Page 39 of Captive Union
“I had an idea. Let’s settle things once and for all. As you know, Kira is my wife now, which means she belongs to me. You have no say over her anymore.” The growl Maxim lets out is so deep it reverberates straight through the phone. “So, I say we fight. Just you and me. We can each have a single man as our second. Whoever wins the fight will get to keep Kira.”
“After all the effort you went to get her, why give up now?”
“I’m not giving up. I’m ensuring that when I win, you’ll stay away from us. You’ll call off your hunt, and Kira and I can live in peace.” I’m desperate to keep Kira for myself. Now that my feelings are evolving, I don’t wish to toy with Maxim any longer. I just want to be with her and be happy for once. I’ve missed out on a lot of happiness these past few years. This sudden change is scary for me, but after sharing that moment at dinner, I know Kira can fall in love with me, and I don’t want to risk losing that.
“Why? You’re a man who feeds on pain. There’s no way you actually care for my sister. Just hand her over, and all of this can be done.”
I grip my phone tighter. “Do you want to fight or not? I’m giving you a chance.”
A pause, then, “I’ll be there. But we’re meeting someplaceIchoose.”
“Fair enough.” Maxim rattles off an address. “See you there.” I hang up. Shit, did I really just do that? I’m risking my relationship with Kira right now. Honestly, I’m risking my life.
But I’m not going to give Kira up without a fight, and I want Maxim to know that. I want him to know that I do care for Kira, and I want to see the pain on his face when he realizes Kira cares for me, too. And when I beat him in this fight, it’ll just be more satisfaction over Maxim I can add to the pile.
I have Scott meet me at the warehouse. Then we head to the address Maxim gave me.
“Is this smart, boss?” Scott asks.
“No,” I grumble. I can’t believe that the only second in command I can think of is fucking Scott, but I don’t really trust anyone else to have my back as much as him. He’s a dingbat, but he’s loyal and worships me. “But it’s something I need to do.”
We arrive at the address—an old, abandoned building near the docks. This is firmly Maxim’s territory, and I’ve just entered it willingly.
Maxim might not play by the rules, but if he sees me trying to, honor will dictate that he has to, too.
I get out of the car slowly and approach the building. Maxim steps outside, his second in command, Nikolay Volkov, next to him. I always hated Nik just as much as I hated Maxim. Thick as thieves these two were growing up, they always excluded me.
“So, we fight?” Maxim asks, rolling up his sleeves. “Just like that? Whoever wins gets to keep Kira?”
“That’s the deal.”
“I’m getting my sister back. You’re not going to win this fight, Erik.”
“For the record,” Nik calls out, “I think this is stupid.”
“No one asked you,” Maxim snaps.
“My, my, you are desperate,” I murmur, looking him up and down. Maxim, the head of the Bratva, always put together, looks like a fucking mess with his hair disheveled and his suit wrinkled. Has he even changed clothes since Kira was taken? I love knowing I’m the reason he’s in despair. But recently, my feelings for Kira have been stronger than my desire to hurt Maxim. And when I feel something, I act on it.
“Let’s just get this over with.” Maxim swings his fist at my face. I jerk back, barely avoiding the hit, and I raise my arm to block his next hit. With his arm in the air, I get a punch to his side, making him cough.
Maxim reacts fast and punches me in the side as well. I double over, and he grabs my head, kneeing me in the face. I stumble back but righten myself before he can get another hit in. I block his knee, then kick out and land a kick to his stomach. Maxim barely flinches as he reaches for me again.
I manage to get a punch right to his nose, causing Maxim to stumble back. I hit him again and again. Maxim composes himself and attacks me, throwing me to the ground.
I land with a thud, Maxim on top of me. He pins his knee to my throat, but I roll over and get on top of him. All the while, we’re still throwing punches at each other, both of us landing hits.
Nik and Scott watch, knowing this fight is between us and they shouldn’t intervene.
“You fucking bastard,” Maxim growls, wrapping his arms around my throat and pulling me into him. “I’m going to kill you.”
“Then you’ll never find where she is,” I choke out.
Maxim releases his grip, and I fall forward on my hands and knees, coughing. “Tell me.”
I smile. “Now, why would I do that?” I punch him in the face, making him fall to the ground. This fight feels good. We both needed to get our anger out.
I scramble on top of Maxim and pin him down with my knee. In an instant, Maxim whips out a knife and places it against my side.
