In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (18 page)

I
tucked my feet under my legs as I settled in under his arm. “I know how that
feels,” I noted empathetically.

He
turned my hand in the sunlight. “I see you are still wearing my ring.”

I
stared at the fiery green and purple stone. Heart shaped diamonds flanked the striking
alexandrite on either side. Maxim deemed it a promise ring when he presented
the gift in Ukraine. He released me from that promise when he helped me escape
from the SVR. I wasn’t sure what the ring stood for anymore. It reminded me of
so many broken dreams, but it was so beautiful, I couldn’t bear to take it off.

He
absently twirled the ring around my finger. “I heard about what you did for the
children’s hospital and for the orphanage.”

My
head shot up. “What? What did you hear?”

“You
didn’t think I’d investigate the source of a two million dollar donation to
each of those facilities… donations with all kinds of strings attached and very
clear demands on how that money was to be spent?” he goaded teasingly.

“I
asked to remain anonymous,” I protested.

He
laughed.

I
huffed out a breath. “I wanted some good to come from Michael’s death. Rafael
and I paid for those renovations with money from his estate.”

Maxim
kissed the top of my head as he gathered me back against his chest. “Would you
like to see some pictures of the renovations?”

My
eyes widened. “You brought pictures?”

He
tapped a password onto the screen of his cell phone, pulled up his photo
gallery, and handed me the phone.

“The
orphanage…” I breathed. “This looks so warm and inviting, the children might
actually enjoy living there.”

He
smiled. “The children were very excited about the renovations. They’re putting
a lot more effort into cleaning their rooms and keeping things nice so they can
maintain their playground privileges. They love that playground.”

I
continued scanning the pictures. “Oh my God,” I cried. “That can’t be the
cancer floor…” My eyes filled with tears.

Maxim
swiped his finger over the screen.

“Oh,”
I choked. Maxim had taken a picture of some of the cancer kids holding up a
banner that read
Spasibo
,
Ms. Stone!
The children had painted
hearts and added their handprints to the banner in every color imaginable.

Maxim
tucked my head under his chin as I burst into tears. “I really wanted you to
see this in person, but that would have required you to come back to Ukraine,”
he noted sadly. “I brought the banner for you. It’s in the car.”

“Thank
you,” I said, sniffling loudly. “Would you mind sending the pictures to my cell
phone or to my e-mail address?”

“I’ll
do both,” he replied.

We
grew quiet as a large group of cyclists pedaled by.

“Kristine?”
he finally asked.

“Yes,”
I murmured distractedly, still staring out over the water. I was questioning
why I felt so comfortable in his arms.

He
lifted my chin so I was gazing into his eyes. “I want you to know that the man
who shot Michael is dead.”

My
breath caught. “You killed him?”

He
nodded. “I killed him, the man who nearly shot you when you ran out of the
plane, and the six men who tortured you and Shae.”

“Eight
men are dead…
because of me?
” I clutched at my stomach as bile burned my
throat. I swallowed forcefully, trying not to vomit.

“No,”
Maxim stated firmly. “They are dead because of what they did to you. Your
actions had nothing to do with it. They died as a result of their own actions.
They chose to hurt you, knowing you belonged to me. That alone should have
rendered you untouchable. What they did to you was unacceptable. Their actions
could not go unpunished. If I had let them get away with that, I would have
lost a considerable amount of power, credibility, and influence in Ukraine.”

I
shook my head. “But the price you will pay for committing those crimes…
those
sins
… is too high, Maxim.”

“You
are worried about my soul?” he asked, suddenly amused.

I
fingered the wooden cross tied around his neck. It was the same necklace he had
worn the entire time I’d been with him in Ukraine. The cross looked slightly
charred around the edges. I had always wondered if it had been designed that
way or if it had endured some tragedy of its own. “Are you Christian?” I asked.

Maxim
nodded. He still looked entirely too amused.

“Then
you know how this works,” I softly replied. “Vengeance belongs to God and God
alone. You need to pray for forgiveness, Maxim.”

“God
makes exceptions during times of war,” he countered smoothly.

“You
were seeking revenge for what they did to me,” I argued.

His
jaw clenched. “A foreign government has invaded my country, attacked and killed
Ukrainian citizens, and infiltrated our justice system so there can be no
justice. What is that if not an act of war?”

I
sighed.

Maxim
reached for my chin as he forced me to look at him again. “Some wars are fought
more subtly than others. My country does not possess the same capabilities your
country possesses. We don’t have the soldiers, the weapons, the money, or technology
to protect ourselves against Russia. What else would you have me do?”

I
frowned. “I’m going to be pissed off if I get to heaven and you’re not there,”
I retorted, trying to lighten the mood.

He
laughed loudly. “How I have missed your feisty spirit,
Kotyonok
.”

I
swatted his arm. “Listen, I have a favor to ask you.”

His
eyes brightened. “What kind of favor?”

“I
haven’t worked through all of the details yet, but I’m trying to get Oni out of
Ukraine. I’m trying to find a way to move her to the United States,” I briefly
explained.

He
nodded. “I know. I brought her application materials for graduate school, but before
I hand them over to you, I want to know why you’re doing this.”

I
turned to face him. “I don’t know why, but I really like Oni. In some ways she
reminds me of myself, only stronger and far braver than I was at that age. I
know she is unhappy about what is going on in Ukraine. She and I talked at
length about it when I was teaching at her school. Shae and I taught those kids
to question authority and to work toward making positive changes in Ukraine.
After what the SVR did to me, I’m worried that the same thing could happen to
her. We’ve been corresponding by e-mail. I know she’s speaking out against
Russia’s meddling in Ukrainian politics and is advocating for change. She could
be tortured or killed.” I trembled violently as images of my own torture and
Shae’s bit at my mind.

“You’re
trying to protect her,” he noted softly.

“I
want her here with me, Maxim. I’ve agreed to design and teach a seminar on
personal security for my university. In exchange, I’ve asked my professor to
reserve a slot for Oni in our graduate program. Oni expressed an interest in my
degree program when I was in Ukraine. I’ll fund her tuition if they don’t offer
her a scholarship, and she can live with me. I… I just want to get her out of
Ukraine before something terrible happens to her.”

Maxim
shook his head. “That’s incredibly gracious of you, Ms. Stone, but at what
point will you stop putting other people’s needs before your own?”

I
huffed out a breath. “I could ask the same of you, Mr. Markov.”

He
laughed.

“I
haven’t gotten everything worked out with the university yet. My request has to
be approved by my dean and the provost,” I warned.

He
glanced at me curiously. “How can I help?”

I
linked my hand in his. “Just watch over her until I can get her out of there.
Help Oni get a visa, a passport, and any other documents she might need to
travel to the United States.”

A
small, secretive smile flitted across his face. “I would be happy to do that,
but I’m afraid it’s going to cost you.”

“Okay,”
I responded cautiously. I’m not sure why I was surprised by his decision to
charge me. He’d always been a fierce negotiator and the consummate business
man. “How much are you asking?”

He
shrugged. “Not much.”

A
small alarm sounded in the far corner of my brain when I realized he might not
be asking for money. I slowly released his hand. “What do you want in
exchange?”

He
grinned. “In the interest of full disclosure, you should know I am going to
require a small payment in advance and another payment once the services have
been rendered.”

“Really?”
I shot back sarcastically. He was clearly toying with me.

The
leather and citrus tones in his cologne teased my nose as he leaned toward me.
“I want a kiss… one now and another at a time and place of my choosing.”

My
heart tripped. “What?”

“You
heard me,” he purred.

I
met his gaze head on. “I’m not sure that’s a fair trade. Your kisses are
lethal.”

He
laughed.

I
scowled. “Why do you want to kiss me when I’m still dating Rafael?”

“How
else am I going to win your heart?” he asked with a provocative smile.

“Rafael…”
I began.

“…
consented,” he finished smugly.

I
stared at him in shock. “There’s no way Rafael would consent to this.”

He
handed me his cell phone. “You may call him if you’d like.”

My
jaw fell slack.

“I
wanted to speak with you in private, and I didn’t want him interfering if I
kissed you goodbye, so that’s what I negotiated.” He shoved the phone into his
pocket. “That was the only form of payment I would accept.”

The
tiny hairs on my arms bristled. “Payment? For what?”

He
stared at me.

“Oh,”
I replied. “The revenge that’s really a war thing.”

He
nodded.

So
Rafael felt indebted to Maxim. That would certainly explain his consent. He was
also underestimating what Maxim could do with a seemingly innocuous kiss. I
knew better after that kiss in the hotel lobby. If I consented, it would be my
responsibility to ensure the kiss didn’t get out of hand. “Okay,” I grudgingly
conceded. “But not the kind of kiss that delivers an orgasm.”

Maxim
stood and pulled me into his arms. “I can’t help how your body responds to me,”
he claimed in far too innocent a tone.

I
scowled at him before closing my eyes. Seconds ticked by while I waited for his
lips to brush against mine.

“Not
here,” he chuckled. “Inside.”

My
eyes flew open. “Inside… as in inside my house?” My pulse ratcheted up a few
hundred knots.

He
nodded.

“Wh…
Why do you want to go inside my house?” I stammered.

He
shrugged. “I’ve been curious to see what it looks like, since you mentioned it
was furnished like mine. Besides, I would like to have a better visual of you,
where you are, and what you’re doing when I think about you.”

I
silently studied him. “Can I trust you to behave like a gentleman?” I finally
asked.

He
laughed. “Absolutely not.”

At
least he was being honest. I rolled my eyes at him before stalking over to my
yoga mat, sliding my flip flops on, and rolling up the mat. “You, Maxim, are a
very bad man,” I quipped as I walked past him.

He
chuckled as he fell in beside me. “You’re just now figuring that out?”

My
brave façade crumbled when I approached the door. The keys jingled against my
trembling hand.

Maxim
peeled the keys from my fingers and unlocked the door. “After you,” he said, gallantly
ushering me inside.

I
stepped over the threshold and briefly surveyed the house. I had been hoping to
find Rafael inside so I could worm my way out of the kiss, but it appeared he
was still lifting weights next door.

Maxim
set the keys on the foyer table and began walking around. “Our taste in
furniture is the same,” he murmured thoughtfully. He stopped and stared at
Monet’s painting of the Thames at Westminster after running his hand over the
top of a brown leather chair. “I like how you’ve furnished your home.”

“I
didn’t furnish this house. Rafael furnished it for me,” I clarified.

He
scowled.

I
followed Maxim into the kitchen. “It’s a long story,” I noted tiredly. “Rafael
learned my preferences in furniture and art when he was my bodyguard.” I
reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of Perrier. I handed Maxim
one of the bright green bottles.

“Is
his home furnished similarly?” Maxim asked as he peeked inside the sun room.

I
took a sip of the sparkling mineral water. “No,” I responded without
elaborating. “You do realize he lives right next door?”