Page 63 of Sold to My Ex's Brother
I make no move to pull back from her; it only feels right that our bodies should be so deeply connected in the moment that I tell her this.
“I love you too, Maya.”
And we kiss again as she holds me there, with her in bed, like she never wants to let me go. I know how she feels. All this time, all this mess, all this hell that she has suffered through, and she is still here at my side. In my bed, in my arms, telling me that she loves me.
And I will spend the rest of my life doing everything in my power to make sure she knows I feel exactly the same way.
31
ANTON
I slipmy hand into hers as she steps out of the car and give it a squeeze as she stares nervously up at the building in front of her.
“You sure you want to do this?” I ask her softly, and she presses her lips together and nods.
“Yeah, certain,” she replies. “I know I can help. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do anything.”
I nod and lead her away from the door to the large building before us, which we have turned into a part-hotel, part-office for the women who are emerging from Artem’s auction ring.
We have been shaking loose all the ones who are left, figuring out all the places that he kept them over the years—a few had been more or less abandoned there after the attack that had taken Artem out, but I’m not going to leave them there alone, not after what they have been through.
Luna has been at the front and center of this aspect of their recuperation; my men have been leading the attacks on the outposts of Artem’s that still stand around the city, but from there, the women need grounding, a chance to rebuild, or weare just tossing them back out into the same life that has gotten them into this in the first place.
Maya has been curious about it for a few weeks, and has asked to come with me a few times to see the work that’s being done, but I have held off until I’m sure we have something solid to show her. I know that it sits heavy on her heart, everything that she has been through and everything that those other women were exposed to, and she will do anything in her power to soften the blow for them.
She is really starting to show now, nearly six months gone; we have decided not to find out the gender of the child, because, in truth, it doesn’t really matter to either of us. How could it, when I know I will love this kid as ferociously as I can regardless of what gender they are.
It’s inspired so much of this, in fact, the thought of what legacy I will leave behind for my child. The one my father left with me, as stained and as black as it was, is something I have always been proud of, but I don’t want to hand off the same thing to my child, not a chance in hell.
No, I want to give them something they can look at and know is making a different in the world, and this is the first step to making that happen.
Inside, Luna is waiting for us, and she greets me with a smile. She has cut her hair short, and more often than not wears cargo pants and a baggy tee, but she seems more confident than ever.
“Hello, Pakhan,” she greets me, and she lowers her head to say hello to Maya. “And Maya. I’m so glad you could visit us.”
“Me too,” Maya replies, as Luna guides her to a seat in the large entry room. I notice a woman huddled over by the desk at the door, still looking as though she is waiting for the penny to drop.
Luna follows my gaze and grimaces slightly, lifting a hand to let us know she will be right back. She heads over to the woman’s side and touches her arm, causing the woman to jump. But, as Luna lowers her voice and begins speaking with her, she seems to unwind slightly, some of the tension easing.
I glance over to see Maya watching them curiously, and I rest a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at me, her eyes shining.
“You have all this space just for the women who got taken by Artem...?”
“They need it,” I explain. “Luna pointed it out to me, unless we get them out of the situations they were in before and give them a good start somewhere new, they’re only going to get drawn back in again and again and again. This is the best way we can protect them from it.”
She reaches up to give my hand a squeeze.
“It’s amazing, Anton. It really is.”
“You guys want to have a look around?” Luna asks, as she steps back to join us, and Maya, with a slight wobble, gets to her feet.
“I’d love that. Where should we start?”
“I know that Olivia was hoping to meet you, Anton,” she replies, glancing back at me. “She’s in one of the apartments on the top floor, why don’t you join me and you can see her in person...?”
We catch the elevator upstairs, and Maya slips her hand into mine, giving it a tight squeeze like she is still trying to makesense of everything going on here. I know it must be a lot, realizing how close she came to all of this being her life, but she is smiling as the door opens and we step out into a corridor that leads off into a few apartments surrounding it.
Luna steps forward and knocks on one door, which opens a moment later, to reveal a skinny, malnourished-looking teenage girl on the other side. She peeps around nervously, but when she sees that Luna is there with us, her face brightens.
