Page 59 of Cruel Promise

I won’t stop them from hurting him. But what if they try and hurt me? Despite how I feel for Nikolai, I know he doesn’t want me dead or … worse. My father will help take me back to him.

There’s only one way out of this—help my father.

“How much does he owe?” I ask, my voice quiet and reedy.

Maxim barely spares me a glance. “Five hundred grand.”

I turn to my father. “Do you not have anything to pay them back? Money stashed anywhere?”

He shakes his head.

“I’d listen to your daughter,” Maxim says.

“Just give me until tomorrow,” Father begs, “and I’ll have the money.”

“How? What’s going to change between today and tomorrow to magically give you five hundred grand?”

He flicks his gaze to me. I get it. He’s hoping to re-sell me to Nikolai and get the money to pay Maxim.

Maxim notices the look and turns to me, giving me a new, curious look. “What am I not understanding?”

I open my mouth to explain, but then my father cuts me off. “You can have her. You can have my daughter.”

My entire body tenses, and everything goes numb again. Maybe that’s for the best. If I can’t feel anything, then nothing can hurt.

Maxim’s entire demeanor changes. He went from looking annoyed to now looking lethal as he leans over my father. “You would give me your daughter?”

No. I can’t be given to anyone else. I’m not sure I’ll survive it.

“Yes,” my father replies. “She’s easily worth five hundred grand.” From five million down to five hundred. I see my worth in my father’s eyes, and it’s zero.

Maxim glares down at my father for the longest moment until he stands back and laughs. Actually laughs like he’s watching a comedy. I see nothing funny in it. “I’m not going to take your daughter, you fucktard.”

I gasp.

“I don’t buy women,” Maxim continues. “I have no use for her. It’s you I need.” He presses his gun to my father’s head. “I need you to pay me the money you owe us. And I need you to pay up right now. Or I’ll put a bullet in your fucking head.”

My father catches my gaze. “Ava, help me.”

I don’t say a word. Maxim doesn’t intend to buy me, which makes me feel like I can trust him. I know my father doesn’t have my back.

I take a step farther away.

“Please!” he begs.

“Your daughter can’t help you now,” Maxim says. “I’ll give you thirty seconds to tell me where you have the money hidden. If you can’t, you’re dead.”

“I …”

“Think. Hard.”

Father scrunches his face up and pretends to think, but everyone in this room knows he doesn’t have the money.

“Thirty seconds are up,” Maxim says.

“Wait. Wait! There’s something you don’t know. Ava, my daughter, she’s married to Nikolai Petrov. You can use her.”

My heart drops right into my stomach. Maxim hates Nikolai. I’m not sure what happened between them, but I know if you show up to someone’s wedding and threaten them, you’re not friends.

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