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Siena: He basically interrogated me! And said that anyone who hurts the family will be killed!!!
Maxim: I told you to stay in the room.
Siena: Yeah! Well! I wish I did!!!!
Maxim: Listen to me next time.
I groan and toss the phone away. Now Maxim’s even more angry with me, and his dad thinks I’m some kind of spy or traitor—which, to be fair, I guess I am a traitor, just not to this family—and I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.
I’m a mess. A total wreck. Whatever I touch crumbles and is so much worse.
I’m like the opposite of Midas—I turn things from gold to shit.
Chapter16
Maxim
Ipull into a quiet residential neighborhood about fifteen minutes away from The Velvet Rope. Siena sits in the car beside me, frowning out the window. We haven’t spoken much in the past three days. She’s kept to herself, mostly poring over a stack of books my father sent as if she’ll be quizzed in their contents.
Knowing my father, she will be.
I don’t know what I’m going to do with her. I need to punish her for disobeying me and leaving the rooms, and for the way she spoke to me in the car at The Velvet Rope—but I’ve been too wrapped up in my work. There will be punishment, but I wanted to make sure we do this first. I want her to see what I can do for her if only she’ll listen.
The neighborhood isn’t bad. It’s not nice by any stretch, but not bad. Most homes are ranch-style and relatively small, but the yards are maintained and there are at least a couple cars in most driveways. People have money here, but they’re not rich.
I park out in front of a house with brown roof tiles and a bright red door. A blue sedan sits idle next to the mailbox, and I wonder if Siena recognizes it.
But she’s too busy squinting at the house. “What are we doing here?”
“We’re here on business.”
“Business?” She frowns and shakes her head. “So you’re like, going to kill someone in there, or what?”
“Is that what you think I do?”
“Isn’t it? You’re a bratva guy. You hurt people for a living. So we’re here to hurt someone, right?”
I laugh softly. Her idea of my world is so tiny. There are many, many ways to hurt a person, and I’ve found that violence tends to be the least effective.
“You’re on the right track.”
Her face pales. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
I give her a long look. I’m not kidding, but I don’t want her to panic.
“Before we go any further, I need to ask you about Tianna.”
That name makes her jolt like she got struck with lightning. Her eyes widen and she sits back in her seat. I watch her carefully, noting the arch of her back and the way she bites down on her cheek.
She does not want to talk about Tianna.
I waited until this moment on purpose. I want her off-balance and surprised and wondering if she’s safe or not. I need her to open up and be honest with me, because that’s the only way we can truly move forward.
“Why are you asking about her? What are we doing right now?”
I lean closer to her and breathe in deep enough to catch a hint of her smell. Rosewater and lilac. Where did she get that perfume? She’s intoxicating, and I don’t know why.
“Are you going to do something like that again with another of the girls? Like with Mira?”
