Page 88 of Bratva's Intern

“Get in the car, Wren.”

I clenched my jaw, but Sergei was already opening the door, waiting. I considered arguing. Really considered it. Then I thought better of it and entered the car.

“Maxim, I dismissed Nik before I came over, like you requested,” Sergei said. “I’ll look over replacements later this evening.”

I froze. Turned. “You fired Nik?”

Maxim slid into the car without so much as a glance in my direction.

“You fired Nik? Are you serious right now?”

Maxim exhaled through his nose like this entire conversation was an inconvenience. “He overstepped.”

“By doing what? Giving a damn?” My voice rose, sharp and heated. “Are you that allergic to people caring about you?”

His jaw tensed. “He disobeyed a direct order. I didn’t hire him to care about me. His job is to keep me safe.”

“And he made a judgment call last night when I refused to leave you because I was worried about you.”

Sergei got into the car and turned in the driveway, pretending as if he didn’t hear the argument in the back. He kept his focus on the road, not once glancing at us in the rearview mirror.

Maxim finally turned his head, his dark gaze locking onto mine. “This isn’t your concern, Wren. This is one area of my life where you will not have any interference. Sergei handles my security detail.”

“But if it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t… Last night wouldn’t have happened.”

“And that’s why he has a nice severance package, but Ican’t have him continue working for me. He breached protocol that has been long established. It doesn’t matter what the outcome was.”

I gnashed my teeth. This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to Nik, who had done nothing more than show a modicum of humanity in a high-stakes situation. If Maxim wanted to blame someone, it should be me. I was the one who pushed Nik to let me stay.

All my fault.

I turned away, staring out the window, my arms crossed over my chest. “You’re a heartless man.” My voice dropped to a whisper, but I knew he heard me.

The car was silent, the only sound the hum of the engine. Maxim laid his hand on my thigh and squeezed.

“After last night, is that what you really think?”

He was right. He wasn’t a heartless man, but I needed to be angry with him, or else I would have to face that I was the reason Nik lost his job. Somehow I had to convince Maxim to give him back his job.

I turned my gaze back to him. His eyes weren’t as cold as before, but they still held determination. He wasn’t going to yield.

“It’s all my fault.” I deflated against the leather seat.

“No, it’s not. Nik has all the facts. You don’t. He is solely responsible.”

I scowled at him, still unconvinced. His hand left my thigh, and he took his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it and began typing, brow furrowed.

“Fuck.” He rubbed a hand against his forehead, and I instantly became alert. Was he about to have another seizure?

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, pocketing his phone. “It’s a message from Archie. There’s an issue with one of my businesses in Chicago. I’ll have to fly out later tonight.”

“Business? Do you want me to go with you?”

“Not this time. I might be gone for a couple of days. Three at the most. You’ll have to reschedule my appointments and keep the office running in my absence.”

My throat went dry. “I can’t do all that, Maxim. Not without you.” The familiar sense of insufficiency crept up, choking me. His cool gaze softened.

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