Page 34 of Scarred Temptation

My daughter was also a creature of habit, her joy and happiness all that mattered.

“Yes, you’re right. She doesn’t need to believe her life may be in danger,” I told him. I was thankful Svetlana hadn’t been the one to retrieve my daughter from school. I couldn’t afford to lose her, especially now.

“What do you want to do about the police?”

“Handle them. They are the least of my concerns right now.”

“Who the hell saved you? Sergei told me nothing except that someone stepped in and took a bullet for you.”

“That’s exactly what happened. A woman.” As I tried to slip my hand into the pocket of my trousers, another wave of pain forced me to grit my teeth.

His eyes opened wide comprehending what I was suggesting.

“What is the likelihood two women in two days appeared out of nowhere to save both your life and that of your child?”

“That’s exactly what I need to know.” I laughed softly, wincing almost immediately.

“I don’t know what we do. I can try calling the hospitals, but you know they will not provide me with any information and we don’t know anyone who can bypass the HIPAA laws, including Doctor Isatov.”

I finally had the phone in my hand, moving my fingers across the screen. “One way or the other, Roman, she needs to be found.” I studied her face, the quiet resolve that was easy to see in her magnificent features. She truly appeared as an angel, her rosy lips voluptuous even after such a traumatic experience, her unblemished skin shimmering.

While it was completely inappropriate, I felt an intense hunger, a longing that didn’t make any sense.

“Is this the woman who protected Mina?” My question was more of a demand.

In looking at her picture, I’d felt a sharp, heavy ache in my chest. It was the realization of how broken I was, the power and wealth meaning nothing in comparison to the sanctity of life, something I’d obviously taken for granted. I’d been a survivor, a fighter, and a man insistent on indulging in acts of retaliation because that’s exactly what I’d been taught.

As soon as he dropped his gaze, a knowing settled into his expression, an awareness that for whatever reason, karma was interfering with our way of life.

“That’s her.”

I took a deep breath, brushing my thumb back and forth across the screen.

At that moment, I didn’t just want to survive. For the first time in years, I wanted to be someone worthy of the life she’d saved.

Yet I was no fool. There was a chance she was no angel at all, a woman using her magnificence to distract me. Yet I’d bet everything I held dear, every dollar in my bank account she was in fact a true angel.

“I don’t care what it takes, Roman. She needs to be found. Turn over every rock, spend whatever money necessary to find her.”

Whether or not she’d realized she’d walked into the path of a predator remained to be seen, but that no longer mattered.

When I found her, and one way or the other that would happen, I was going to make damn sure she spent the rest of her mortal days knowing that her safety, her life, and her heart belonged completely to me.

If you’re excited to learn what happens to the explosive relationship between Maxsim and Isabel, their story continues in Scarred Ruin.

The End