Page 113 of Graves

“You let them mark you?”

“Of course I?—”

My words can’t be finished, a sharp slap snapping my head to the side as he fumes above me.

“I’m very disappointed in you,kratsoka. I’m going to have to punish you for this.”

I don’t respond, which seems to be the right move at the moment because his anger seems to dissipate as he grips my cheeks, forcing me to face him.

“It’s amazing you have her eyes, such a rare beauty.”

“How exactly did you know my?—”

I stop midsentence, worst-case scenarios fluttering through my mind. No. There is no way.

“Yes,kratsoka.” He smiles, that sinister way he seems to have perfected over his lifetime. “It’s been far too long since I’ve seen her. Having you here is like a serendipitous reunion.”

My stomach rolls and saliva pools in my mouth, my body feeling the need to retch instantly. I do my best to swallow it back before I look away from him, squeezing my eyes shut.

“You’re the man she had an affair with. The reason my father killed her and himself.”

A darkness passes across his face as he practically snarls at me.

“That worthless pig was a coward! Your mother was getting ready to move here when he took her from me.”

I shake my head. He’s lying. There is no way. I was only six when my mother died, but I remember enough about her. Shewas warm and kind. There is absolutely no way she would have fallen in love with this monster of a man, no way she would have left me behind. I don’t believe him.

“How did you even meet her? She was a secretary.”

“For one of my business partners, yes. I’d worked with Harold for years. He handled all of my…assets in Chicago. One day I came in for an annual meeting and saw her.” He pauses for a moment, an almost wistful look on his face as he stares at the wall to his left.

“I pursued her for months and she denied me at every turn. She was certainly a force,” he smirks almost to himself before his smile drops, that stone cold killer mask back in place.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t believe it, but your mother was the only woman I ever loved. Her death hurt me deeply, and even at that age, you were an exact replica of her. I always kept eyes on you, though. Even sent my brother Ivan to the States to look after you.”

I stare at him before laughing in his face.

“Ivan?! You mean, Slinky? Oh yeah, he took great care of me. Especially when he’d rape me into the concrete floor, tearing and beating me until I was bloody!” I shout, waiting for his anger or shock.

Surprisingly, he remains completely impassive as he speaks.

“Was he not a man? There is only so much time you can spend around someone of your beauty and not do something about it.”

My mind reels at his words. What the actual fuck? Disgust,pain, and so much confusion rip through me as I let out a pain-filled scream, breaking into a rough sob as I do. Maxim stands there, watching me stoically until my sobs have quieted. I sniff as I look up at him through watery eyes before he begins speaking again.

“When the Graves brothers took an interest in you, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get them back in my reach. I had only learned of their supposed survival after Zayden began following you. Imagine my surprise when I find out my two most promising proteges had become infatuated with my ex-lover’s daughter. The coincidence is fantastic.” He smiles with a gnash of his teeth.

“Then Zayden made it all too easy, getting himself thrown in prison for you and coming crawling to me for a way out while Dominic fucked you instead of answering his calls.” Maxim laughs.

“So, what happened? Why am I here? I’m not much leverage when you’ve taken me from them.”

He nods his agreement.

“I quickly realized how deep their infatuation for you truly ran. They wouldn’t allow me to use you as leverage, they would kill me before they did. Look what they did to my brother just for retribution in your name,” he says with a pained glare, looking away as if he were trying to hide the fact that he’s upset his brother is dead.

When he turns back to me, all of his emotion is wiped clean again as he levels his eyes on mine.

“They have become liabilities, and now they will come tome, on my own property for you, and I will behead them before they can even set eyes on you.”

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