Page 59 of Captive Union
“Well, I had the fortune of my husband being his best friend. Your husband is his enemy. It’s going to be a lot tougher to convince him that he can trust Erik with you.”
“Maxim doesn’t believe I’ve grown. He will always see me as a little girl.”
Elena offers me a pitying glance. “I know. But I see you, Kira. And I’m sorry I didn’t at first. My worry for you overtook everything else.”
“I get it. I do.”
“But you have me in your corner now, and if you say that Erik has truly changed and he’s no longer a threat, then I’ll help you convince Maxim of that. I don’t want you to feel like a prisoner here. I want you to get the chance to live your life happily with the man you love, just like I was.”
Her words bring tears to my eyes. “Thank you.” I wrap my arms around her, and she hugs me back, her comfort this time a welcome.
“So, you really love him?” she asks once we pull apart.
“I do. But Maxim thinks Erik has tortured me. He thinks … he raped me.” I blush. “In fact, when Maxim found us, Erik and I were being …intimate.” Elena’s eyes widen. “And I was enjoying myself and … making …sounds.” I whisper the last word.
Elena leans in closer. “What kind of sounds?”
“You know.”
Her eyes manage to open even wider. “Gotcha. And, of course, our stupid brother took those noises to mean you were in pain. Not …” She coughs. “Well, not in pain.”
“Exactly. But I can’t exactly tell him that. He won’t believe his sweet baby sister, who’s always been shy, was having fun during sex.”
“Maybe you should tell him.”
“What?”
Elena shrugs. “Tell him. Make him see you in a new light. Make him see you for the woman you are now and not the girl you once were.”
I wrap my arms around my knees. “But what if he’s ashamed of me? I mean, in his mind, I shouldn’t have fallen for the enemy, and yet I did. What if Maxim hates me?”
“Maxim could never hate you. You’re impossible to hate. That’s the one quality that has always set you apart from the rest of us. You’re truly good. While Maxim, Alexei, and me all have had our screw-up moments, you’ve been the consistently good presence in our family. He might be surprised, but he won't be angry with you.”
“The only question is—how can I find Erik? I know speaking to Maxim isn’t enough. I need to save my husband.”
Elena sits back, thinking. “I could call Alexei and try to convince him to give up the information.”
“You will? Thank you.”
Elena smiles as she gets out her phone. “Always remember that I helped you because I’m a good fucking sister.”
“The best.”
She winks before calling Alexei and putting him on speaker. “Hey, where’s Maxim holding Erik?”
“Good day to you, too,” Alexei mutters on the other line.
Elena just rolls her eyes. “Just tell me, Alexei.”
“Why? Maxim made me swear not to tell anyone else.”
“Uh, because I’m your sister, that’s why? Just tell me.”
Alexei is silent for a moment. “Is Kira with you?”
Elena glances at me as I lean in closer to the phone and say, “Hi, Alexei.”
He sighs. “Kira, what are you doing? Maxim doesn’t want you to know where Erik is. He says it’s because you don’t need more trauma.”
