Page 9 of Bratva's Vow
“Nope, it’s my first time, thanks to Jess. She always getsme to do the crazy stuff, so both of us will probably die together one day.”
Maxim cupped my face and dropped a kiss on my lips. “Don’t even make jokes about that.”
“Sorry.” I adjusted the vest over my hoodie. Sometimes he could be intense. Didn’t he know I had no plans of dying anytime soon? I hadn’t had enough of the good sex yet.
“Darius and I have played before,” Nik said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Really? But that’s not fair. It means your team has the advantage.”
“Yeah, but Maxim and Sergei are the better shooters, so it evens out.”
I stared at Maxim, my mouth dry. Like actual shooters? Was that what Nik meant? If Maxim noticed me looking at him, he deliberately kept his gaze averted.
Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.
“Don’t worry.” Jess patted my shoulder. “We’ll go easy on you. For the first round anyway. The only thing my dad ever taught me was how to shoot a gun, but that was, of course, when he still approved of me.”
Jess had that hitch in her throat she sometimes got when she spoke about her family. Unlike me, she’d had a “good” childhood, including parents who she thought loved and cared for her until she came out as trans and they rejected her. Behind that boldness of hers, she was still affected by it. I reached for her, but Darius beat me to it.
“You okay, beautiful?”
My heart melted for Jess. That she had the same thing I did. Men who cared about and respected her. Men who loved her. Men who saw her for who she was.
“I’m fine, love.” She grabbed his face and kissed him hard. “Will be even better when you help me beat your boss and his boy toy.”
I didn’t bother to correct her that I wasn’t Maxim’s boy toy. I didn’t even mind if I was.
“The game’s mostly about strategy.” Sergei helped me to adjust my vest. “Keep moving, cover your teammates, and don’t panic when someone’s aiming for you.”
“I’m not going to panic.”
“He’s definitely going to panic.” Nik chuckled. “Just don’t cry when you lose.”
I stopped short of stomping my foot in frustration. Why did they all think I was soft? I wasn’t! I’d have to beat them and show them.
Maxim leaned in, slipping his hand to the small of my back. “Stick close to me. Sergei and I got this.”
That touch. That voice. Just like that, my nerves unraveled, and all I could think about was how good it felt to be near him. God, I was hopeless. But I didn’t want him fighting my battles.
“I’m not just a pretty face, Max. I’ll help.”
“Of course you will, baby.”
I rolled my eyes at his patronizing tone. It seemed I had two sides to convince that I was a valuable player in the game.
Casey reappeared. “You guys ready?”
We agreed in chorus, and then we were being led into the arena.
It was cooler in there, the air tinged with that plasticky-sweet smell of fog machines. The space was huge, probably the size of a small warehouse, but designed like a futuristic war zone. High platforms, narrow corridors, walls shaped like jagged rocks, glowing towers, and barrels that emitted low pulses of light like radioactive cores.
Overhead, strips of UV light bathed the arena in a disorienting alien glow. Laser lights flickered from above, and the pounding bass of electronic music made everything feel epic.
I was grinning like a kid at Christmas.
“Oh my god, this is incredible,” I whispered, trying not to trip over a curved ramp.
Maxim looked around with a frown, scanning the area too carefully. But then he saw me smiling and visibly relaxed. He stepped closer, brushed a thumb along my cheek. “Glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
