What Lies Ahead

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I woke up to Maksim still sleeping beside me. Lying on my side facing him, I watched his profile – from his straight-edged nose, down to the softness of his lips and the dark shadow covering his jaw. He looked peaceful in his sleep, and my heart ached with a renewed sense of love for this man who had been willing to put my safety before his own wants. Thinking back on it, I couldn't bring myself to hold him accountable for not letting me go the first time I had been in danger. I could have broken up with him, if I'd really wanted to. In the end, he would have respected my wish, despite what he'd said. But I hadn't wanted to lose him, and here we were.

Trying not to disturb him, I moved slowly as I got out of bed and padded quietly into the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I put on some jeans and a long-sleeve blouse. I stared in the mirror for a full minute, hating the image reflected back at me. Apart from the obvious bruising, there was a lot of swallowing below my left eye, and I didn't think I had ever looked worse.

Maksim was still sleeping when I left the bedroom and made my way downstairs. The kitchen was quiet as I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured myself some coffee. Lena found me by the windows sometime later, watching the guards outside. She made me breakfast while I continued to stand there, lost to my own thoughts.

I had just sat down to eat when Maksim entered the kitchen. He kissed the top of my head, going straight for the coffee machine. I watched his back as he took a sip from his mug, his gaze coasting towards the windows. I could see he hadn't gotten as much rest as he needed, his eyes heavy lidded and his expression drowsy. He turned around after a moment, coming to sit beside me at the island. Lena put a plate in front of him, and we ate in silence for the next few minutes.

"How did you find me?" I asked quietly, hating that I had to bring it up, but needing answers.

"I tortured one of Luciano's men until he gave me your location," he said matter-of-factly, not bothering to sugar coat it.

"What did Luciano want from you?"

"Something he didn't deserve. It's all a power struggle, lyubimaya. You shouldn't trouble your mind with it. He's dead now."

Not surprisingly, the only feeling his death evoked in me was relief. I pushed food around on my plate, my appetite suddenly gone. "It would be nice to know why I was kidnapped."

Maksim sighed, putting down his fork. "He wanted to force my hand on a crucial gun trade, among other things. There was a lot of bad blood between us."

"You deal in firearms?"

He turned to me, his expression telling me he didn't like that I was digging too much into it. "I've told you before, there are things you're better off not knowing."

I nodded because he had a point, but my mind was buzzing with questions as I tried to make sense of things. "What really happened to your parents? You once said the Italians killed them."

Maksim's tired eyes held mine, and I wondered how many hours he had been awake before last night. "Luciano's father killed them."

"So you killed Luciano's father," I drew my own conclusion. "Is that why there was bad blood between you?"

"I did him a favor. He hated his father and had been after his position since he was old enough to be considered a man."

"What happens now? His family will want to retaliate, no doubt."

"His younger brother will take over the position, but I'm not very concerned about him retaliating. Sergio is a smart man. He won't want to continue the bloodshed; given that he is already outmanned."