Page 9 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

I roll over to my other side and stare out the window. I’ve been with my master for a week now, but it feels as if time has stopped. Almost as if I’ve been frozen in time. I hate everything about the situation I’ve found myself in. I’m homesick for my siblings, bored out of my mind, and lonely.

So fucking lonely.

Most of all, though, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He doesn’t know it, but after he left the other day I checked all the doors and found that I was locked inside.

While I wasn’t surprised, it was still disheartening and a reminder that in the end he bought me and I’m his possession. His slave.

Maxim has been nice and has stayed away. While I’m thankful for the distance, I know it will eventually end. One day he will decide to get his money’s worth out of me. It might not be tonight or six months from now, but it will happen.

My heart aches with despair. I push thoughts about my impending doom away and think of my siblings, which makes my chest ache even more. I would give anything to see them or, at the very least, speak to them. If I miss them as much as I do, I can’t imagine how much they miss me.

A knock on my door has me looking over my shoulder. Maxim stands there with his hands fisted at his side and a crease between his eyebrows. Even when he’s frowning, the man is attractive.

I guess it’s true what they say. The devil is attractive to draw you into his clutches. To damn your soul to hell.

“Good morning,” he rasps. Maxim must know I’m not going to respond because he pushes forward. “I have to leave for a few hours, but I’ll be back before dark.”

I nod, letting him know I heard him loud and clear.

Maxim huffs as he shakes his head before he walks down the hallway. When I hear the front door shut, I roll onto my back and my heart begins to race.

I know it’s a risk, but I can’t wait anymore.

If living with my father taught me anything, it’s that I can’t be a sitting duck.

I need to move when he least expects me to.

Turning my head, I watch the arms of the clock click by second by second, minute by minute, until fifteen minutes have passed.

I get out of bed and head into the closet.

Quickly, I put on a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of leggings along with running shoes.

When I first found them in the closet, I was shocked. My father never let me own a pair of tennis shoes or leggings because they weren’t ladylike. Since living with Maxim, though, they’ve grown on me.

I guess one good thing has come out of this situation.

I take a deep breath as I pick up the hammer I found under the kitchen sink.

I walk over to the window in my bedroom and look outside.

Once I’m sure the coast is clear, I step to the side and swing.

I grunt when the hammer rebounds, almost hitting me.

Shock moves through me when I see the window didn’t even crack.

No. No. No. This has to work.

Again, I draw back the hammer and swing even harder than I did before. As the spiderweb crawls through the glass, I can’t help but smile. With the next hit, the glass falls to the ground, and I laugh with excitement.

I did it. I really did it.

I drop the hammer and crawl out the window.

Glass bites into my palms, but I don’t care.

I’m free. With that thought in mind, I head toward the only place I want to go.

Home to my siblings. Once I make it to the street, I start walking toward my right and I keep straight until I recognize where I’m at.

I don’t know how long I’ve been walking by the time I make it to the backside of my father’s estate, but my legs are tired and I’m so thirsty I could drink an entire pitcher of water in one go. As I wipe sweat from my forehead, I study the fence.

Now that I’m here, how do I get in?

Shit, Olena, this is why you don’t do things spontaneously. You need to have a plan.

As I berate myself for not thinking before reacting, I miss someone approaching until a hand comes down on my shoulder. I screech and try to pull away, but the man won’t let me.

“Well, well, well, look who came home,” Artem, one of my father’s soldiers, says. “And here I thought we would never see you again.”

“I was just leaving,” I say quietly.

Artem chuckles and squeezes my shoulder. “You aren’t going anywhere, sweetheart, but inside. I can’t wait for your father and Szymon to hear about this.”

For a moment I try to resist as he pushes me, but my attempts are futile.

I’m going to die. Father said that if I ever tried to come back, he would kill me. I should have known that this wasn’t going to be easy.

Then again, death would be better than sitting in that lonely home all by myself , a little voice in the back of my head tells me.

Death.

Why is it my life revolves around death? Why do I constantly fear that I’m one foot in the ground and the next step forward will be my last? Do most people feel this way?

When we cross the threshold into the house, I start scanning the place for any sign of my siblings. I just need to know they are okay.

Father and Szymon look up when we step into the office. Szymon’s eyes narrow as my father’s shine with something I can’t quite name. Giddiness maybe?

“Well, look at what we have here,” Father muses as he sits back in his chair.

“Found this one on the back side of the property, eyeing the fence,” Artem tells him as he shoves me to the floor.

Instinct takes over, and I obediently look down at the ground. My hands twitch as they rest on the tops of my thighs as my heart races.

“I warned you, Olena,” Father scolds. “Does Mr. Boyko know you’re here?”

“No, Father,” I whisper.

He tsks his tongue, making me flinch.

“Get the boy,” Father says.

His words don’t register until Artem lets go of me.

The boy. He’s going to get Alek!

Relief that I’ll be setting eyes on my brother in a matter of moments rushes through me. For some reason, I assumed he would rush me out of here without giving me the one thing I want. Maybe I misjudged Father, and he realized that he made a mistake when he sold me.

I’m so lost in my thoughts of seeing my brother that I missed the fact Father picked up his phone until he starts speaking.

“Maxim, good to talk to you again.” He pauses. “Do you know where your merchandise is right now?”

Footsteps coming toward me have me looking over my shoulder. When my brother comes into view, I can’t help but smile. My heart drops though when his cold eyes meet mine.

What has Father done to him?

“I’m currently staring at her right now. We found her trying to break into my home,” he tells Maxim.

“Alek,” I say quietly.

For a split second, he looks down before looking back at me, his mask firmly in place.

Whatever reunion I was hoping to have with my brother isn’t going to happen.

It’s too late. Father has turned him against me, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I fucked up. My need to see them clouded my judgment. I acted on impulse, and now I’m screwed.

He’s going to kill me.

If not my father, my master.

Either way, this is where it ends.

The steering wheel creaks underneath my hands.

What in the ever-living fuck did Olena do?

I should have known that she was going to do something fucking crazy. Hell, I’ve spent enough time alone with Lia and Ivanna to know that when a woman is compliant, it’s only because they are playing the long game.

I knew she had left the moment she broke the glass, but I had hoped that she was trying to get away. I never thought she would run back to her father’s house.

I should have, though. She would never leave those children. I’m starting to wonder if the youngest one is hers.

None of it matters now.

I close my eyes and let the mask slip back in place.

The last thing we need is her father noticing my concern.

Reaching for the handle, I open the door and step out.

As I stride toward the front door, I straighten my sports coat.

Before I reach the door, it swings open.

Two guards step forward and strip me of my weapons.

I fucking hate being without a weapon. I know how to kill with my hands but that’s not the point.

“Follow me,” one of the men says.

I fall into step behind him and head down the hall. After a couple of turns, we step into an office. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Olena lying on the floor, bloodied and curled into a ball. It takes everything within me not to look down at her and check on her.

Son of a bitch.

I feel my jaw clench as I try to keep myself in check.

I should murder every fucking asshole in this room for laying their hands on her. Not because she’s mine but because she’s a fucking woman.

“Jan, when you called, I wasn’t expecting to hear you tell me that you had my property. Care to tell me how that happened?”

“It seems your home isn’t as secure as you reported, and she got out. She ran right back here.” He smirks. “You really should keep better track of your toys, Maxim.”

I hum. “I couldn’t agree more. Rest assured, it won’t happen again.”

I turn toward Olena, and regret rolls through me. I hate myself for what I’m about to do but it needs to be done.

The long game. It’s all about the long game here.

I walk over to Olena until I’m towering over her prone form.

“Up,” I demand.

As she tries to push herself up off the floor, she slips in the small puddle of blood that gathered under her. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as a young boy shifts his weight when she hits the hardwood.

Is that her brother? Did her father really beat the shit out of her in front of the child?

I wouldn’t put it past him.

Again, Olena pushes herself up and then stands. She keeps her head bowed. She flinches when I reach forward and grab her by the chin. I lean down until we meet eye to eye.

Olena’s eyes are the saddest ones I’ve ever seen, and it fucking kills me. No one should ever live through the shit I’m sure her father has put her through.

And to think, he has two more kids under his roof. Who knows what he’s doing to them.

“You’ve been naughty. You understand that you will be punished for your actions, correct?”

A single tear tracks down her cheek, and I quickly wipe it away before anyone else notices.

Instead of doing things the easy way, Olena only makes shit more complicated by keeping her mouth shut.

My hand moves to her throat, and I squeeze until she sucks in a breath. “Answer me.”

Olena opens her mouth to say something but is cut off when a little ball of fury crashes into us.

“Let her go!”

I look down at the little girl with ringlets of brown hair as she uses her fists to pound away at my thigh in anger.

This must be her sister. I go to release Olena’s throat, but she shocks the shit out of me when she reaches out and squeezes my wrist. When my eyes meet hers, I realize she’s silently begging me not to let go.

What kind of situation did this woman drag me into? Because this really isn’t as cut and dry as it should be.

“Why, you little brat. You were supposed to stay in your room with the nanny. You’ll pay for being disobedient,” Jan hisses as he stands.

The little girl stops hitting me and latches onto my pants as she buries her face into my leg. My heart breaks as I feel her shake with fear.

I need to de-escalate the situation before he hurts anyone.

Think, Maxim. Think.

Before I can think of my next move, Olena shocks the shit out of me. Her hand cracks against my cheek so hard I barely stop myself from flinching. I guess that’s one way to do it.

I narrow my eyes at her while she silently pleads with me to do something.

“I’m going to have so much fun punishing you when we get home,” I mutter as I start to apply pressure on her throat.

The entire time I squeeze, she doesn’t look away from me.

I silently plead for her to forgive me for what I’m doing.

All too soon, her body goes limp, and I catch her as she begins to fall.

“What are you going to do with her?” one of Jan’s men asks.

Before I can say anything, her father speaks.

“It’s not any of our business what he does with his property, Szymon,” he father scolds.

Anger flashes through Szymon’s eyes, but he dips his head in compliance.

Spineless prick.

Very carefully I adjust my hold on Olena until I’m holding her bridal style in my arms.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience that happened today. Rest assured your daughter will learn her lesson, and it won’t happen again.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” He looks away from me and to the little girl at my side. “Come here, Daryna.”

I fight the urge to protect the little girl. Who the hell knows what he will do to her when I leave.

I wonder if I offered him money for her if he would give her to me as well.

While the idea holds merit, I can’t do that. I shouldn’t have bought Olena, and I’m already having problems keeping her in line. The last thing I need is to add a child into the mix.

Reluctantly, Daryna pulls away and walks toward her father with her head bowed.

Jan looks up at me and nods. “Szymon will walk you out. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

I shift Olena in my arms and nod. Silently I follow behind him. When we get outside, he’s nice enough to open the car door for me. Gently, I lower her into the passenger seat and then buckle her seat belt before shutting the door.

“Don’t let this happen again,” Szymon says quietly.

Before I can say anything, he spins on his heels and heads back toward the house.

Rounding the hood, I get in and start the car. As I start to drive away, I take my first real breath since I got the call.

That was close. Too fucking close.

One thing is for sure, though. Olena and I have to have a fucking talk because, like Szymon said, this can’t happen again.