Page 57 of Secret Heir

Lights flood the yard.

“Stop right there.”

One of the guards steps out from behind a tree, his gun drawn. Two other guards appear from different directions, surrounding me.

My legs give out. I sink to my knees, my hands in the air.

“Please,” I gasp. “Please, I wasn’t—I just⁠—”

The guard speaks into his radio in Russian and I catch Maksim’s name. Then he looks at me with something that might be pity.

“You should not have tried this, Miss Delano.”

Maksim arrives within minutes, and I can tell he threw clothes on in a hurry. He’s wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that clings to his muscular frame, his feet bare on the dewy grass. His hair is mussed from sleep and there’s stubble darkening his jaw.

He looks so handsome it hurts. But he also looks angry. So angry it makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” He’s shouting, his voice carrying across the lawn. “You were going to climb the wall? Run off into the night?”

“I had to!” I’m still on my knees, still shaking. “I had to try!”

“Try what? To get yourself killed?” He hauls me to my feet, his grip bruising on my upper arms. This close, I can see the anger in his eyes and can smell his soapy scent “There are cameras everywhere, Aria. Guards on patrol. Did you really think you’d make it?”

“I had to try,” I repeat, because it’s all I have.

“Why?” He shakes me slightly, and I can feel the strength in his hands. His chest heaves with barely controlled rage beneath the thin t-shirt. “What are you so desperate to escape from? Me? This house? What?”

“I can’t tell you!” I scream.

“Then I can’t trust you.” He lets go and steps back, running both hands through his hair in a gesture of pure frustration. “Take her inside. Put her in her suite and lock the door.”

The guard moves to comply, his hand gentle on my elbow.

“Maksim, please—” I try to pull away, but the guard’s grip is firm.

“We’ll discuss this in the morning.” Maksim won’t look at me. “When I’m calm enough not to do something I’ll regret.”

I spend the rest of the night locked in my suite, pacing like a caged animal. Every few minutes I check on Daniel through the connecting door—still unlocked, thank god. He’s sleeping peacefully, unaware of what his mother tried to do.

Unaware of how badly I’m failing to protect him.

The sun is just starting to rise when I hear the lock click and I whirl around. The door opens, and Maksim walks in carrying a breakfast tray.

He’s dressed in dark jeans and a black henley that hugs his broad shoulders and muscular chest. His hair is damp from a shower, combed back from his face. He’s shaved, the stubble gone, revealing the sharp line of his jaw.

He looks completely different from last night.

“You need to eat,” he says, setting the tray on the table.

I refuse, my entire body on edge. “Daniel’s still sleeping.”

“I know. It’s barely six in the morning.”

I nod, wrapping my arms around myself. “What happens now?” I ask, hating how small I feel.

He sits in the chair and looks at me. I must look like hell—I feel like hell—but I don’t care.

“The blind spot in the security has been fixed,” he says conversationally, long fingers tapping against the arm of the chair. “Guards will follow you and Daniel everywhere outside the main house. Your windows now have sensors. I would have installed them in Daniel’s room too, but I don’t want to scare him.”