Page 44 of Sold to My Ex's Brother
I know I would have done the same for any woman I had seen up there that night, just to make sure my brother didn’t get a chance to inflict his cruelty on to her, but there’s more to it with Maya.
I want her. Even now, I want her.
The night that she took me to her apartment, the night that she fell pregnant, it’s like the entire world shifted on its axis around me, and I’m still trying to come to terms with what it means.
“Anyway, if you’re so sure you didn’t want to spend any money on her,” he continues, almost breezy, like this is the most casual of conversations. “Then you won’t mind that I’ve found another buyer for her, will you?”
My heart drops. “What the fuck do you mean?”
“I want to get my money’s worth out of her, brother,” he replies, almost affronted by how shocked I am. “I’m a businessman. And a woman like that...” He lets out a slow whistle between his teeth. “She’s really worth something. Trust me.”
“Let her go now, and we can forget this ever happened,” I tell him, doing my best to keep my voice steady. I can’t let him know that he’s managed to get under my skin. The thought of another man’s hands on Maya sends a fury pulsing through me that I didn’t even know was possible.
She’s mine.And so is the child inside of her.
“Oh, come on, I know you better than that,” he chides. “You’re not going to let this go. But at least I can get her out of the picture for you, huh? So you can focus on what really matters.”
“Let her go,” I hiss. “Or I’m going to?—”
“I told you, I’m going to let her go,” he reminds me. “I have another buyer lined up already. And he’s going to be here in...” He pauses for a moment, like he is taking a second to look at his watch. “Five hours. So if you want to say your goodbyes, you’re going to have to hurry.”
He is laying a trap for me, I’m sure of it. No doubt, if I actually take the bait and go out to try and free her, he’ll have his men swarm mine, try to take out as many of them as possible. I can’t let my emotions get the better of me, no matter how tempting it might be to just run right into the midst of this.
“Let me talk to her,” I reply softly. The least I can do is make sure that she is really there with him. I have no idea what I expect, but I need to hear her voice, to be certain that she is, at least, still alive.
“Of course,” he replies at once. “I wouldn’t want you to have to lose her without saying goodbye...”
There is a brief silence on the other end of the line, and then, her voice fills my ear.
“Anton? Is that you?”
The way she speaks, it’s clear she is terrified.
Artem takes the phone back before I have a chance to reply. The words are on the tip of my tongue, assuring her that I will be there for her, that I will do anything I can to get her out, that she will be safe in my arms in a matter of hours...
“Five hours,” he spits. “That’s as long as you have, Anton.”
And, with that, he hangs up the phone, and I find myself standing there in the apartment in silence. I can hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears, and I pinch the bridge of my nose.
I need to kill him.
I pull my phone out again, dialling Ilya.
He answers after a couple of rings. “Pakhan-”
“Gather the men at my apartment, now,” I bark to him. “Tell the men who were following the car out of the club that we need addresses, routes, everything.”
He lets out a slight grunt, as though still half-asleep.
“Now, Ilya!”
“Yes, Pakhan,” he replies, and he hangs up the phone. I stare out the window in her bedroom, where the scent of her still lingers in the air. She can’t have been gone more than a few hours, which means there is no way he could have taken her far. I don’t know where she might be—but I know that I’m going to find her.
And I know that I’m going to make my brother pay for thinking he can take her from me.
21
MAYA
