Page 14 of His Savage Bride
“Are you sure? You said escalation meant crews and families,” I remind him.
“Melissa is none of those things to me. Irina won’t draw unwanted attention going after someone who doesn’t have a direct connection. Keep in mind that she’s after me. Kidnapping you was just a means to an end.”
“Well, that makes me feel better,” I say with the thickest sarcasm I can muster.
“It should,” he replies as he pushes me out to arm’s length to look me in the eyes. “Melissa was collateral damage today. Irina isn’t going to waste time going after her. At worst, she may have eyes on your friend, hoping that you show up near her so she can get another shot at you.”
“Oh, you’re really being reassuring now!”
“Listen to me,” Maximo insists. “I said at the worst. We’ll go see Melissa together, and we’ll go heavy, with my crew. Irina doesn’t have the resources of the Bratva behind her. She’s out in the wind doing this shit on her own now. Maybe she can afford to hire a couple of freelancers, like the chumps who tried to pick you up today, but she doesn’t have the resources that Kirill commanded. The police are already digging into what happened to you and Melissa, and they’ll help us get some leads on finding Irina. In the meantime, let’s focus on something else that might cheer you up. The contractors are getting to work on the repairs to Monroe’s. I wanted to ask you which way you’re leaning. Are you thinking about reopening the restaurant or selling the space once it’s all fixed up?”
“So much has been going on the last few weeks I haven’t thought much about it, honestly. The last thing I did was file the Request for Separation Information so that all the former employees could draw unemployment.” I lean against the counter and think it over. I still have several courses left to complete my master’s degree. I have enough money after the Bratva payout to keep myself afloat for a long time, so I don’t need to sell my father’s restaurant. I have to admit, the thought of reopening it in his memory is appealing. I unconsciously drop a hand to my belly and rub my still-flat stomach as I think about the other developments that should be influencing my future plans.
“Hey, it’s nothing you need to decide tonight,” Maximo reassures me. “You must be wiped out, and it’s getting late. TextMelissa and let’s get you to bed. Sound good?” He places a gentle kiss on top of my head, and I melt a bit as he pulls me closer to his side.
I’m still holding Maximo’s phone, so I hit reply and type out a message to my best friend.I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Text me as soon as you wake up and feel like visitors! I’ll be right over and bring you anything you want. I’m so sorry this happened.I try to think of anything else to say, any words that might make this awful situation more bearable, but I come up empty. I finally hit send and pass Maximo back his phone.
“I’ll let you know as soon as she reaches out,” Maximo says as he lets go of me and walks back around the kitchen island to pick up his whiskey carafe and tumbler. “Come on, let’s turn in for the night.”
As he leads me through the foyer, he pauses to speak to the men still gathered. “You gentlemen clean up the kitchen, then get with Trenton to set up a watch around the estate tonight. Work in four-hour shifts. Sleep well when you can and let Leonard know if you need anything. He’ll take care of you.”
I give the men a small wave and then follow Maximo upstairs to our bedroom. As he begins to undress, he turns and watches me as I shed the bathrobe and slip between the sheets. “I need a quick shower. I’ll turn down the lights,” he says with a smile. “Go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll be in with you in just a few minutes.”
“Good night, Max.” I return his smile as I get the pillows arranged. “I love you. Thank you… for everything.”
“I love you too, Constance. And I’m proud of you. Not many people could have handled themselves as well as you did today. If anything had happened to you, I would’ve burned the world?—”
“Don’t think about that,” I interrupt him. “I don’t want to, especially not right before bed.”
“Of course,” he says with a sigh. “You’re okay, and that’s what matters. Sleep well, firefly. Tomorrow will be a better day.”
As I bury my face in the pillow, his words echo in my head. My fingers clutch at my belly again, and I pray that Maximo is right.
Please let tomorrow and the days to come be better.
I don’t know how much more I can endure.
7
Maximo
I’m awakenedin the morning by the sound of the shower. I reach across the bed and can feel the warm indentation Constance left behind. She must have just left the bed. Her side still feels as warm as if she were next to me.
I have a dull headache thudding behind my eyes, but it’s nowhere near the worst hangover I’ve ever felt. With a groan, I get to my feet, gingerly putting my weight on my still-sore leg, and stretch as much as the healing bruises on my chest will allow. After making the bed, I wander into the bathroom and run a glass of water from the sink.
“How are you feeling this morning?” I greet Constance as I watch her silhouette through the steamy glass shower door.
“Anxious,” she replies. “I couldn’t sleep well last night. I kept dwelling on what happened and panicking.”
“I hate that. I’m sorry you’re going through this. If you need to talk to someone, I’m here for you. You can wake me up anytime if you need me. If you keep having trouble sleeping, wecan get you in to see a doctor, maybe get some medication to help.”
“I don’t think I need any doctors right now,” she says as she cracks the sliding glass door a bit so we can speak more clearly to each other. “Just time. Seeing Melissa today and making sure she’s all right will help. Settling things with the Volkovs, finally, will help even more.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” I ready my toothbrush and begin to scrub my teeth, my eyes lingering on Constance’s shadow as she shaves her legs. After I rinse my mouth, I kick off my boxers and slide the shower door back a bit further. “You up for company this morning?”
“Not in here.” She smiles at me. “I’m not feeling nimble enough this morning for shower sex. Wash up and meet me back in the bedroom? I’ll dry my hair a bit and then we can start our day off right.”
With that, she leaves the shower running as she steps past me, pausing long enough to press her hot, wet body into me and kissing me deeply enough that my cock awakens and begins sliding up her thigh.
