I nod and Maksim leaves, even though, for the first time since we married, I want him to stay with me.
Chapter Ten
Maksim
Natasha is going to be the death of me.
She looked so fucking sexy in her little nightgown that I wanted to take her right then and there. I might not be happy about this marriage but at least Natasha is a consolation prize. She’s pretty and sweet and I do care for her, despite only knowing her for less than a week. I want to protect her in a way I never have anyone before.
Which is why I couldn’t take her when she offered herself up to me. It would only make her more afraid and the only way our marriage is going to work is if she doesn’t absolutely fear me.
I can’t shake Natasha off my mind, even when I show up at the sight of our incoming drug shipment. The van is tipped overin the middle of the road, in the middle of bumfuck New York. I had to drive hours to get here. All the drugs inside are gone.
The driver has a bullet through his head. Enzo’s leaving a message. He’s coming for our territory.
Fuck this. He needs to be dealt with.
Without asking for Nikolai’s permission – or my father’s – I drive for hours back into the city to reach one of Enzo’s nightclubs he owns. Even though it’s three in the morning, the club is still going strong.
Nikolai would tell me to take a deep breath. Not do anything rash. But I’m tired of following the rules. I did with Natasha and now I’m in a loveless marriage. Enzo needs to know he can’t fuck with us and get away with it.
I’m let into the club with no problems. I spy Enzo in his private VIP booth near the back of the club. Surrounded by women. Drinking and laughing. It’s how I used to live my life before Natasha entered it.
Enzo is young – only a little older than I am. I hate that he’s a handsome guy. It only makes me want to punch him in the fucking face for thinking he can mess with us.
I storm over to the VIP booth but the guard on duty stops me. “Enzo,” I say. “This is a message from Nikolai Volkov.”
Enzo stops flirting with the woman next to him and gives me his undivided attention. “From Nikolai you say? You let a dirty Russian into my club?”
“You’re a filthy Italian. And we’re coming for you. You won’t get Nikolai’s territory. Not over my dead body.”
Enzo looks me up and down like he thinks I’m not even worth his time. “Then I’ll just have to deal with you if you cause me problems. Now get out of my club.”
“You’re not going to kill me?” I taunt.
His lips twitch. “I don’t take care of the trash. Besides, I want Nikolai’s territory. But I don’t want a war. I’ll win over him with strategy over brute strength. You’ll see.”
“You’re not going to win,” I snarl before lunging at him. The guard grabs me around the waist and pushes me back. “You’re not going to win, Enzo.” Knowing I can’t get to him in a crowded club, I leave and drive around the city for a while to make sure I’m not being followed. When I know it’s safe, I return home to find Natasha asleep in our bed. For once, she looks so peaceful.
I trace my fingers along her cheek but she doesn’t wake up. Let her have some peace given everything she’s been through.
I undress down to my underwear and get in beside her. The urge to hold her is strong but I push it down. She doesn’t want that. Do I want that?
I know I never wanted this marriage but… I’m not mad at the idea of loving my wife. It sounds a lot better than hating my wife for the rest of my life.
With a sigh, I force sleep to overtake me so I can find peace too.
It doesn’t take long for my father to find out what I did at Enzo’s club last night.
It’s morning time and Natasha is avoiding me. When she woke up and saw me half naked, she squeaked and jumped out of bed and I haven’t seen her since. She’s hiding out somewhere in the house.
So I’m already in a bad mood from being rejected by my wife when my dad calls at seven in the morning, even though I barely got any sleep last night.
“What did you do?” Gregor demands. “You went to see Enzo? Stay away from him, Maksim. We have a plan to get him to back off.”
“He’s not backing off, Dad. He killed our driver. He stole all of our drugs from this shipment, costing us millions. He’s getting stronger and we have to deal with him before it’s too late. I know Nik wants to break him down but I think we have to kill him.”
“If we kill him, we’ll have an entire war on our hands. It’s not happening. As long as we can keep Enzo at bay, it’s handled.”
