Page 10 of The Brat: Prequel

His lips purse in disapproval. “The Krestniy Otets has recalled me.”

“Punishment?”

“More like he’s curious. Abramovicz—” The man whose head he gifted me. The man who kidnapped me. The man whose dick my sister bit off in front of me. Okay, that part freaked me out. The head? Meh. “—would have been the next natural step in the leadership, especially with neither of your sisters marrying into the Bratva. I’m a blip on the radar.”

“A blip?” Alarmed, I grab his arm. “Why are you going if you think you’ll be in danger?”

“No guts, no glory.”

“Men are so stupid,” I cry. “My god, how are you still alive, Maxim?”

His grin beams at me from a face that has no need to be “grown into” like Shay’s Mom keeps reassuring him.

Maxim is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.

“With great difficulty, my family would tell me.”

“Are you going to die over there?”

“If I did, would you care?”

“Yes!” I shout, aghast at the prospect. “Please, don’t do anything that would... end up like that.”

And if he died, who’d tell me he was gone?

A sob catches in my throat as he reasons, “The O’Donnellys will protect you, katyonok. You don’t need me⁠—”

“That’s not true. You were my first guard,” I exclaim, anger absorbing my fear. Something I embrace wholeheartedly. “You always protected me. Even when Abramovicz took me and Camille was waiting for Brennan to show up, I knew you’d be there.”

“Such faith.” His expression softens. “It is not wise to admit to such things about me, Victoria. Especially to your family. Tell them we met today. Keep no secrets, but they will worry if⁠—”

“You wouldn’t groom me,” I scorn. “Inessa might not like you anymore, but even she knows that.”

“You need to learn to hold your tongue, katyonok.”

“Why? If I offend someone, won’t you cut theirs out for me?”

Something flashes in his eyes and in my gut, I know that he will.

“I won’t always be in the city,” is what he says, but that’s a lie—here or not, his presence will be felt. “I won’t visit you again, Victoria.”

“Why not?” I challenge.

“Because O’Donnelly is right. I’m endangering you as we speak. You’re breaking rules to talk to me. And I won’t have anyone question our relationship. You can always reach me if you need me. You still have my contact details, da?”

“Of course.” It was only at his insistence that I stopped messaging him at all.

“Good.”

The urge to cry reasserts itself. “So, this truly is goodbye?”

He tuts. “No, it’s do vstrechi.”

Relief wells up inside me, but I refuse to show it.

Maxim doesn’t know it, but he’s always represented safety to me.

I guess within the framework he’s establishing now, he’s still protecting me. But he’ll forget about me. I know he will.