Page 20 of Bound Vows
“Of course, Mr. Volkov. Fifteen thousand. No problem.”
“Excellent.” I close the folder and slide it into my desk drawer. “Alexei will escort you out. Please give my regards to your lovely wife, Sofia. How is her garden club doing? I hear the roses are particularly beautiful this year.”
The mention of his wife’s name sends Torrino stumbling to his feet with panic written across his face. He mumbles thanks and apologies while backing toward the door, desperate to escape before I decide to make additional examples.
Once he’s gone, Maya sets her book aside and fixes me with an unreadable stare.
“Subtle,” she comments, but her voice has dropped to a husky register that makes me want to bend her over my desk.
“Subtlety is wasted on people who mistake kindness for weakness.” I pour myself a glass of vodka from the bottle I keep in my desk drawer. “Mr. Torrino needed clarification about our business relationship.” I let my gaze travel down her body before meeting her eyes again. "Much like you did yesterday."
Maya's breath catches at the reference to our encounter, and I don’t miss the way she clenches her thighs. She clears her throat and tries to change the subject. “And threatening his wife provided that clarification?”
“I didn’t threaten anyone. I simply demonstrated my awareness of his personal life.” I raise the glass in a mock salute before taking a sip. “Knowledge is power, Piccola. The more people understand how much I know, the more they want to please me." The way I say “please” makes it clear that I'm not just talking about business arrangements.
Maya uncrosses and recrosses her legs, a gesture I’ve learned signals her internal debate about whether to challenge me or simply file information away for later use. But now, I also recognize it as a sign of arousal; she's trying to relieve the pressure building between her legs.
“Your accent gets thicker when you’re angry,” she observes, then adds with deliberate provocation, "It's quite... effective."
“Does it? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, I think you have. You use it like another weapon.” Maya stands and walks to the window overlooking Central Park, her hips swaying in an unconsciously seductive way. “The more Russian you sound, the more dangerous you become. It’s quite effective.”
I join her at the window and stand close enough to catch the jasmine in her perfume but far enough away to avoid crowding her. “You’re very observant.”
“I’m very motivated to understand the man who’s holding me prisoner,” she replies, but there's challenge in her voice now, along with invitation.
“Studying your captor for weaknesses? How practical.” I step close enough that my chest almost brushes her shoulder. "Find any yet?"
Maya turns to face me, but her green eyes hold speculation rather than fear. “Everyone has weaknesses, Andrei. Even you.” And then her gaze drops to my mouth, and my cock springs to life.
In just that moment, Alexei enters without knocking—a privilege reserved for emergencies or information too sensitive for delays.
“We need to talk,” he announces before glancing meaningfully at Maya.
“Speak freely. Maya is part of this organization now.”
Alexei’s disapproval is obvious, but he doesn’t argue. “Max Mastroni has put a five-million-dollar bounty on your head. Open contract, any taker.”
Maya’s face remains impassive, but I catch the slightest intake of breath that suggests this news affects her more than she’s willing to show.
“Interesting. Max values his sister more than I anticipated.” I return to my desk and settle into my chair. “What else?”
“He’s systematically hitting our operations. Three drug corners, two gambling houses, and a shipping warehouse in Brooklyn. All targeted within the past twenty-four hours.” Alexei pulls out his phone and scrolls through what I assume are damage reports. “He’s not just looking for information about Maya’s location. He’s trying to cripple our income streams.”
“Casualties?”
“Seven dead, twelve injured. Most of our street-level guys scattered before things got serious.”
Maya moves away from the window, and her posture transforms into something more alert.
“He’s escalating,” she notes quietly.
“Indeed, he is.” I finish my vodka and set the glass aside. “Alexei, double security at all remaining locations. Move our most valuable operations to secondary sites until this situation is resolved.”
“Retaliation?”
“Not yet. Let Max burn through resources chasing shadows while we consolidate our position.” I look at Maya, whose face reveals nothing about her thoughts regarding her brother’s actions. “Desperation makes people careless. We’ll wait for him to make a mistake.”
