Page 43 of Maxim

Maybe, just maybe, Maxim will be the man to finally keep his word. If the way he’s staring at me is anything to go by, he will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

I only have to do the scariest thing I have ever done. Even scarier than facing my own death.

I need to trust him.

A feeling I can’t quite name moves through me, making my leg bounce as I wait for the knock at the door.

Surely this isn’t nerves, right?

The last time I recall being nervous was when I was a child.

My eyes drift over to the woman who’s curled up on the couch, asleep once again. This time I know she’s not faking it. I can’t help but smile as I watch her. The girl thinks she’s so sneaky when she pretends to be asleep, but I can tell the moment she wakes up. Her breath catches before she holds her breath. For some reason I find it endearing.

When the knock finally comes, it startles Olena so badly that she flinches as her eyes shoot open.

“Easy, everything is fine,” I say softly, as if she’s a wounded animal.

Only when Olena nods do I stand and make my way to the door. As I unlock the door, I place my hand on the handle of my gun in the small of my back. I look through the peephole to confirm I know who it is. Carefully I open the door. When the woman on the other side looks up, I relax.

Perfect.

I open the door further and step to the side. Thea walks in quietly as she eyes the room. I shut the door and lock it once again.

“How are you?”

Something flashes through her eyes before her face goes carefully blank. “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

I bite back a chuckle when she doesn’t ask how I am.

“Thank you for coming,” I tell her.

“Alexei told me it was important. What can I help you with?” she says, getting right to business.

I turn and see that Olena is curled up in the corner of the couch, eyes wide as she stares at the other woman in the room.

“Olena, this is a friend of mine, Thea. Thea, this is Olena,” I say, introducing them to each other.

Calling Thea a friend is a stretch, but it’s the best cover I have right now. Thea doesn’t have any affiliation to the family, so her coming over is safe. Her loyalty lies with Alexei.

A couple of years ago, when we saved Lia and Ivanna from being sold, Alexei saved her. We were all a little surprised when instead of letting her go, Alexei moved her in with him. They’ve been attached at the hip ever since, and when we ask him about their relationship, he tells us it’s none of our business. Something I respect.

“Hi,” Olena says as she awkwardly waves from the other side of the room.

“Hello,” Thea says as she nods toward Olena before turning back to me. “I have a message for you.”

She pulls out a letter from her back pocket and hands it over.

I take it and look over at Olena. “I’m going to give her a tour. Stay put, okay?”

Olena nods, so I tip my head toward the hall. Thea falls into step with me.

“What is wrong with her? All Alexei told me was to not let her out of my sight,” Thea says quietly.

“She is delicate. She escaped once, which caused her a world of pain. Then she decided that her life wasn’t important and tried to end it.”

“Did she do that because of something you did?” Thea asks, her voice dripping with venom.

I turn toward the woman and look her in the eye. “She did it because the last thing she wanted was for her father to sell her like a slave. She hasn’t realized it yet, but I mean her no harm. I only wish to save her from the shit show she was born into.”

---