Page 4 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

F ather propels me forward as he squeezes the back of my neck right at the base of my skull so tight I see stars. I know that come morning, I’ll have bruises. I’ll have to cover them up so the kids don’t ask questions.

“Leave us,” he hisses to the guards as he pushes me forward into his office.

“Kneel,” he barks once the door is closed, and instinctively I do as he says.

I knew I should have just done what he asked, but when I heard him say he wanted to lend Danyra to a business associate, I stepped in. I refused to let him take her to be raped by some pedophile. I knew taking the attention off of her would mean that it would land on me.

I’ll accept my punishment willingly.

With my head bowed, I watch as he moves to stand in front of me. His dress shoes click on the floor like a countdown to what’s to come. I can’t help but tense as I wait for him to strike.

I close my eyes in anticipation, but it never comes.

“Do I treat you well, Olena?” he says, catching me off guard.

“Yes, Father,” I lie.

I don’t know what game he’s playing, but I’ll play along. As long as I please him, he will take it easy on me, right?

“Then why must you disobey?”

I know he doesn’t want a response, so I keep my mouth closed.

“Time and time again, you disappoint me. You are not the good girl that I’ve trained you to be. Such a disappointment…”

What is he talking about? How am I not good? Night after night I do what he asks without any pushback. I do things I don’t even want to do, but it’s never enough. If anyone is a disappointment, it’s him.

“Daughters.” He scoffs. “They aren’t good for anything. All they do is cause problems. Your sister is still young, so she might be moldable, but if she’s anything like you…then we know how that will end. Maybe I should have killed her when I had the chance.” He shakes his head.

I think of my sweet baby sister and how sweet she is. How can he say such cruel things? She’s just a child!

My mind flashes to right after she was born, and I overheard her birth mother talking about running away with her. Maybe she had the right idea. If I ever get out of here, maybe I’ll take the kids and run. I don’t know if I’ll make it far, but the least I could do is try.

“At least your brother does as I ask. Women are useless, but men, they are the future. They are the heirs we need,” he rants.

My heart clenches as he mentions my siblings.

As much as I hate to admit it, he’s not wrong.

Alek would do anything he asks. He’s a son seeking his father’s approval after all.

Meanwhile, for Daryna, he’s basically a stranger.

He’s just a man who lives in the same house and makes his presence known every so often.

As wrong as it is to admit, I try to protect her a little more than I do Alek.

“I’m sick of your disobedience, and it’s time you learn what the consequences are,” he says, pulling me back into the present.

I lick my dry lips and force the words out. “I’m sorry, Father, I’ll do better next time. I promise.”

Father tsks. “There is no next time, Olena. I’m done. Tonight you earned yourself a trip to the market.”

My heart crashes to the floor. No, no, no. I’ve heard rumors of what the market is, and if they are true…

“No, Father, please. Give me another chance,” I beg.

The image of my brother and sister flashes in my head. If he sends me to auction, it will be terrible for me, but it will mean my siblings will be left alone. Who will protect them?

He shakes his head. “There are no more chances, Olena. As of tonight, you will not see your siblings ever again. You should have thought of them before you acted out tonight.”

I press my palms together in front of my chest and scoot forward on my knees as tears track down my face. “Please, Father…”

His eyes soften for a moment before they harden once again. “Oh, how pretty you beg, my sweet Olena. Some man will devour you.”

I choke back a sob.

“But before I send you to the madam to increase your training, I’ll have to punish you.”

My body shakes as he walks past me and opens his office door. As he speaks to the guard outside, I move from my knees to my butt.

I want to plead my case, try to get him to change his mind, but if there is one thing that I’ve learned after living with my father for eighteen years, it’s that once he’s made up his mind, there is no changing it. If he says I’m gone, I’m gone.

God, why can’t he just kill me? I would prefer death over being sold as a slave.

God, I’m a slave. What kind of man am I going to end up with?

I start to gag as it hits me that I’m going to be forced to have sex with a man I’m not in love with.

It could be a woman too, I guess.

“Up,” Father demands.

Slipping slightly on my tears, I scramble to my feet, keeping my head down.

I watch in horror as he pours rice onto the floor between us. Most people don’t think anything when they see dry rice, but I know better. It’s one of his favorite forms of punishment.

“Hands and knees. Before you can ask, I haven’t decided how long you’ll be down there. I guess it depends on how quiet you stay,” he demands as the last of the rice hits the ground.

Wordlessly I get into position. I bite my tongue as the rice starts to bite into my palms and knees. The taste of copper fills my mouth. Demeaning doesn’t even begin to cover how it feels to be on your hands and knees in nothing but skimpy underwear in front of your father.

“Good girl,” he coos as he runs his hand over the back of my head.

Then he smacks my ass, making me squeak a little.

He’s sick. Truly sick. I’ve always known it but I didn’t know it was to this extent.

“You’ll make some man truly happy one day, Olena, or it will be the last thing you do,” he says as he walks toward his desk.

Death. I wish for nothing but death.

Breathing hard, I stretch my neck. The only thing that could have made that workout better was if I had someone to work out with.

Reaching into the fridge, I pull out a bottle of water before walking over to the couch.

I sit down and put my legs up on the coffee table in front of me.

Sighing, I open the water and take a drink.

This is bullshit.

I hate sitting around waiting. All I want to do is go in, guns blazing, and get this over with, but I can’t. I knew going undercover would take time and shit, but I didn’t realize how slow shit would actually move. This is killer for someone who likes to stay busy.

What’s worse is the news that Alexei reached out and told me.

I walk up to the meat counter and wait my turn when another man comes to stand next to me.

“Max,” Alexei says quietly.

“You aren’t supposed to be here,” I say under my breath.

“I know, but I figured this was the best way to get news to you.”

“What’s going on? Is the family okay?” I ask as the line moves forward.

“The family is fine. The girls send their love, and the guys miss you.”

“Did they say that?”

“It’s obvious even to me.”

“Tell me what’s going on. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”

“Each family is reporting an uptick of missing people,” he says, making my jaw clench.

“I’m trying.”

“I know you are. This shit takes time.”

“Why do you think it’s happening now?”

“We believe, based on intel, that a sale is going down soon, and they are trying to get all the bodies possible to fill orders.”

“Any idea of when? Has anything about me come up?” I keep my voice low as I look around.

He shakes his head as he reaches for a salami log. “Nothing on you besides what we put out. Keep your head down, and you should get the invite.”

“And if I don’t?”

“That’s not an option,” he says before walking away.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

“Next, come on, man, we don’t have all day!” the deli guy says, calling me forward.

Those poor fucking people. If I could just get in and get what I need, this could all end.

Did I mess up the other night though when I stepped in and saved Olena? Did that fuck up the little camaraderie I built between Jan and myself? Fuck, that man is such a fucking tool. The way he grabbed his daughter at the base of her neck and dragged her out of view.

Olena.

Goddamn, is she a pretty little thing. I shouldn’t say that considering she’s even younger than Ivanna and Lia, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Not only that, but she is innocent as hell.

I have this urge to save her from the life she’s been thrust into.

I want to be the one who brings the light back to her face.

It doesn’t matter, though. I can’t let her distract me from what’s important.

Besides, for all I know, it’s all an act, and she’s in just as deep as her dear old dad.

Does she help him or is she blind to what he does behind closed doors? Surely that’s not the case though, right? Then again, there is no denying the fear she had in her eyes when he grabbed her. She’s terrified of the man. Did he hurt her that night or, worse, kill her?

I scrub my hands over my face. Shit, I’ve got to stop thinking about her. I have to.

I look around the apartment and shake my head. At least the apartment we rented to keep up appearances is benefiting from all the time I’m spending here. The place is fucking spotless.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

My body tenses as someone pounds on my front door.

No one knows where I live outside of Alexei, and I wasn’t expecting any deliveries.

Quietly I set my water down and reach for the gun I keep under the blanket on the underside of the coffee table.

I check the chamber and make sure a bullet is ready to go in case I need it.

Very carefully I make my way to the front door.

My heart pounds as I peek through the peephole.

A man in a custom suit stands in front of the door with his arms folded in front of him.

Something about him is familiar, but I can’t quite place where I know him from.

I take a step to the side, clear of the door.

“Who is it?” I yell.

“Mr. Boyko, my name is Charlie Manson. I have a certified letter I need you to sign for,” he says.

Charlie Manson? I scoff. I might have been born at night, but I wasn’t born last night. Charlie Manson sure as hell isn’t his name.

Taking a deep breath, I turn my body and unlock the door. Carefully I open the door, keeping the gun out of view but ready to fire if this asshole makes a move.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not expecting anything,” I tell him.

The man smiles creepily, showing off his incisors that make him look like one of those vampires from the movies Lia and Ivanna like to watch.

The man holds out an envelope. “I could take this with me, but I have a feeling you would regret it.”

I reach out and take the letter from him.

“Have a good day, Mr. Boyko,” he says before walking away.

So much for signing for it.

The man wasn’t a courier, though. Not a legal one, at least.

Once he’s out of view, I slam the door shut and lock the door. Moving to the kitchen island, I set the gun down and look at the envelope.

The maroon wax seal catches my attention. Very carefully, without messing up the seal, I open the envelope and pull out the piece of parchment from inside. It’s a heavy piece of paper with calligraphy writing.

Is this what I think it is? Heart racing I begin to read.

Maxim Boyko, you are cordially invited…

“Holy shit…” I mutter as I keep reading.

The sale of the year, taking place on Friday the thirteenth of August. Come join us to fill your darkest desires.

I did it. I really fucking did it.

I’m in.