Page 35 of Maxim

I bristle with annoyance. “I don’t need a babysitter!”

He crosses his arms, looking completely unrepentant. “It’s safer here.” I know he’s probably right, even if he has no idea what I’m dealing with right now. Not that I have any plans to tell him. I don’t want to get him involved in my work. I’m not sure getting involved with him is a good idea full stop.

Yet here I am, again.

Maybe staying here would be better - for now at least. My head hurts and I can’t face the idea of going back to my empty apartment. Even though I want to see what’s on the drive Margana gave me last night, I’m exhausted. And emotional.

“Look, I’m not going to force you to stay, Natalya, but at least let me feed you. You must be hungry.” My stomach chooses that exact moment to rumble loud enough to shake the foundations of the building we’re currently in.

He smirks like an asshole. “See?”

“I need a shower,” I grumble, still not looking at his stupidly handsome face or ridiculously muscular chest. Watching him beat a man bloody last night has done nothing to calm my libido. I’m not sure what that says about me, other than I am possibly mentally unwell.

“While you’re showering, I’ll cook some breakfast.” He turns away and saunters into a large walk-in closet. Just before the door closes, he whips his towel off and I’m treated to a view of buttocks hard enough to crack walnuts on.

My pussy whimpers and weeps and I grit my teeth.

A cold shower it is then.

Chapter twenty-four

Max

The guy who attacked Natalya last night is currently tied to a chair in one of our warehouses. Kolya questioned him but didn’t learn much, other than he and his friends were given a photograph and paid to frighten Natalya by any means necessary.

I feel like I’m missing a whole lot of information. I have no idea what Natalya does for a living, but she was targeted for a reason. Sasha’s already running a background check after I pulled her info from her ID card, the one she keeps tucked away in her purse.

Just as I’m in the kitchen, hunting for food to prepare for breakfast, Sasha calls.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” My muscles tense, wondering what the fuck he’s managed to dig up on Natalya. Perhaps I should have looked a bit more closely at her before bringing her back to my apartment. Twice.

“Go on.”

“Well she isn’t a cop, so not so bad.” I exhale a sigh of relief, not that I ever considered she was. I’ve met more than a few cops in my time, and none of them are soft and sweet like her. “But she is a journalist with the Daily Journal.”

“That covers a lot of things, Sasha, so get to the point.” I pull out a box of eggs and some hard cheese to make omelets with herbs.

“From what I’ve found, she started as an intern and was taken on as a features writer a couple of years ago. One of her articles won an award. She’s talented.”

“Features is what, lifestyle content and shit? 20 ways to lose a guy in a month, kind of thing?” Sasha snorts at my dismissive tone.

“Yeah.” He hums as he clicks his keyboard, presumably looking for the juiciest snippets of information to tell me. The guy likes to tease me.

I whisk the eggs and add herbs while the skillet heats up on the burner. There’s a pot of coffee ready so I pour a small cup and add a touch of cream. Normally I prefer my coffee black, but this morning I feel like making it less bitter. Natalya’s habits are rubbing off on me.

“So what’s the problem then?” I don’t see why a woman who writes articles on relationships and shit is an issue. Besides, she knows nothing about my business interests. I kept it deliberately vague when she asked.

“She did an interview with the mayor on the night of the gala and my sources suggest she’s currently investigating him.”

Fuck my life. That’s not good. If she starts digging into the mayor, she will come across links to me, and also Uriov. Well, assuming she’s any good at her job, but having spent some time with her I would assume she is.

The woman is far too smart to fudge an investigation into the mayor.

“You think last night’s attack is connected to that.” It’s all starting to make sense now. The mayor has a lot to lose, not least the lucrative position that lets him enjoy frequent cash sweeteners to approve permits and ignore illegal activities.

“Yes. There isn’t an obvious link between the guy we picked up and the mayor, but there is a loose link between him and Uriov, and we both know the mayor is in bed with that fucker.”

Just as I’m about to reply, I hear the door from the bedroom click open. Natalya walks in, her hair wet, dressed in one of my shirts and nothing else. I swear my brain temporarily short-circuits because I can hear Sasha in my ear but nothing registers.

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