Page 126 of The Bratva Sinner

There’s nothing to say to that. It would only embarrass us both to make something of it. But my heartbeat speeds up. He’s never said it, but damn, I wish he would. I love him. Maybe it’s stupid to need the words. He’s shown me a hundred times. In ways words could never do.

We sort through the rest of the boxes in silence, but it’s different now. We’re not friends yet. I’m not sure either of us does “friends” easily. But we understand each other. We’ve both got scars that run deep. Scars that will forever color how we see other people.

I get it. I get her.

34

Maksim

Cinder calls first thing in the morning. That’s never a good sign. In our line of work, business typically starts after ten.

Lila wakes up beside me. “What time is it?”

“Shh. Go back to sleep.” I slide out of bed.

“Talk,” I say as soon as I step into the hallway.

“Tawni and Brittany.” She doesn’t waste time. “They came to me an hour ago. Bags packed. They want out.”

I lean against the wall.

“Did they say why?”

“Someone reached out to them. I don’t know how. I don’t know who, but someone with Albanian connections promised them protection and a better cut. Told them I couldn’t keep them safe.” A pause. “Told themyoucouldn’t keep them safe.”

I rub my forehead. “Where are they now?”

“I talked them into waiting until I called you. I’ve got maybe twenty minutes before they walk.”

“Let them go.”

Silence.

“Cinder.”

“I heard you.” Her voice is tight. “You’re sure?”

“If they want to leave, I’m not holding them against their will. That’s not what I do. Make sure they have cash. Make sure they have a phone with my number in it. Tell them the offer stands if they change their minds.” I close my eyes for a second. “And then let them walk.”

“They’re walking into something bad.”

“I know that, but I won’t make them prisoners to protect them from their choices.”

She exhales.

“He’s bleeding you out, Maksim,” Cinder says softly. I hear the resignation. The sadness. She’ll never say it, but I know it hurts her when she loses one of the girls. She takes it personally, like she’s failed them. “He’s doing it slowly, methodically, exactly the way he planned. The pressure campaign is working.” She’s not lecturing me. “The business is taking real damage. Clients have been warned away. Last night, only one of the girls had a client. They’re losing money.”

I know this. I’ve been watching the ripple effects spread outward from the center of everything I’ve built. Suppliers hesitating. Clients going quiet. Women leaving.Death by a thousand cuts.An organization that knows that if you want to bring downsomething large, you don’t hit it hard in the center. You chip away at the edges until the whole thing collapses under its own weight.

“I need you at the house today,” I say. “Three o’clock. I’m calling a full meeting.”

“Who’s coming?”

“You. Damien. The club managers. Everyone who runs something for me. I’m done letting him set the tempo.”

“About time.” She hangs up, and I push off the wall.

When I return to the room, Lila is sitting up in our bed.