Page 104 of Hunter

“Let me keep talking to her, Maxim,” I plead, urgency in my voice. “There’s something more here. I need to understand.”

Jenny’s eyes are wild now, a flicker of panic flashing across her face, but I can’t stop. Not now. I need to know the truth.

“Sophia—”

“Maxim, please,” I cut him off, my voice trembling with frustration, a mix of desperation and weariness.

“No,” he growls, his tone hard and final. “I’m done watching you bleed out in front of her. Done. No more talking to her.”

My chest tightens, my breath shallow as I fight the overwhelming urge to scream. “I’ll be done talking to her when I feel like it!” I snap, a sharp bitterness creeping into my voice. I’m too far gone to care about his protectiveness right now.

“Oh, oh, did Maxi get in trouble?” A mocking voice breaks the tension, and I turn to see Luca standing nonchalantly, a sinister grin on his face. He’s leaning against the wall, his hand tucked casually in his pocket like he hasn’t just killed someone. I follow his gaze to the body of a guard lying on the floor, a bullet in his forehead. When did that happen? How the hell did Luca have time to do this—and more importantly, when the hell did he wake up?

“Be a good boy, Maxi. If not, Sophia might just put you back in the doghouse,” Luca teases, enjoying every bit of this.

I can’t stop the small, bitter laugh that escapes me, the absurdity of it all breaking through. “Would you two fucking behave?” I mutter, rolling my eyes.

Maxim’s shoulders tightened, and his jaw clenched so hard, I’m afraid it might crack. “You’re both insufferable,” he growls, his voice thick with fury. He murmurs something under his breath—probably a curse aimed at Luca. “I’m going to kill him.”

Luca only laughs louder, oblivious to Maxim’s simmering rage. “You love me, Maxi. Admit it,” he grins.

I turn back to Maxim, my anger starting to dissolve into something more tired. Exhausted. Luca always had this way of cutting through the tension between Maxim and me. I can feel my heart hammering in my chest, but it’s not fear. It’s something else—something deeper.

“I understand you don’t want me to keep getting hurt, but there’s so much I need to say to Jenny. So much.” My voice cracks as I try to hold it together. “You can tie her up if it will make it easier for you to not feel like you’re losing control. But this is something I need to do, Maxim. For me.” I can feel the raw ache in my chest as I say the words.

Maxim’s brows furrow deeply, his eyes darkening with frustration. He grits his teeth, but after a long, agonizing silence, he gives in. He ties Jennifer to the chair, his movements sharp and controlled, as though every second is a battle. Then, he turns to untie me. His face is tight and pained, and he gestures toward Jennifer with a flick of his wrist before folding his arms, his expression hardening as if preparing for war.

“This is between me and her. Please,” I beg softly, my voice thick with something I can’t name. “Please wait outside.”

Maxim’s nostrils flare, his eyes flashing with disbelief. “Fuck no. I’m not leaving you alone with her. I won’t do it.”

A sharp, painful sting shoots through me. He doesn’t get it. Not this. Not me. I can’t keep doing this, trying to explain myself. “Maxim.” My voice trembles as I grit my teeth and force the words out, my tone breaking but resolute. “Go outside.”

The tension in the room becomes unbearable. Maxim’s whole body tenses, as if I’ve just delivered a slap to his face. His eyes, dark with frustration, are locked on me—there’s a look in them, something between hurt and rage, and it takes everything in me not to break under the weight of it. But I stand my ground, pushing through the suffocating fear that threatens to swallow me.

The vein in his neck bulges, his jaw clenched in a way that makes me fear he might snap in two. I see the fight in his eyes—the protectiveness, the need to shield me from everything bad. But I can’t have that right now, not with Jenny here. Not with the weight of everything I need to say to her, to my sister.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, he exhales sharply and steps back. “You want to do this alone?” His voice is tight, controlled, but there’s no mistaking the hurt there.

“Please,” I whisper. It’s the only word I can manage, but it’s enough.

Jenny looks at me, her eyes raw with unshed tears, but her voice cracks with something far more broken. “It’s okay, Sophia,” she says quietly, her gaze shifting from me to Maxim and then to the walls, as if the place itself might swallow her whole. “He can hear us. He should.”

The words hang there, unspoken but understood. The weight of what’s between us—of what’s been between us for so long—grows heavier with every word she doesn’t say. “This involves him as much as it does me,” she adds, almost like a confession.

I feel a pang deep in my chest. For all the hatred, all the lies and betrayal, she still sees Maxim as a part of this. But it’s not about him anymore. Not entirely.

She turns her head toward Maxim, her voice barely a whisper. “Can we please go somewhere else?” she pleads, her eyes clouded with memories I can’t imagine. “This place has ears.”

Maxim’s opens his mouth to fight Jenny, but I beg hi with my eyes not to. She is clearly tormented. His expression falters. The hard lines of his face soften, just for a moment. He doesn’t say anything, but his gaze flickers between us—between me and her—and then, at last, he nods. He is only agreeing to this because of me.

“Let’s go home,” I say softly, my heart aching at the thought of that word: home.

Maxim looks at me, conflicted, but he doesn’t argue. He steps aside and, for a moment, just stands there, watching me, waiting for something. I don’t know what. But for now, he listens.

I take a deep breath. There’s no going back from this, no easy way to undo the years of damage, of hurt, of all the words left unsaid. But I take Jenny’s hand, and we walk toward whatever comes next. Together.

FORTY-TWO

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