Page 58 of The Bratva Sinner

“You didn’t expect a woman who sells her body to be smart?” She’s teasing now. “Or ambitious?”

“No, I just...” I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I’m making this worse.”

“You are.” But she’s still smiling. “Look, I get it. People have ideas about what sex workers are supposed to be. Desperate. Drug-addicted. Victims. And sure, some are. But not all of us.”

I process this. “How did you end up working for Maksim?”

“He saved me.” She says it simply, and I should have expected that response given what I know about him. “I was sixteen and living on the streets. Doing what I had to do to survive. He found me one night, brought me to one of his houses, and put me with Cinder.”

“Cinder?”

“She runs things. Makes sure we’re safe. Healthy. Not being exploited.” Ava’s expression softens. “Maksim gave me a choice. I could leave, go to a shelter, and try to reunite with my family. They didn’t want me, by the way. Or I could stay and work for him, under his protection.”

“And you stayed.”

“I stayed. I finished high school and started college. And yeah, I still work. But it’s my choice. That’s the difference. We make good money. We’re not giving twenty-dollar blowjobs.”

My cheeks burn. “You get paid more.”

She laughs. “A lot more. Some of the girls have specialties. Depending on the client and their needs, we can make ten grand a night.”

I almost fall out of my chair. “You’re lying!”

She laughs again. “I’m not. That kind of money isn’t a nightly thing, but once a month or so, we’ll get one of the good ones. But it’s always our choice.”

I think about what she’s saying about the difference between being forced and choosing for yourself. If I could have made ten grand back in Texas, I honestly might have done it. Turning down that kind of money would have been hard.

“What would have happened if he hadn’t intervened?” I ask quietly.

Ava’s smile fades. “I’d probably be dead. Or so strung out on drugs that I might as well be. The streets are brutal, Lila. Especially for young girls with nowhere to go. I would have wound up with someone who didn’t care if I lived or died. They would have used me up and thrown me away.”

I think about my situation. What would have happened if Maksim hadn’t pulled me out of that club?

“What about Cinder?” Yes, I’m jealous. It pisses me off that I am, but she’s always around him, and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me.

Ava grins and shakes her head. “That relationship is none of my business.”

My stomach twists. So thereisa relationship.

“Do you have a relationship with him?” I ask bluntly.

“No. He never asked, and I never offered. I know it might be hard for you to believe, but I keep my business and personal lives separate.”

I nod. I think I get it. She doesn’t want to sleep with her boss. “I think you’re one of the few,” I mumble.

“He’s not a good guy by society’s standards,” Ava says. “But he’s not a bad one. He gives us choices. He keeps us safe. He makes sure we get paid and that we’re healthy. More importantly, he makes sure no one hurts us.”

“But he’s still running prostitutes. He’s a glorified pimp.”

“Prostitution is the oldest job in the book.” She shrugs. “It’s going to happen whether people like it or not. At least with Maksim, we aren’t getting beaten or killed. We aren’t slaves. We choose who and when. Some girls only take a couple of jobs a month. He’s not forcing us to get out there and stand on a corner.”

I absorb this. It’s so different from what I assumed.

“What about drugs?” I ask.

“Drugs are everywhere.” Ava picks at her nail polish. “People will do them whether we like it or not. Maksim’s philosophy is that it’s better to get them from a reliable source. No risk of dirty shit that’ll kill you. No fentanyl mixed in. He has it tested.”

“He sells drugs?”