the adults talk?” Thea asks them both.

Daryna is all for it, but Alek looks torn.

“It’s okay. You can go.”

He shakes his head. “I want to be here. I also want to stay with Daryna.”

I want to urge him to go, but he’s not a child anymore, even though his size and age would lead us to believe that. He has seen far more than a child of his age should ever see. I want to protect him, but I don’t know how.

Maxim grabs Alek’s shoulders. “I have soldiers that will watch your sister. Abram, Bogdon, and Akim. Come.”

After they line up, he turns toward Alek. “Will these three suffice?”

Alek sizes them up. Then he steps forward, squaring his shoulders, “If anything happens to my sister, I will kill you.”

I gasp, but Maxim shakes his head slightly, making me shut my mouth.

“Yes, sir. We will protect her with our lives.” With that, they lead Daryna and Thea out of the room.

“Have a seat, Alek,” a voice calls from across the room.

When I look up, I realize this is the man in charge. It is obvious from the way he exudes power over the others. Everyone moves around him as if he is the sun and they are merely the planets drawn into his gravitational pull.

Alek hesitates but walks toward the man. There are no empty seats, but the man sitting next to the one who spoke up stands, offering the seat to Alek.

“Here, take my seat.”

Alek does, sitting and waiting for his next instruction.

“I am Nikolai. My friends call me Nik. You may call me Nik as well. Do you know who I am?” the man who calls himself Nik asks.

“No, sir,” Alek answers, meeting the man’s eyes.

“I am your Pakhan. You are my family now. Maxim is my man. Third-in-command. We keep him in the shadows in case anything ever happens. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I report to you.”

Nikolai looks taken aback by his words.

“You are only but a child. If you choose to enter the family business when you are of age, we can talk then. Until then, you answer to your sister and Maxim as your legal guardians.”

“You won’t make me make runs? Beat up people?” Alek’s eyes light up for the first time since we rescued him.

“Absolutely not.” Nikolai is firm, and it helps ease some of my fears.

He continues to speak with Alek as two women approach me.

“Maxim, we are happy to see you in one piece.”

His arm falls around my shoulders. “Always. Please meet my woman, Olena. Olena, this is Lia and Ivy. Lia is Nikolai’s wife and Ivy is Dimitri’s wife. He’s the man who gave his seat to Alek.”

I give a small smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh, Maxim, you can’t be talking about other women when you are courting someone. How did you manage to get her to even agree to be yours?” Ivy groans.

“Actually, Thea is the one who told me about you. About what you did for her and the others. And Maxim saved me. That’s how he convinced me. He was patient and kind. Showed me that not every man in the world is evil.”

Both women’s eyes soften.

“He is one of the best. Makes me glad I call him a brother.” Lia pats Maxim on the shoulder.

“If we can all take a seat. We have to get this call started.”

Several of the men who had been sitting around the table leave, opening up some chairs for us. Maxim guides me to the one next to Alek before taking the one beside me. Once everyone settles, the man I recognize from the photos Thea shared clears his throat.

“This is a secure feed. You can say whatever you need. I’m Alexei, by the way.” He looks at me as he speaks.

I nod. “Olena.”

He nods back.

Then the screen on the wall lights up. Several faces pop up, making me feel uneasy.

Maxim must read me because he reaches out and grabs my hand. “It’s okay. They helped us stop your father.”

I nod but keep hold of his hand.

Everyone says their greetings, then one of the men on the screen speaks up.

“Nikolai, why do you have a child with you? Should we be concerned?”

“Bastiano, as direct as always, I see. He is Olena’s brother. He asked to be here, and I could not see a reason to bar him,” Nikolai answers.

“What we have to discuss is graphic,” one of the other men says.

“I’ve seen worse,” Alek’s little voice says.

It shuts everyone up.

“Let me introduce you. This is Alek Norwak.” Gasps can be heard from the screen.

It seems only the people in this room know about my brother.

“Now can we move on?”

I zone out as they talk about how they took down my father. I know I should care more about the details, but I don’t. I wish I could have escaped with Daryna. I would rather be off playing with her than reliving the nightmare.

“Olena, did you ever hear anything else about the operation? Anything that we might need to know to keep it from starting back up?” Nikolai asks me, drawing my attention back to the group.

I shake my head. “My father did not value women. He would never let me be involved.”

“I could tell you all the people he spoke with. I memorized all their names and distinguishing features.” Alek speaks up.

My head swings to him. “What do you mean?”

“Father had me sit in on all of his meetings. His first lesson was about never having anything written down so it could be traced. He taught me to memorize instead. I know everyone he ever had a conversation with while I was there.”

My heart hurts so bad for him.

“Is this necessary? Didn’t you stop them?” I ask.

A female on the screen gives me a sad smile.

“Olena, I’m Greer. You have gone through something so traumatic that I have no idea how you are still standing.

I want to tell you that we stopped it from ever happening again, but that would be a lie.

We stopped your father and his organization, but that only leaves room for another to start up.

Unfortunately, we cannot rid this world of evil.

All we can do is our best to keep it from overtaking the world. ”

I understand what she is saying. My brother needs to give them the information so they can eliminate the men who would see to a new organization taking over.

“I understand. I think I need some air.”

Maxim stands with me, but I shake my head. “Stay with Alek. Support him. I’ll be with Daryna.”

Leaving the room, I realize that this will never truly be over. I will always be looking over my shoulder for the next demon aiming to steal my family from me. They won’t succeed, though. Not with Maxim at my side.

Hearing about all the men Alek had to meet took its toll on me. He spoke in such a robotic way that made me want to find his father and kill him all over again.

The only good thing that came out of it is the truth about the benefactor.

Jan really was bluffing about him. He told everyone in the organization that there was this mysterious boss they answered to so that they would be scared to take him out.

Alek only found out because Szymon had figured it out and told him.

He was planning to use Alek in his plan to take down his father.

He had no idea that Szymon was obsessed with Olena or that he had tried to buy both her and Daryna.

I’ll never tell him either. It’s a secret that Olena and I will take to the grave.

Once the meeting ends, I ask Alek to follow me. We end up on the back patio watching as Daryna, Olena, and Thea play with the guards watching their backs.

“You’ve been through a lot. I know what your father trained you to do, but that doesn’t have to be your life.”