Page 79 of The Bratva's Christmas Bump
Hollie’s mouth presses together and she reaches for me. It’s not until her fingers brush my forearm that I realize I’m trembling. I’ve never told the whole story to anyone before.
“They were both killed when a drunk driver lost control in the snow and T-boned them. Doc said death was instant so they didn’t suffer. But they died.”
“Oh, Maxim…” Her hand slides down to my knuckles.
“My dad sees you as a threat. Because you’re an outsider. In his own way, he fears the same thing happening to me. And that man from tonight? He’s the brother of the girlfriend. I was the one who gave him the bad news back then, and ever since, he’s blamed me. If anyone else did this to me?” I motion with the beer bottle toward the fresh wound on my ribs. “They would die. But with him… It’s just misplaced grief. I can’t fault him because what he feels for me is probably the same as what I feel for the bastard who crashed into them.”
“That’s awful,” she breathes out softly, sliding closer. “So when your father tried to kill me, he was trying to protect you?”
“That’s one way of looking at it. Our situations are different, but yes, he does see our arrangement as the same kind of threat that will ruin us.”
She nods slowly. “I understand. I don’t forgive, don’t get me wrong. But holy shit… losing his wife and then his son. No wonder he’s so intense. But that man…” She gazes up at me, her eyes darting back and forth between mine. “You just let him attack you?”
“He appears every so often, drunk and angry. It’s not common and I’d praise his ability to find me if it hadn’t put you in danger. But I can’t bring myself to do anything to him because I know what it feels like. I spent months trapped in my own mind, wishing that the driver had survived so I could make them suffer. I can’t bring them back, but I can do a little for him until his pain eases.”
“That’s noble.” Hollie’s fingers weave between mine. “And so fucked up.”
“This life is fucked up. I’m sorry you had to see any of that.”
“It’s fine. I mean, if I have nightmares, I know where to go.” A small smile creeps over her lips. “But seriously, that’s intense. This whole life you lead is intense.”
“And yet you don’t ask about it.” My head tilts. “You know I’m a criminal, yet you don’t know what I do.”
Her gaze falls away and she shrugs, slumping back down on the couch. “I dunno. You seem really nice so it’s hard to imagine you hurting people now. Those girls at the club kept talking about how you helped them. And everything you’re doing for Zoe… I guess I don’t care. It feels like the less I know, the better.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods slowly. “Besides, the more I know, then the bigger a threat I am.”
“I don’t see you that way.”
Hollie locks eyes with me. “How do you see me?”
I’m about to answer when a wave of pain squeezes through my ribs. I wince and lean forward while Hollie takes the beer from my hands.
“You shouldn’t be drinking.”
“What are you, my doctor?”
Hollie snorts. “As good as.”
“Hmm. So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Things have been getting in the way, but I have all the time now.”
She pauses, then sets the beer bottle down on the coffee table and leans back. When our eyes meet, there’s something uncertain in her eyes that I can’t quite place, like something is just out of sight.
“I…”
I raise my brow slightly, trying to prompt her.
“When I was talking to Zoe, she mentioned something that I thought was kind of important. Although if it is, then taking this long to tell you is probably going to get me into trouble.”
“Nonsense.” Leaning toward her, I grit my teeth against a twinge of pain and take her hand. “What did she tell you?”
“Well… the person she saw in the store, or who she thought she saw… she said it was a tattoo on their wrist that scared her because she remembered one of the men who attacked her having, like, a heart on their wrist? Do you know if the guy you already caught had that?”
My phone is in my hand before she finishes speaking. “I can find out.”
“I know it’s common because I feel like I’ve seen similar tattoos, but if it’s a new detail, maybe it can help?”
