Page 42 of The Enforcer's Vow
Damir is out there, bleeding and angry, planning his next move. The stakes have been raised, the pieces are in motion, and I still don't know how to force him into a position where we can finish this.
But looking at Zoya's face, seeing the way she touches my cheek like she actually cares what happens to me, I realize the game has changed in ways I didn't anticipate. She's not just bait anymore. She's not just a means to an end.
She's my wife. And that changes everything.
17
ZOYA
The apartment building rises above us as the car pulls to the curb, all concrete and glass that cuts against the Moscow sky. I'm still wearing the dress from the ceremony—cream silk that feels foreign on my skin, too clean for what I've become. My hands shake as I smooth the fabric, remembering the vows I spoke only hours ago. Words that bound me to a man sitting inches away from me.
Maksim opens my door without waiting for the driver. His eyes don't meet mine as he offers his hand. Even he knows what I am now—property, a transaction completed. I walk across the sidewalk on unsteady legs, the marble lobby ahead gleaming under harsh fluorescent lights. The elevator ride to his floor passes in silence, both of us staring at the climbing numbers.
Inside, the apartment is quieter than a tomb. Maksim moves directly to the window in his living room while I stand near the door, unsure of my place here. He's still wearing his suit from the ceremony, but the tie is gone and his shirt is unbuttoned at the collar. Two glasses of champagne wait on the table beside him, bubbles rising in the amber liquid. He turns when he realizes I haven't moved.
"So," he says, and his voice carries something I can't identify. Relief, maybe. Or resignation. "We're married."
"Yes," I say, though the word feels strange in my mouth. "We are."
He crosses to me in three strides, his movements fluid and controlled. When he reaches me, he doesn't speak. He cups my face in his hands, thumbs brushing across my cheekbones, and leans down. His lips find mine before either of us has said another word.
The kiss is different from the one at the altar—deeper, hungrier. His mouth moves against mine with an urgency that makes my knees weak. I taste champagne on his tongue and something darker underneath. When he pulls back, I notice the split in his bottom lip again.
"You're bleeding," I say, reaching up to touch the cut. He catches my wrist before I can make contact.
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing. What happened?"
His jaw tightens. "Your brother paid me a visit after the ceremony."
My stomach drops. "Damir was there?"
"He was waiting in the parking lot when I came out. Made his feelings about the marriage very clear." Maksim releases my wrist and turns toward the champagne glasses. "Then he left."
"He hit you?"
"Among other things." He hands me one of the glasses, but I don't drink. I watch his face, searching for more, anxious to know Damir is alive and okay. So Maksim's plan to draw Damir out worked, but that doesn't mean they were successful in hurting him.
"What did he say?"
"That I should stay away from his sister. That you deserve better than this." His eyes meet mine over the rim of his glass. "That you deserve something bigger."
The words sting, but I feel honored that Damir stood up for me. "And what did you tell him?"
"That maybe he's right." He sets down his glass and steps closer. "Maybe you do deserve something bigger. Maybe you always did."
I want to pull away from him, want to put distance between us and this conversation. But my feet won't move. "Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't try to make this into something it's not. Don't pretend this is about what I deserve."
His hand finds the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair. "What if it is? What if I want it to be?"
I should step back. Now is when I should remind him that Damir is my brother and that what happens to him affects me. I should ask for his life... But when Maksim looks at me this way, with those cold hazel eyes turned warm, I forget all the reasons this is wrong.
"Maksim..." I start, but he silences me with another kiss.
