Page 25

Someone was in the basement. Quiet steps, only a trained ear could follow, came from down the hall. It was all it took to jolt me awake. On instinct, I reached for my gun, but the weapon wasn’t there. Wrong room.

Well, this should be fun, I thought.

An unnatural amount of heat poured out of Maxim’s body, pressing closely against my back. His hand looped around, holding onto the front of his shirt I wore. It was as if he didn’t want me to slip out without his knowledge.

With spare seconds to act, I ran out of time to move him gently.

“I know,” his voice grazed my ear when I shifted. A hot puff of air tickled my bare skin as he tightened his grip in reassurance.

We both listened closely as the steps neared the door to the gray bedroom. Still fighting the dizziness of the night, I focused on the movement. There was a familiar rhythm in the steps.

“It’s your brother,” I rasped out, relieved.

“Wha–”

Confirming my educated guess, Luka whispered through the closed door. “Maxim. Are you here?”

“Jesus,” his brother muttered next to me. “You couldn’t announce yourself sooner? We almost shot you.”

“We?” Luka’s voice expressed his surprise. “Are you decent?”

“No,” Maxim protested.

“Yes,” I shouted over him.

Luka poked his head through the gap in the open door, looking at the floor out of politeness or fear of Maxim’s reaction.

“Hey, Tay,” he greeted, his voice quiet. “Ilya called for you guys.”

Ilya?

I slipped out of Maxim’s grip, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. Still early.

When I reached the door and swung it open, Luka was standing behind it, dressed and ready to go.

“What do you mean? The wedding isn’t for another eight hours.”

“Ilya’s freaking out about something,” Luka said, “and he sent me to bring you two.”

Maxim sat up, wrapping the blanket around his waist. “Right now?” His hair was a mess of curls, and I couldn’t look away.

“Yeah. It’s urgent,” Luka replied, clearing his throat.

Maxim rolled his eyes, unaffected, and lay back down.

“I’ll wait in the car,” his brother said, before disappearing down the hall.

“How did you know it was him?” Maxim asked, watching me as I scanned the floor for my belongings, gathering the little I had in this room.

“Everybody walks a certain way. ”

I stopped by the edge of his side, and that’s when I spotted my discarded underwear on the nightstand. I hoped Luka hadn’t read the room too much.

“You can tell if you listen closely,” I explained. “I catalog faces, movements, sounds, and the rhythm of their steps.”

I nudged Maxim’s jeans with the tip of my foot, tossing the pair at his face as a signal to get moving.

Without a word, he stood up to his full height, slipping his legs into the jeans. I couldn’t help but admire the body in front of me. He didn’t even bother with underwear, clearly unfazed by who we were about to meet.

The image of him was stored in my mind, a lingering memory sure to resurface later. If it wasn’t so urgent and his brother wasn’t waiting for us upstairs, I would’ve done anything to get more of what he’d offered.

Was this becoming a regular thing?

“That’s kinda hot,” Maxim commented, reacting to my earlier words.

Or you’re kinda deranged, I thought.

Before I could process it, he reached over and pocketed my underwear with a wink, one he’d given me before. Then he moved toward the door.

“Yeah, only you would think so,” I called after him.

At the door frame, he paused, tracing the outline of his jaw with his thumb. He stared at me with a ridiculous smile for a while before finally exiting, the mood of the moment leaving with him.

Alisa had hours before she needed to get ready, so she stayed behind. Still splayed out on the couch, her sleepy head nodded as I spoke.

Enzo, a godsend, brewed us coffee to go. Hesitant at first, he agreed to keep her company until Andrei picked her up.

With arrangements out of the way, we said our goodbyes.

Maxim’s black Mercedes, nearly identical to mine, roared to life under his touch. When the house disappeared from view, a hint of

sadness settled in.

It was a longing for the peaceful weekends we so rarely had.

Once on the road, I turned to Luka in the back seat. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that Malek came by this morning, and he and Ilya talked for hours.”

Malek?

“What about?” Maxim asked, his focus set on the road.

“Like I said, no idea. Andrei didn’t know either.”

And that was that. From that point on, we remained quiet. Each caught in their web of thoughts. The drive back could be summarized as a series of rapid speeding, occasional overtaking, and lots of curses.

Rap music fueled Maxim’s mood, causing his brother to roll his eyes at the choice. I, for once, appreciated the genre. Raw emotions hid in the words of the songs. In some ways, I related to the lyrics.

Enzo’s powerful brew helped restore the energy I still lacked. After the third cup, I fought the urge to sing along. Luckily, the Galkin men were spared my musical talents, since I wasn’t familiar with the lyrics.

The display on the dashboard cast light on the driver.

Maxim handheld the steering wheel firmly while he leaned against the center console, drumming his fingers to the rhythm.

He wore casual clothing, a change from his usual suit.

Dark jeans with a black V-neck t-shirt. Topped with a leather jacket.

Insert the tattoos, he was a wet dream. Mine.

What if that’s all he was?

The aftertaste of a dream you chase night after night to experience the high. You prolong the inevitable and hang on, but in the morning it’s gone, and you are left to deal with the reality of the day.

I’ll cope regardless, but for the first time, I imagined the ifs , and they didn’t scare me.

So once more, I longed for his gaze. For the intensity his attention brought.

Why did it leave me wanting more?

I sat higher in the seat, wiping the imaginary drool from the corner of my mouth before I got called out for ogling .

When we approached a gas station, I collectively decided to stop. Luka appreciated the suggestion. The man could eat every hour of the day.

When he disappeared deep into the store, I headed for the bathroom, and on the way back, I picked out a pastry to balance out the coffee I consumed.

Whilst waiting in line at the register, I glanced over my shoulder, aware of his proximity. Through the glass storefront, I admired Maxim, still rooted in the parking lot in his signature pose, leaning against the hood of his car, his ankles crossed.

Watching me. Wish granted.

I could see the appeal and the confidence his attention gave. I knew why women craved it, how they dreamed of having someone’s entire world revolve around them.

Not just anyone’s. A man of his age, maturity, and position, with that much power. Someone who could pick and choose from the masses, rarely coming back for a second time.

Yet, he chose you. Repeatedly. The special one.

I knew he could give me that. Any of these gangsters could. But that wasn’t me.

It wasn’t power I needed. I wanted the raw, the ugly, and everything in between. Because I knew that side existed in all of us, and I refused

to hide it.

I craved the competitiveness, the thrill, and the excitement it brought. I wanted to be pushed, challenged, and fight for what I earned. But above all, I wanted to choose someone for who they truly were, not for what they represented. Money, power, strength, status, all of it was fabricated.

You gained, you lost, but what of you remained?

With Maxim, though, maturity wasn’t part of the offer.

Laughter followed me out the door, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s so funny? ”

I realized then that I’d let my mind wander. When I zoned in on his face, he blinked, and being who I was, my mouth spoke before my mind could assess. “You.”

Hiding the smile behind a bite of the gas station Danish, I joined him by the car.

He cocked his head and I silently begged whoever was listening to stop sending me all these thirst trap images.

A prolonged breath accompanied his actions as he hooked his hands behind my knees, bringing me closer.

Positioned between his thighs, I stared at him in anticipation, daring him to make a move.

Maxim’s fingers trailed the inner side of my thigh, but I was confident it was going to take way more effort to taunt me. Or even get a reaction.

With a familiar smirk, he abruptly stood up and faced me head-on.

Leaning in, he came close, stopping just short of my lips.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t eager to give him this first. One I’d been wanting to be rid of for a while.

Do I close my eyes?

No. I blinked several times, watching him from behind lowered eyelids.

It was when his tongue licked the pastry’s filling from the corner of my mouth that it hit me.

Asshole.

He was lucky I didn’t choke him with the chain decorating his thick neck.

An amused snicker escaped him, and I only saw his back as he returned to the driver’s seat, eyes fixed on the entrance. When I glanced behind me, Luka finally walked out, hands filled with junk food.

Once back in the car, it was Maxim’s turn to laugh.

This time, I didn’t need to ask who he was laughing at.