Page 45 of Corrupt: XXX Vadim 2
She eyes me skeptically, crossing her arms. “Queens don’t clean up.”
“Hmm.” I stroke my chin and nod. “Not normally. But they do if the treasury is at stake and a thief is on the loose, threatening their fiscal hold on the populous!”
I stoop for a fistful of money. Alarmed, Magda drops to her knees and attempts to grab as many bills as she can before I snatch them first. Within minutes, we’ve gathered up every last bit.
“I win,” Magda declares as she places her haul back into the box.
I can’t resist tugging on another curl though this time she doesn’t seem to resist. “You did! Awesome job…”
I trail off, distracted by a sudden noise coming from the hall near the study. Angry, thumping, brutal noise. Smiling wider for Magda’s benefit, I playfully tap the bridge of her nose with my finger. “Why don’t you figure out how to set up for a second round, oh majesty? I’m going to go grab a pen so we can keep score.”
I use that harmless lie as my excuse for tiptoeing down the hall. Not the urge to spy or eavesdrop. I need a pen. A pen that ceases to matter completely the second I catch Vadim’s grated rasp.
“…and you still seem to hold out hope that we will reconcile?” he laughs. “I don’t think so. Not after this.”
“You did provoke him,” Milton replies, his tone level. “You know how he can get. Like a dog with a bloody bone. Give him time to cool down.”
“Time?” Vadim echoes coldly. “Don’t play coy, Milton. You aren’t a gossip, and you wouldn’t be telling me of his little ultimatum if you didn’t believe he was serious in this threat. What was it again? ‘I leave within three days, or he will takemeasures.’” He laughs in that icy, beautiful way that resembles how I figure a fallen angel might. One seriously considering joining the ranks of Lucifer. “And you asked me why he will never see Magdalene?”
“Like I said, give him time to cool down,” Milton insists. “Besides, he’ll be gone for a few days. He’s on his way to Moscow. Apparently,someonedisrupted a supply chain of munitions he had stored there. Damn near took out an entire arm of his operation overnight. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Munitions? Supply chain?Something at the back of my brain tingles, filing away those terms for later. They sound far more sinister than the typical business venture, that’s for damn sure.
“Would you be surprised if I did?” Vadim asks dryly. Gathering up the nerve, I creep forward enough to peek into the office through the cracked door. He’s leaning over his desk, his eyes downcast.
Milton must be standing before him, his posture rigid. “No. Especially not after you accused him of disrupting your own business interests there—an accusation he denied, by the way. And you know he wouldn’t shy away from claiming ownership if he had.”
“Or maybe you’ve just grown too damn trusting,” Vadim counters with a harsh laugh. “Would you believe me if I denied it? Perhaps a part of me gets some sick pleasure out of making little Maxi squirm?”
I shiver at the coldness in his tone. But just as quickly, his posture seems to slump, his body deflated.
“I’ve humored Maxim’s hostility far longer than I should have,” he says softly. “But I am telling you now, Milton. If he dares to do anything, I won’t be so forgiving this time.”
“He’s all bluster,” Milton says. “Between the shit going on in Russia and the shock of discovering your little secret, you might want to cut the man some slack. I will admit that I was skeptical at first myself. That you were planning one of your little mind games to drive the man insane. But, damn… She looks just like you.” His voice deepens, conveying the depth of his awe.
“Which is why…” Vadim sighs. “Maxim can harbor his hatred toward me all he likes, but I willneverlet him hurt her—”
“And I would?” Milton counters, stepping forward to brace his hands over the desk. “Threatening children isn’t Maxim’s style, you know this. But I will suggest you consider moving anyway. Why provoke him further?”
“Why?” Vadim shakes his head, chuckling to himself. “You always take his side. I’ve ceded this city to Maxim for ten years. I’ve dwelt in the shadows and let him play king. Not anymore. I said it once, and I will say it again—I’m taking what I want. For myself and Magdalene. Her desire is my only concern, so if he wants to get in my way, let him try.”
“Or,” Milton says softly, “you two could finally put aside your petty feud and play happy families. Especially if you both are so intent on starting your own.”
“Don’t compare me to him.” Vadim stands and turns his attention to the door just as I manage to scuttle away.
I find Magda seated at the dining table with a neatly arranged and reset monopoly board before her and a look of utter ferocity on her face.
“Ready for round two?” I ask, joining her with a forced grin.
She kicks my ass. In the end, I have to concede with shreds of my pride left intact.
“You are well on your way to world domination,” I tell her as we clean up the game for good. “But I’m still the adult, and I will always have one superpower over you, even when you rule the world.”
She raises an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Bedtime.”
I follow her upstairs and into her room, where I enter her closet. “I’ll pick out your pajamas while you take your bath, okay?”
