SWNOVELS When He Takes: Chapter 27
After Blake and I finish our breakfast, I go to get ready for my meeting with Maksim. I’m not looking forward to seeing that slimy fuck.
In the bathroom, I give myself a silent pep talk in the mirror. As much as I’m itching to toss him in the trunk, take him to Alessio’s palace, and make him die a slow, painful death, I can’t do that today.
Fucking bummer.
Though it might feel even better to watch the life drain out of his eyes after he realizes how we’ve played him for a fool.
We meet at an upscale bar in Midtown. Maksim’s already there, sipping on a glass of wine at a table in the back, his eyes scanning the room as I approach. He’s on edge, fidgeting with the stem of his glass, but he’s trying to appear nonchalant.
He doesn’t fool me for a second.
When he gets to his feet and offers me his hand, I ignore it and sit down across from him.
I can see the anxiety in his eyes, the glint of fear buried beneath false bravado. If I had to guess, he’s in hot water with the pakhan, and I’m the only hope he’s got left.
I order a scotch, neat, and allow the tension to hang between us. It’s thick like the air before a storm. Maksim clears his throat, the sound grating on my last nerve.
‘Let’s cut to the chase,” I snap.
He huffs out a chuckle. “I wasn’t sure you’d show up.”
“I wasn’t sure either. But I’m here now, and I don’t like when people waste my time.”
“Then let’s address the elephant in the room. Like I said over the phone, I was out of line last night. Your wife is an enchanting woman, and I got carried away.”
“If you’d done that a year ago, you’d already be swimming with the fishes.”
“I’m aware. And we’re both aware that a year ago, you never would have accepted my invitation to Seven Lives in the first place.”
I narrow my eyes at him over the rim of my glass.
He leans in closer, lowering his voice. “Why did you, Nero? Is it because you understand what I can do for you? We shouldn’t let one tiny faux pas interfere with what might be a very mutually beneficial relationship.”
A tiny faux pas? Fuck, is that how he’d feel about it if someone asked to fuck his wife? Disgust settles like a heavy weight inside my gut. “Spell it out for me, will you?”
“You have information that would be valuable to the pakhan. He would reward you generously for it.”
“Huh. Yesterday, you thought I should pay you a very high price for the privilege of divulging that information to your boss, but now you’re saying you’ll reward me?”
Maksim raises his hands in a placating gesture. “Do you want me to admit it? You called my bluff. It happens in poker, and it happens in life as well.”
I can tell it physically hurts him to have to prostrate himself before me.
I’m enjoying every fucking second of it.
“What makes you think that I’d betray my side?”
Maksim leans back in his chair, a calculating look in his eyes. “You’ve been stripped of your title and given to a boss who hates your guts. You’re putting on a brave face—I’ll give you that—but this can’t be the life you want for yourself. The way I see it, you can either do what’s right for you and Blake, or you can do what’s right for them, the men who turned their backs on you. Seems like a no-brainer to me.”
Maksim’s words hang in the air, mingling with the faint scent of expensive cologne and the distant clinking of glasses from the bar.
I let the silence stretch, making it seem as if I’m taking my time to think it over. “And what exactly will your pakhan do for me if I help him win this war?”
“If you tell me where Messero and Ferraro store their weapons, I will bring that information to the pakhan and credit you as the source. After he kills them, he’ll give you a place in the Bratva. A place worthy of a guy like you.”
“I don’t need him to kill Rafaele and Gino for me. One day, I’ll do it myself.”
Maksim clicks his tongue. “Don’t be foolish. You know going after them solo means certain death. You seem to like your wife quite a bit. You really want to throw away your chance at spending a few more decades with her by your side? The pakhan has the manpower to destroy them for good. New York will never be the same.”
I throw my arm over the back of the chair and give him an assessing look. “Your side has been slow to make any serious progress. The way I see it, the Bratva is flailing.”
“We’ve got the manpower. The pakhan just needs something to help turn the tide in his favor. Your information could be it.”
“Last night, you said you’d win with or without my help.”
Maksim’s facade cracks for a moment, a flicker of frustration crossing his features before he schools his expression into neutrality once more. “We will. But the pakhan’s getting impatient. He’s eager for this to be over. If we can take control of forty or fifty percent of their arms, they won’t have enough to fight us back. Not to mention the psychological hit a move like that would make. They’d start looking for rats in their ranks. That’s bad for morale.”
It’s true. The Bratva getting their hands on those weapons would be a big hit to the Italian side, and it might be the only thing that could help the pakhan at this point. They’re losing, whether or not Maksim wants to admit that to me.
That means I’ve got all the leverage I could possibly want.
“Why should I trust you? How do I know you won’t use the information I give you and take all the credit?”
Maksim sips his wine, his gaze not quite meeting mine. “I understand your concern, Nero. But you have my word. I’ll make sure the pakhan knows exactly where the intel came from. You’ll be rewarded handsomely, I promise.”
I laugh. It’s just too funny. Who the fuck does he take me for?
“No.”
Desperation bleeds into Maksim’s eyes. “No?”
“I’m not telling you shit. I don’t trust you, and after last night, I don’t think you can fucking blame me for that. The only person I’ll divulge the locations of the warehouses to is the pakhan himself. Face-to-face.”
“Impossible. The pakhan doesn’t entertain visitors.”
I stand up, glaring down at the damned vermin. “That’s not my fucking problem. If he wants the information, he’ll roll out the red carpet and invite me over. And if he doesn’t, then I guess he doesn’t want to win this war badly enough.”
I take one last sip of my scotch, letting it burn a hole in my throat before dropping the glass onto the table with a satisfying clang. Maksim glares back at me, the gears turning in his head.
“You’ve got my number.” I throw a few bills on the table. “Call me if you change your mind.”
As I walk out of the dimly lit bar, the cold winter air hits my face, and I take a deep breath.
Maksim’s going to have to put in some work to convince the pakhan to let me speak to him directly, but that’s his business.
Now that I’ve made my move, I’ve got a far more important thing on my mind, namely my wife.
I’m not going to waste the progress we made last night. I feel energized and optimistic and alive.
I’ve got no idea how Maksim coming on to her led to us finally reconciling, but it feels like nothing short of a miracle. Having her in my arms again felt like the homecoming I’ve been waiting for my whole life, and I think she felt it too.
But as soon as Maksim called, her mood shifted to something darker. I can’t blame her. A part of me was relieved when we thought it was all over and we could retire the act we’ve been putting on with Maksim. It’s just that we’re so damn close now… It would be a shame if all the work we’ve already done goes to waste.
I’ve got him exactly where I want him. All I have to do now is wait.
But I’m not going to sit around while Blake spins more stories in her head about how she has to change to fit into this world.
She doesn’t have to do anything.
She just needs to take a breath, relax, and allow herself to be happy.
And I’m going to help her do exactly that.