His phone buzzed against the table.The sound cut through the silence cleanly.Maksim reached for it, his expression already shifting back into something colder, sharper.
It was a message from Dimitri, asking him to come in.His brother didn’t provide any additional explanation.Maksim tightened his jaw.Something was wrong.
Dimitri didn’t summon him without reason.And he certainly didn’t do it without context unless the reason itself was already understood.
Maksim stared at the screen for a moment longer than necessary.Then he set the glass down.
Alexei.The thought came immediately.Did his younger brother Alexei have anything to do with this?
Maksim pushed himself to his feet, the movement slower than usual but controlled.The wound pulled slightly, a dull reminder beneath the surface.
Before he left, he moved down the hallway.The bedroom door stood slightly ajar.He paused there for a moment, then pushed it open just enough to look inside.
Lena lay curled on the bed, one arm tucked beneath her head, her hair spread across the pillow in dark, tangled curls.
The dim light softened her features, stripped away the sharp edges of fear and tension she carried when she was awake.She looked younger, certainly more vulnerable.
His gaze lingered.Lena also looked desirable.The thought slipped in quietly, unwelcome but persistent.
There was something disarming about her like this.She was not fighting him, not watching him like he was something she needed to survive.Lena was merely sleeping.
He stepped back before the thought could settle any deeper.Then he closed the door quietly.After writing her a quick note about meeting his brothers, Maksim finally left.
****
The drive was shortand silent.The city stretched around him in muted tones, streetlights casting long shadows across empty roads.Maksim didn’t rush.It wasn’t necessary.
He already knew what waited for him.The house stood at the end of a private drive, set back just enough to discourage curiosity.From the outside, it looked like old money.
It was restrained, understated, built to last.Inside, it was something else entirely.Power lived here, so did control.Violence, dressed in quiet discipline.
Maksim stepped through the front entrance without being stopped.He never was.
Security was present, but invisible to those who didn’t know where to look.Cameras were tucked into corners, and guards positioned outside the perimeter.
Just certainty.
The interior was exactly as it always was.There was dark wood paneling and heavy furniture, muted lighting that kept everything just slightly out of full view.
Soundproof rooms also lined the hallways, doors closed, secrets sealed behind them.Nothing in this house was accidental.
Maksim moved through it without hesitation, heading straight for Dimitri’s office.The door was already open.Dimitri stood near the desk, his posture straight, his presence filling the room without effort.He didn’t need to raise his voice or move sharply to command attention.
He simply existed, and things aligned around him.Dimitri, as the eldest, was the big boss.He always had the final word, and his eldest brother had no patience for deviation.
Alexei sat in one of the chairs, one leg crossed over the other, looking entirely too relaxed for the tension coiled beneath the surface.
He looked far too amused for Maksim’s liking, but underneath that amusement, was hostility.Maksim stepped inside.
“What’s this about?”he asked, his tone even.“I’m busy.”
Alexei’s mouth curved slightly.
“Busy?”he echoed, the word laced with something sharp.“That’s interesting.”
Dimitri didn’t speak, he just watched.
Maksim felt the weight of his gaze, though, measuring, calculating.He said nothing.Alexei leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees.
