“Me?” I ask. All the happiness from earning the coveted role has deserted me. “I don’t understand. You want me to take over…” I don’t finish because my father is shaking his head.
“No, I don’t want you to take over the business. It is not a woman's role. I will select one of the men I mentioned. Whoever I select will become your husband.”
CHAPTER THREE: VLADIMIR
“Are you going to just stare at me, or are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?” Maxim demands. He’s trying to act brave, but I see his hands shake as he adjusts his cuff links. “Why did you kill my men?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Which are?”
“For starters, they mistreated my mother and sisters.”
“Where are your mother and her daughters?”
“They’re safe. My men delivered them to Hex and Dixie.”
“So, what happens now?”
“Now? Now, we sail to St. Petersburg.”
My father’s silent for a minute before he chuckles. “You’re going with me to plead our case to gain control of the Eastern Seaboard? That’s wonderful!” Maxim says, standing and clasping my shoulder in solidarity. “We’ll need to come up with a gift for Alexandr, now that you’ve returned the gift I planned on giving him. We have two weeks to figure it out.”
I reach over and grab his hand, twisting his wrist until he falls to the floor, crying out in pain. “You think I’m on your side? Really? After what you just pulled?”
“What? Are you defending your mother? What did she ever do for you? She left you with me while she took off with your brother. She didn’t want you,” Maxim screams at me.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it! You stole me from her. You abandoned her and Hex in the hospital and took off with me. You left them because Hex showed weakness. He was a fucking baby, fighting for his life, and you left them. Then you tortured my mother for years. You let her see me, but never let her talk to me. You kept us apart. You! I could kill you for that alone.”
“Now, wait a minute, I’m your father! You believe that bitch over me? She left us!”
Releasing his hand, I wrap my fingers around his neck and squeeze until his eyes pop. “You’re a fucking liar. I know the truth. I also know that you tried to have me killed. You hired Sigil to put a hit on me. Unlucky for you, Dixie got the contract. He’s in love with my mother, so he faked my death. Now, I’m done with you. I’m taking over.” I choke him until he passes out.
Opening the door, I call for Dom to enter. He barely spares a glance for Maxim as he waits for my order.
“Lock him up for now. I may want to talk to him later, but right now I want him out of my sight.”
Dom nods before hoisting Maxim over his shoulder and exiting the stateroom. My hands shake with rage as I lift the whiskey and take a sip. The heat burns through me. I want to dump the asshole overboard now, but we’re still in the Gulf. I don’t want to risk him surviving the fall and reaching shore. I shudder at the thought of what he could do in the two weeks that will take us to get to our destination.
I busy myself by exploring the cabin where he intended to keep my mother and sisters prisoner. The room is luxurious, so at least he hadn’t planned on keeping them in a dark, dank hole. There are two queen-sized beds, several comfortable chairs, and an ensuite bathroom. They’d have been comfortable here, butterrified because they were trapped on a ship with no way out. Just the thought of them being scared has me wanting to punch something. No, not something. Someone. Maximus.
After examining the bathroom with its massive shower and claw-foot tub, I return to the bedroom and head for the closet. Inside, I find several dresses, each more revealing than the last. They’re barely more than scraps of material sewn together. Nothing here matches what I’ve seen Delphine wear. Delphine has a particular style. She’s still a beautiful woman who doesn’t hide her curves, but she sure as hell doesn’t flaunt them. I also can’t see Sasha or Shayna wearing any of these things. They’re more likely to wear jeans and t-shirts.
I texted Dom to bring me several empty boxes. I want to box this shit up. Maybe I can relieve some of the anger coursing through my system if I get them out of my sight. The thought of my mother and sisters trapped in this room and forced to wear what Maxim selected for them disgusts me.
As I wait for Dom, I head for the first of two matching dressers. I pull open the top drawer and find lacy lingerie. I pull out one pair before remembering who they were for; however, before I shove them back into the drawer, I study them. There is barely anything to them—just scraps of material. More shit Maxim bought for my mother and sisters. Disgusted, I shove them back in the drawer.
Dom knocks on the door before entering. He’s carrying several folded boxes along with packing tape. He places them on the bed and begins taping the boxes. Once he’s done, I nod at the closet for him to start there while I dump the contents of the drawer into a box.
“What the hell was Maxim thinking?” Dom asks from the closet.
“I don’t know, but I plan on finding out. Delphine said he taunted her and the girls by telling them he planned to gift themto Alexandr. She thinks it was because of her psychic powers, but now I’m wondering if he planned to offer them as sex slaves.”
Dom remains silent, but the sound of fabric tearing tells me that he’s pouring his frustration into destroying the clothes meant to entice sick fuckers. I know how he feels. Dom finishes with the closet and joins me in the room. I nod at the wardrobe, indicating he should clear it out.
“It’s locked,” Dom says after he tries and fails to open the doors. “Why would he lock it?”
I shrug before joining him. The lock is easy to pick, so I have it open in seconds. Dom and I open the doors. We both suck in our breaths as soon as we see what’s inside. Whips, handcuffs, paddles, and straps hang from hooks inside.
