Page 94 of Maxim

Max looks at me with concern as I stare at my phone. “Everything OK?”

No, everything is not OK. Jane is being held by a person unknown and I have no fucking clue what to do. I should probably tell him what’s going on but something stops me. I’m almost certain Jane’s kidnapper knows I’m with Max. There’s a chance he will hurt Jane if I ask Max for help. And besides, if he doesn’t trust me enough to tell me he’s in the Russian Mafia, how can I trust him to help?

“I’m fine,” I lie, praying he believes me. “Just tired and stressed.”

His gaze softens. “I’m taking you home now, malyshka.”

I’m herded into one of the waiting cars while Kolya leads Amanda in a different direction. She promises to let me know if she hears from Jane and I don’t have the heart to tell her I already have, and it’s not good news.

Maybe if I’m smart, I can fix this mess before it gets out of hand. I just need a moment to myself so I can find out what Jane’s kidnapper wants. While Max is busy barking instructions at Artem in the driver’s seat, I pull my phone out and reply to the message.

What do you want me to do?

There’s no immediate reply, so I shove my phone down deep in my pocket and wait.

We arrive back at the house. I tell Max I’m going to take a nap and he lets me go. He seems distracted by something, so he doesn’t protest when I disappear into my bedroom.

Once there, I strip off the black dress I wore to the funeral and change into some comfortable yoga pants and a long-sleeve tee. Then I lie on my bed and pretend to sleep, just in case Max comes to check on me.

Time passes. I almost doze off, but after what feels like forever, my phone pings.

Leave the house, follow the path behind the pool house, and head to the perimeter fence. I’ll be waiting.

If I do this will you let Jane go?

Once again, there’s no reply. There’s a chance he’ll kill us both, but I have to do this. It’s my only hope.

The house is quiet as I make my way downstairs, my phone tucked inside my pocket. There’s no sign of Max so I assume he’s in his office. Guards are patrolling at the front of of the house but when I venture out of the door adjacent to the pool area, I can’t see anyone.

Keeping a close eye out for Max’s men, I quickly follow the path behind the pool house. The sun is low in the sky and shadows lengthen all around me. I spot a couple of guards in the distance, but I duck behind a tree and they don’t see me.

Once I reach the ten-foot perimeter fence I pause. There’s no way I can get through or over this. What the fuck am I supposed to do?

At the sound of leaves crunching, I spin around to find a tall man with closely cropped black hair smiling at me. Objectively, he’s handsome, but something unsettling in his eyes scares me.

“Hello, Natalya.” His accent is thick, his voice rough. When I look closer, I can see a thin scar dissecting his jaw, as if he’s been slashed with a knife at some point in the past.

I take a step back, realizing a little too late I’m in way over my head. “Who are you?”

“Jane’s boyfriend, of course.” This man doesn’t look anything like the guys Jane usually dates. She tends to go for clean-cut types: accountants, lawyers, doctors, etc. Not men who look like they escaped the nearest maximum security prison.

“Boyfriend? I don’t understand?” My brow furrows in confusion. Why could Jane’s mysterious boyfriend be here anyway? It makes no sense.

“Oh? Hasn’t Jane mentioned me?” He pouts and then grins as if he knows something extra juicy that I don’t.

“Not really, no.”

With a dramatic sigh, he presses a fist to his chest.

“I’m wounded. I thought she and I were in love.” The bastard is taunting me but I have no clue why. “Anatoly Uriov, pleased to make your acquaintance, my dear.” His words slam into me and my heart stops. How is it possible? “Now we better move before Maxim realizes I’m here and tries to kill me. That would be unfortunate for your friend. If I die, she dies too.”

The knowledge that Jane has been dating an insane psychopath slowly sinks in. I have so many questions, not least how she met him, but he doesn’t give me a chance to process the information.

“Give me your phone,” he orders, holding his hand out and looking pointedly at the rectangular bulge in my pocket.

I do as I’m told because what other choice do I have? He takes the phone and tosses it into the undergrowth. Then he yanks me through a hole in the wire mesh fence. I spot a camera fixed on a tree nearby but there is no red light blinking like normal. Uriov sees me looking and grins smugly.

“Security has been disabled, little lamb. It might take Maxim a while to find you, and by then, it will probably be too late.”

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