Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Lia: Is this you?
Unknown: Just do as I say.
If it is him, maybe he can’t admit it over the phone.
Unknown: I’ve given you my word.
Fear grips me. Life has been stressful enough without adding shadowy attackers to the mix. I start to walk, my legs shaky. But I don’t want to let it show. I try to look relaxed, like this is just any other evening.
Lia: I need to know who you are. You could be tricking me.
Unknown: I’m someone who admires your fire, Lia.
He, I realize… that’s an assumption.
Unknown: I admire your ability to stare down scary men and show no fear. Do that now.
If this is Maksim, those words mean a lot to me. A shiver runs down my body.
I put one foot in front of the other, over and over…
It’s all I can do.
CHAPTER 6
MAKSIM
Iwatch her walk across the park, moving through shadow. She doesn’t look scared anymore. When I first texted her, her shoulders tightened. Tension twisted through me when I saw how anxious she was. I wanted to rush across the park, pull her into my arms, glide my lips to her cheek, and kiss her as gently as a man like me can.
I’ll never let anyone hurt you…
I’ve had eyes on her since the last time we saw each other. Trusted men ensuring she’s safe. Each time they gave me their reports, I itched to make her life better. She works, visits her mother, works, visits her mom… and that’s it. She’s running herself into the ground. She deserves a rest.
I should focus. I’m a Bratva boss, not some woe-is-the-world bastard.
Lia impacts me more profoundly than any other woman previously has.
Which says a lot about me. Maybe. Considering most of our interactions have been one-sided through CCTV footage.
She walks confidently out of the park, though I know that’s just a façade. She’s probably terrified. I follow, moving quietly through the shadows. I saw the man following her into the park, but now I’ve lost sight of him. There’s no way that Conrad is going to send his men to kill a civilian in a hospital parking lot.
I stay in the park, looking across the street as she climbs into her car.
Maksim: Don’t leave yet.
She sits behind the wheel, checks her phone, then throws her hands up as though annoyed.
Lia: What do you want me to do, exactly? Just take your word that you want the best for me? You could be the danger!
Maksim: I’m dangerous, I won’t lie. But I need your help. Stay where you are. Sooner or later, this coward is going to show himself. No one is going to hurt you.
I almost add ever. But that would be taking it a step too far. I’m not sure what you’d call this feeling. Infatuation. Obsession. Fixation, maybe. All I know is that my blood is boiling at the thought of anyone daring to hurt her or even think about hurting her.
Lia: What happens if I just drive away, Maksim?
Before I can send another text, she follows it up with another.
Lia: This is my punishment for not giving you my number, isn’t it? All this mysterious crap.
Maksim: If you leave, you’ll be safe. If you stay, you could help me get to the bottom of this mess.
Lia: Help one bad guy beat another bad guy? What a privilege.
I smirk. She’s got her defenses up even now. Her shield of sass, pretending like this isn’t affecting her. I admire that. I admire her.
Maksim: I am who you think I am. But no, this isn’t a punishment.
Lia: You know I was crazy for ever trusting you to begin with? You gave me your word, and I acted like that meant something. But that was insanity. I had no reason to believe you. I HAVE no reason to believe you. If I was sane, I’d just drive away.
Maksim: If you were sane?
I’m constantly scanning the parking lot, the street, from my place in the dark. I can only assume that Conrad’s man is doing the same. He might even be in a vehicle, waiting for her to leave.
Lia: I’m a nurse who voluntarily works sixty-hour weeks. So, yeah, IF. This isn’t exactly fun, you know.
I quickly text Anton.
Maksim: Hospital parking lot. Only intervene if it looks like I need help. If the mark survives, take him. He could be useful.
Then I text Lia again.
Maksim: You’re doing a great job. I know you’re scared, but this will help me get the people who threatened your friend and ran that man off the road. And yes, this will help ME, but you don’t have to do it for that reason.
I watch as she reads the text. Her shoulders tighten and then relax. There’s something dangerously intoxicating about watching her from a distance, just like through the CCTV. It’s like I’m there but not there. With her but not with her. It’s the only safe form of connection—if that word means anything here—for a man like me…