Page 72 of Bratva's Vow
My throat tightened again. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. Oh right, Maxim had practically forced me to eat last night after we had sex in the shower.
“I’ll get changed first,” I muttered and ducked into the tiny bathroom.
The clothes felt foreign as I pulled them on. I caught my reflection in the cracked mirror above the sink. My face was pale and drawn, eyes sunken. My lips still looked faintly swollen from Maxim’s kisses.
I swallowed hard and turned away.
When I came back out, Jess was sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting for me. I dropped beside her, grabbed the takeout container, and dug in wordlessly.
Jess didn’t speak. She let me eat, watching me quietly, like she was memorizing every movement. When I’d eaten enough to take the edge off my hunger, I let out a huge sigh. “This is either the best Thai food I’ve ever eaten, or I’m starving.”
“If I’d known Maxim had been starving you, I?—”
“No, I can’t really blame him.” I took a long drink from the canned soda. “I was being stubborn and refusing to eat.”
She reached out and brushed a lock of hair from my forehead. “I wanted to visit you, you know.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I asked every day, but Maxim wouldn’t let me.” She gathered a bit of the material of her dress between her thumb and forefinger and pressed down hard. “Yesterday, he finally gave in and promised he would let me see you today. This morning, when he showed up at our apartment, he lost his mind. He tore the place apart looking for you. He wouldn’t believe a word I said that you weren’t there. Nik and Darius tried to calm him down, but he’s beyond reasoning with.”
I flinched. I could picture it too well. Maxim frantic and terrifying. He was always so intense when he thought I was in trouble or he couldn’t find me.
My stomach flipped.
“We didn’t know if anything had happened to you. He was falling apart, Wren.”
I shook my head, pulling my hand back, and jumped to my feet. Back and forth, I paced the tiny room, my nerves sparking all over again.
“He should be terrified. I needed space. I needed air. And what does he do? He locks me away like I’m a possession. Like I don’t get a say. Heliedto me, Jess. He let me fall in love with him, knowing what he did to my dad.”
Jess was quiet.
Too quiet.
I turned slowly, narrowing my eyes at her.
“What?”
Her shoulders tensed. She looked down at her lap, fiddling with her sleeve.
“Jess.What?”
“Wren, your dad chose to work for him.” Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
The air left my lungs like a punch. “No.”
She looked up at me like I was a pathetic creature in need of consoling. “He wasn’t forced. Just like Sergei and Nik and Darius, he knew what he was doing. Maxim didn’t make him take the job. Your dad chose that life. He knew the risks.”
“No.” I took a step back, my pulse roaring in my ears. “No, Jess. You’re wrong. You don’t know. He wouldn’t have. He was a good man. He wouldn’t have gotten involved in that world.”
Jess flinched but didn’t back down. “Wren, you have to stop seeing the world in black and white. Your dad made a choice. That’s the truth, even if it’s ugly. Now, I know Maxim lied to you, but he cares about you, and you can’t deny the way you feel about him either.” She smiled as if that could soften the blow. “Besides, it could have been worse. Your man’s a Pakhan. He practically owns this city. That’s got to be a little exciting, isn’t it?”
I didn’t want to hear it anymore.
Couldn’t hear it.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I said roughly, my throat tight as I fled toward the door.
