Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Maksim

Istorm out of the ballroom furious and trying not to show it. Scum like Booker Carlson disgust me, preying on innocent individuals and taking advantage of their generosity. Taking advantage of Abby.

He needs to be dealt with. To be taught a lesson.

And I’m just the man to do it.

I grab my phone and dial Alyosha’s number, my heart pounding with each ring. “I need you to get me an address,” I bark into the phone. “This can’t wait.”

There isn’t much more than a name to go on right now, but I know that’ll be enough for Alyosha to work whatever computer hacking magic he uses to get me the information I need.

“On it, boss,” he says. “I’ll call you back when I have something.”

“Make it quick.”

I hang up the phone and return to the ballroom, still so angry I can hardly see straight. Abby is standing not far from where I left her, her pretty eyes filled with concern and something else. Hesitation? There’s something she’s holding back, and I want to know what it is.

“Where did you go?” she asks, taking my arm. The tone in her voice is anything but casual.

“I had to make a phone call. An urgent one.” She deserves more of an explanation, but I can’t give her one. Not without involving her in something she wants no part of.

Just as she’s about to speak again, my phone rings, interrupting us. If it wasn’t Alyosha, I wouldn’t even think of taking the call right now.

“Sorry, beautiful,” I say, trying and failing to hide my frustration. “I know this isn’t ideal, but I need to take care of something important. I’ll make it up to you.”

“But, wait, we need to talk, Alec.” Her own frustration is showing, and I can’t blame her. Not even a little.

“We can talk later, I promise.” It’s the best I can do for now.

“What, next year again?” She looks disappointed, and I can’t stand the thought of her standing here for the rest of the night, sad and confused as to why I left.

I watch her for a moment, and then shake my head. I can’t just leave her here. “Why don’t you come with me? It won’t take long, and then we can find a quiet place to talk.”

She hesitates for a moment before nodding. “Alright, but what’s going on? Why the urgency? And the secrecy?”

I give her a reassuring smile, even though my mind is racing. “Just some business that unfortunately, can’t wait. Don’t worry, though. I promise everything will be okay.”

She’s clearly reluctant, but she agrees to come with me. We check in with her sister, then make our way outside. The event is winding down, but I don’t want to waste any more time. I lead Abby to my car and open the door.

She hesitates again.

I gesture at the passenger seat. “Come with me, or go back inside, beautiful. Your choice.”

She bites her lip, but then takes the front seat, and I hop into the driver’s side.

As we drive, Abby’s curiosity gets the best of her as she fidgets her fingers against the material of her lovely dress. “Where are we going?”

“First, I need to stop and take care of that business,” I reply. “Then we’ll go somewhere nice. Somewhere quiet.”

I know she has more questions, but she’s keeping them to herself for now.

We arrive at an apartment building, and I can see Abby growing more anxious by the second. I can’t tell her what I’m about to do—it’s definitely not something she needs to witness. But it is necessary. And if everything she said is true, it’s long overdue.

“Just wait here,” I tell her, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “I’ll be right back. This won’t take very long.”

I get out of the car before she can argue or ask questions, then head into the building’s lobby, where Lev and Vlad are waiting for me. They know the plan, and I trust them to handle this situation discreetly. Together, we climb the stairs to Booker’s apartment. My fists are already clenched in anticipation.

We’re going to give this fucking scammer what he deserves.

I knock on the door, and when it opens, Booker’s face turns pale. Fear fills his eyes.

Good. He should be afraid.

“What’s going on?” he asks, starting to close the door again. “I have to—”

I push him back into the apartment. “We need to talk.” Inside, I glare at Booker, my anger bubbling beneath the surface. “Explain yourself,” I demand, my voice firm and unwavering. “What did you do with all the money you scammed?”

Booker stammers, looking guilty as he tries to find the right words. “I-I didn’t mean to. I was desperate, you know? My family, they needed the money, and I thought I could pay it back.”

“There’s no excuse for what you’ve done,” I interrupt, taking another step toward him and watching him cower. “You took money meant for a good cause and used it for your own greed. You make me sick.”

He hangs his head, shame evident in his eyes. “I know I messed up, and I’m sorry. I’ll pay it back, I promise.”

I scoff, feeling no sympathy for his pathetic attempt at remorse. “Sorry doesn’t cut it. You’ve hurt innocent people who rely on this foundation for help. How can you live with yourself?”

Booker shifts uncomfortably, unable to meet my gaze. “I didn’t think it would go this far. I was desperate, and I thought I could get away with it.”

“You didn’t think about the lives you were affecting, did you?” I retort, my anger flaring. “You only cared about yourself and your own problems. Well, now you have bigger problems.”

His shoulders slump, and I can see that he knows there’s no excuse for what he’s done. “I messed up, okay? I get it. But please, don’t go to the police. I’ll return the money, I swear.”

“You have worse things than the police to worry about right now, asshole. You will never scam anyone again,” I warn him, my voice low and menacing. “You will return every cent you stole from Abby, or there will be consequences.”

Booker, realizing he’s trapped, swears to do as I say. I give Lev and Vlad a nod. After coming all the way out here, they deserve to let off some steam.

“Make sure you guys take the computer,” I call over to them. “I’m sure it has everything we need.”

Booker is already blubbering and crying out in pain. Poor son of a bitch. I almost feel sorry for him. Hopefully he’ll think about all the people he’s screwed over when he’s recovering in the hospital for real this time.

After dealing with Booker, I clean myself up in his apartment, washing away the blood—I might have gotten a few punches in, too—the anger, and the frustration of the night. I step over the unconscious man on the floor and shake my head. It didn’t have to come to violence, but I couldn’t stand idly by while he continued to take advantage of Abby and her sister, and all the people they were trying to help.

I return downstairs to the car, where Abby awaits, her eyes filled with questions. “What happened in there?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” I reply, not wanting to reveal too much just yet. “Everything is taken care of.”

As we drive away from the apartment building, the night is still young, but the weight of the evening’s events sit heavily on me. I can sense that Abby wants to talk to me about something else, but I can’t fully focus on it right now.

I need to be there for Abby, and I need to handle this situation. But with my heart still pounding and the anger still simmering beneath the surface, I’m not sure how to navigate it all. “We’ll be out of this car in a few minutes,” I say. “Then we can talk.”