Page 81 of Season of Wrath

I hold her close, stroking her back with my palm. I keep my voice soft but firm as I respond to Aleksandr. “Maks won’t come for us. He doesn’t care about me. I’m nothing to him, just his...” —I hesitate, the word sticking in my throat— “whore.”

It pains me to say it, now that I know how deep my emotions run for him. It might be the truth, that I’m little more than a prostitute in Maks’s eyes, but the truth still hurts.

Aleksandr tsks, his expression unimpressed. “Now, Heidi, I thought you and I were building a bit of trust between us. The least you could do is be honest with me. To be a whore, one must accept money, my dear. And you don’t do that, do you? Besides, I’ve been watching you two together. You can’t fool me. I might not have a heart, but I’m not blind or dumb. Maks is obviously in love with you. Or hasn’t he told you that?”

I scoff at the obvious attempt to upset me. PerhapsAleksandris the one who’s underestimatingme.

“What? You don’t believe me?” he asks, his voice riddled with mock indignation. “You would if you’d heard him on the phone when I told him I plan on killing you. He nearly lost his mind. He didn’t even try to argue when I told him he had to come alone and unarmed if he wanted a prayer of saving you. Not that I intend to let either of you live once I have him. No, I intend to let him watch your slow, excruciating death.”

It terrifies me to hear Aleksandr’s plans for me spoken so casually, as though he might as well have been saying he intended to take me for some ice cream. And yet, somehow, the suggestion that Maks has feelings for me dulls that fear. Even in our dire situation, the possibility that he might love me still manages to exhilarate me.

But I can’t help the dread that coils in the pit of my stomach at the same time. My heart aches as I think about the danger I’ve put Maks in. Regardless of whether he cares for me or not, I know he feels a sense of responsibility to protect me. And I can’t imagine he would handle my death well at all after what happened to his fiancée.

And if hedoescome for me, he’ll be walking right into a trap. I don’t want him to die for me. Which is exactly what it sounds like would happen if he chooses to do as Aleksandr commanded.

I can’t let that happen. My mind races as I hold my daughter close, formulating a plan, desperate to ensure Sarah’s safety and to make amends for the terrible mistake I made.

38

MAKSIM

Speeding to the casino in my red Corvette, I try to calm my heart’s furious pace. The road blurs past my speeding car, each moment feeling like an eternity as I race against the clock, my life spiraling toward a precipice of impossible choices.

The image of Symphony’s lifeless eyes staring up at me haunts my thoughts, and the guilt that claws at my soul threatens to consume me. How horribly I failed her, how I let her down in the most profound way. I’ll never forgive myself for it.

But somehow, this fear that grips me as I hurtle toward Aleksandr’s casino is a thousand times worse. Because I now know that I care more deeply for Heidi than I ever did for Symphony—even though I got engaged to Symphony and was with her for years, even though I’ve only spent a grand total of a few weeks in Heidi’s presence.

Heidi is the sun that warms my days, the gravity that keeps me grounded. The brief time we’ve spent together has been the happiest of my life. And the last few nights have proven to me just how much I was missing out on by trying to keep her at a distance.

I’ve never felt so deeply connected to another human, so perfectly safe to be myself. Heidi doesn’t just accept me as I am. She appreciates me for it. And I feel the same way about her—stubborn streak and all. I love her realness, her honesty, her unbreakable optimism even after she’s suffered great loss.

And the more I know of her, the more I want.

I tried to end things with her. I was ready to walk away if that’s what it took to keep her safe. But quitting Heidi was harder than quitting nicotine. And her plan failed miserably, anyway. I never should have agreed to it. I never should have left her exposed.

And now I’m paying for my mistake.

If we both make it through this situation alive, I intend to never let her out of my sight again. Because it’s too late for me to quit her now. I’m crazy about Heidi. I don’t want to keep things casual with her. I never want to live without her again. I don’t know that I even can.

And that realization has my gas pedal plastered to the metal as I fly to her rescue.

I will do whatever it takes to save her.

Even if it takes laying down my own life.

I'd just better not be too late.

The plan is simple—as simple as it can be in our twisted, messed-up world. I intend to turn myself over. I’ll gladly die if that’s what it takes to ensure Heidi lives. And I’m confident that’s exactly what Aleksandr wants. His message was clear—come alone, come unarmed, and come within the hour, which left me little time to formulate a strategy beyond compliance.

But I’m not naïve. I have no doubt that Aleksandr likely intends to kill Heidi as soon as he has what he wants. Hell, if I know anything about Aleksandr Volkov, he probably means to kill her slowly, painfully, and make me watch the entire time.

Because he’s a sadistic bastard who doesn’t just want to kill me. He’ll want to break me first.

I won’t let that happen.

Not at Heidi’s expense.

That’s why I’ve rallied Alexei and Dimitri to head the charge with all our men. Armed to the teeth, they’re shortly behind me, ready to storm in as soon as Aleksandr’s men believe I’m alone.

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