Page 12 of Surrogate for the Bratva
Maxim grunted his displeasure with the plan, but I was the boss, and this didn’t put my safety or life in danger, so he didn’t argue.
I followed him to the car and settled in the back seat, anticipation making my fingers tingle.
“If she refuses?”
“Get her to agree.” I couldn’t even imagine a world where she would refuse. “Offer her an additional fifty thousand dollars.”
“Anything else? Other perks or benefits?”
I sighed. “Yes. Don’t give away the whole fucking house but give her what she wants.” Now that Voronov was making himself a nuisance, I was more determined than ever to settle the matter of my heir and focus on the matter of my enemy.
I sat tall and leaned forward when we arrived at the duplex that was in the name of April and Jacob Stone, as if that act could let me see her better. It couldn’t but I watched closely as Maxim knocked and waited for April.
She opened the door with an exasperated expression on her face. She nodded and then shook her head.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the window just enough to see if her voice carried on the evening breeze.
April wasn’t happy to see Maxim, but she wasn’t rude about it either. “You could have called.”
“What is the point when I am already here.” The smile in his voice was sure to piss off a spitfire like April.
A low groan exploded from her mouth. “I meantbeforeyou just showed up. Obviously.”
“Noted. But I am here now so we can sign the paperwork.”
“Hang on there,” she began and put a small hand to Maxim’s broad chest. “Who said anything about signing anything? I haven’t even agreed.”
I heard theyethanging in the air and relaxed a little. I wouldn’t let myself relax completely until the contracts were signed.
“So you won’t sign?”
“I didn’t say that but you’re being awfully presumptuous, aren’t you?”
I bit back a smile, certain the stubborn woman was texting Maxim’s nerves.
“Ma’am.”
“Donotcall me ma’am.” She pointed a finger at Maxim, a scowl on her face that might terrify a lesser man.
“April,” he bit out. “Are you going to sign the contract or not?”
April sighed and nibbled her bottom lip. Her gaze darted up and down the block and I swear they locked on mine for a fraction of a second before she turned her gaze skyward. “That depends on how much wiggle room is there.”
I smiled. She wanted to negotiate, which meant she was going to agree. I wished I was there to negotiate with her myself.
Maxim sighed heavily. “What is it that you want, Ms. Stone?”
“That’s the problem, I don’twantanything at all, and I wouldn’t even consider this if I didn’tneedsomething. Your boss or whatever wants to rent my womb which basically means renting my life for the next year, at least. I need something too.”
“What do you need?”
“More. I need more money. My brother needs expensive medical treatments and sometime in the very near future he’s probably going to need a transplant which means more treatments and post-transplant treatments. All of that is going to cost a lot of fucking money so I’m going to need more of it.” She was stalling. And nervous.
“How much?”
April sighed and looked away. “Five hundred thousand. I know it’s an obscene amount of money but it’s not even for me, and well…” she covered her face with both hands. “Once he gets sicker, he’ll probably lose his job which means his insurance goes too, and this will be out of pocket. Anyway you don’t care about all of that, but that’s the number I need to say yes.”
Maxim said nothing for a long time, and I knew what he was doing. It was a tactic I employed often to make the opponent or enemy squirm, but it wasn’t working on April.
