Chapter 20 - Brooke

A few weeks passed in our new abode, and I was mostly just relieved that Max still wasn’t so sick of me that he hadn’t tossed me into the ocean yet. He had laughed as if that had been the most outrageous thing he’d ever heard, but it had really crossed my mind at the time.

What was I supposed to think when he told me to get in the car, and all my things had been neatly boxed up? It took a bit of mental adjustment, because I was just getting used to my current prison and was waiting for that elusive, perfect time to somehow get away. It was a jolt to my system to give up what had become an odd sense of security, when, in reality, I was starting to grow complacent.

There was no possible way I’d ever get out of that massive estate in Los Angeles, because he never let up on security, and no one ever left a phone around for me to nab. But he seemed excited about the move, and maybe he’d grow lax at this new place.

The new place was amazing. On the way, Max described it as cozy, and maybe it was compared to the mansion in Beverly Hills. Supremely comfortable, yes, absolutely. But cozy always went hand in hand with small in my mind, and this place on a glorious expanse of private beach was anything but small. It sprawled across the golden sand like an ultra-modern shopping mall, all glass walls and windows on the side that faced the ocean. From the front, someone might have been fooled that it was more like a rustic cabin, with beautiful flowering shrubs and small palms shading the walkway, but once you were inside, the simple, beachy style made you feel right at home.

“How is it already furnished?” I asked.

We’d been married only a couple weeks, so even if he’d been planning this move since the first day, it still boggled my mind. Everything imaginable was already there, down to all the little kitchen tools that ended up being forgotten, like a can opener or a wire whisk. A library was fully stocked with books, fluffy towels hung in all the bathrooms, and even new toothbrushes were waiting for us in the master suite.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he had asked, genuinely confused by my question.

Ah, rich people. It was easy to forget they didn’t have to do certain things like their own shopping. I wanted to dig my heels in out of stubbornness and find something lacking, but I couldn’t find a single thing I would have changed, all the way down to the coasters on top of the fully stocked marble bar. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he could see my innermost thoughts, because how could it be so perfect?

Well, it was only because I wasn’t used to such luxury and that I was easy to please, and thankfully, I was able to keep my dignity and not actually drool at the stunning view from our new bedroom.

A bedroom that was as quiet as the last two weeks here had been, because Max was busy from before I woke up in the morning and didn’t come home until late at night most of the time. As much as it gave me disconcertingly mixed feelings, I didn’t complain. That would seem too much like I was a real wife, missing her husband. And that certainly wasn’t the case.

It gave me more time to figure out what I should do next. Even with his near-constant absence, Max was being anything but lax on security. I was locked down in the house, with a guard hovering around even when I went for a swim, which I’d been doing every single day in the cold and thrashing ocean just outside our back door.

I swam until my muscles ached, and I could distract myself from the loneliness that was beginning to weigh down on me. It was bad enough that I really was starting to miss Max, just to have someone to joke around with because Pavel, my guard, wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs.

To keep from actually missing Max, and doing something stupid like make him aware I was only pretending to be asleep when he slipped into our room in the middle of the night, I concentrated on how I’d eventually make my escape. Then, make sure he saw justice for what he’d done to me. I might have been surrounded by beauty and the best of everything, but none of it was my choice.

Despite the heavy loneliness, I was grateful he had been so busy, because then he couldn’t be a temptation. Just last night, it had taken all my willpower to lie perfectly still, keep my breathing smooth and even, and keep my eyes loosely shut. The merest blink to check if he’d taken his shirt off, and he would have honed in on me with one of those smug smiles that made me want to do something rash to get it off his face. Something dumb like kiss him.

We did get little bits of time together, and in the moments when I had exhausted myself by fighting the ocean instead of Max, I found myself going over them, trying to figure him out.

Why was he doing this? It was one thing to gallantly sweep in and save me from a villain, but we hadn’t heard a peep out of Luca since his meltdown on a morning talk show a week before. No matter what Max said, I argued that he’d had these bouts of drama before, and it had nothing to do with me. Why keep me under wraps anymore? Why keep me under his control?

It's not that Max was all that controlling if I ignored the fact that he basically kept me a prisoner here. When I actually saw him, he was as charming as could be, cooking me a meal before racing off to yet another meeting he never had time to talk about. Or diving into the surf with me right before sundown for a quick swim. He laughed at how my hair was lightening up and my skin was turning bronze from all the sun I was getting, and it was on the tip of my tongue to say I’d stay indoors more if there was a reason to.

I was at the point I wished he’d give me a reason to shout at him again. Because shouting and rages always seemed to turn into…

I shook my head to stop that line of thinking. There was no use going down that road, and it wasn’t like I didn’t have other things to occupy my mind. The very real threat of time passing was going to be enough to have me screaming at him again soon. Every day brought me closer to the time I had to be back on campus to get ready for my classes. It was bad enough I’d already missed the start of the one I signed up for during summer semester. I’d end up getting an incomplete, which would look bad on my record, but so far, I was too proud to let Max know he’d already taken that from me.

Determination that I’d be able to get myself out of this mess by fall kept my head held high and strengthened my tenuous grip on my self-control.

Olivia showed up unexpectedly, peeking her head in the library where a book rested in my lap. I stared at the water lapping at the sand through the window but only saw Max in my mind’s eye. It was so damn annoying.

“Oh, good, you’re not all… beachy,” she said, holding up a dress bag. “A new present.”

“Goodie,” I said, ignoring the subtle jibe that I mostly walked around in a big t-shirt over my swimsuit, my hair in various stages of damp tangles from my daily swims.

“Oh, come on and try it on,” she said.

If she was here, did that mean Max was home too? Pride kept me from asking, but boredom had me following her to try on my gift. It was a simple but stunning dress, with thin straps at the shoulders that showed off my new tan. The silky fabric skimmed my thighs with a subtle ruffle that came to my knees. Of course, there were matching shoes, too, and I slid the strappy heels onto my feet.

Olivia, professional to the core and fast becoming a good friend to me despite her utter loyalty to Max, ignored the fact I could use a pedicure and poked me in the arm with a smile.

“I should start swimming,” she said. “You’re getting ripped.”

I couldn’t help but grin at my reflection. I still had my curves, but I was definitely a lot firmer. At home, the only exercise I got was running from my car to classes or work, and I did feel amazingly healthy and strong. The smile fell off my face when Max busted into our room, and Olivia skedaddled.

“Don’t give me that stormy look,” he said, sweeping me from top to toe with a flash of approval in his eyes he quickly doused. “I need you to come with me right away. No, don’t get changed, we need to go now.”

He didn’t seem angry, and I was so intrigued and excited for anything new I didn’t kick up a fuss. He drove us in silence down the coast, and I wondered what to expect the whole time. A gun fight? Hostage situation? Why involve me all of a sudden, and why was I so eager to finally experience a bit of what Max’s life was like when he wasn’t with me?

I barely knew first aid, so I’d be no help if anyone was severely injured. Could I be some sort of bait, like in the movies? I risked a glance at Max, who turned to me with a quick wink, causing a thrill to run through me over where we might be heading. I was shocked to discover how interested I was in his business dealings, and even more thrilled he was going to open up and share.

It made absolutely no sense, and I should have been more worried he had finally grown tired of me and this was my trip to the bottom of the sea.

Which was why I was so disappointed when we pulled up to a restaurant. It was completely shut down for us and there was a bottle of champagne chilling at our table.

“What is this?” I asked, unable to hide the fact the wind had been wholly blown from my sails.

“Our one-month anniversary,” he said, with a huge grin that slowly faded.

I forced a better semblance of a smile, and accepted a glass of champagne from the server. We toasted, and seconds later, my favorite shrimp cocktail arrived.

“You really planned for this,” I said, still trying to hide my lack of enthusiasm.

“Filet mignon for the main,” he said proudly.

I’d never have taken him for the sort to celebrate a tiny milestone like one month together. He’d been taking note of my favorite things, and it didn’t seem overbearing at all that he’d planned the menu ahead of time instead of letting me order. It was sweet. If I hadn’t been getting all worked up for something so much bigger, I might have been really touched by his thoughtfulness.

“What is it?” he asked. “Don’t pretend nothing’s wrong. You can’t keep your real feelings hidden to save your life.”

I frowned at him, because he was dead wrong about that. I was a master of keeping everything under control. Keeping my true emotions under wraps often meant not getting slapped or thrown out of the house when I was a kid. Only Max could read me like a book, and I didn’t know what to make of that. With a shrug, I decided to be honest.

“I guess I was hoping you were going to show me something more…” I trailed off, not wanting to hurt his feelings because the dinner really was fabulous and a kind gesture. “I thought you would let me in on what you do all day and night. Something exciting.”

He laughed, not at all offended. “If it’s excitement you want, there’s plenty to be had. I’m sure we can arrange—Damn it, sorry, Brooke.”

He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and I stared at it as he barked a greeting at whoever had dared to interrupt us. It must have been important because he was half rising as he listened. He raised a brow at me and beckoned for me to follow him.

“Looks like you’re getting your wish,” he said, then turned his attention back to the phone as I scurried along at his heels. Back in the car, he ended the call and turned to me. “That was my brother Dima. He needs my help.”

It had to be urgent to get us out of the restaurant like that, and now Max was skidding through side streets at speeds that had me clinging to my seatbelt. Hell, was this what I really wanted?

Yes, yes, it was. The surprise meal had been an amazing gesture, but I needed some action. My real life was so jam- packed with work, classes, and studying that I just wasn’t cut out to be a lady of leisure. We swerved down side streets until we arrived at an abandoned warehouse. Night was quickly falling around the huge, ramshackle building with boarded-up windows and a sagging roof. I suppressed a shiver as Max skidded to a stop, then sucked in a breath when Dima came running out, waving his arms.

“Back up, get back,” he shouted, hauling ass towards our car.

Max threw the car into reverse just as he reached us and flung his body onto the hood of the car. I slammed my hand onto the windshield, gaping in horror at Dima, who almost rolled off as we skidded backward, the tires screaming as Max put the pedal to the floor.

That wasn’t the only thing screaming. We were only about thirty feet back when the ancient warehouse erupted in a ball of flames, the sound making me clap my hands over my ears for a moment. I blinked through the blinding fire licking toward the sky at Max, who still kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the rearview mirror. Dima was about to go flying, clinging onto the well of the windshield wipers for dear life, as Max slowed down and came to a stop.

I was still screaming when Max took my hand from the windshield, where I’d been mindlessly trying to somehow keep his brother from careening off the hood.

“Is this enough action for you?” he asked.

I snapped my mouth shut, abruptly cutting off my shriek of terror. “Too much,” I said, dropping my head to the dashboard and clutching my chest.

He patted my back, and I was surprised at how quickly I calmed down as Dima climbed into the backseat. He was barely rattled, and seemed more annoyed than anything as Max began driving to a safer location.

“Did that really just happen?” I asked, because they were both acting like a warehouse hadn’t just exploded in front of us.

“Oh, hi,” Dima said to me. “I remember you.” Then he turned to Max and explained what had happened as if I wasn’t there.

It turned out he was lured there with the intent to make a deal with the cartel, just to work out some boundary lines. My mouth dropped open. The cartel? The people who chopped off heads? And they were going to work out a deal with them? Who was I actually married to? Yes, they were going to meet at that place because it was neutral territory, although both Max and Dima laughed at the idea that anyone would show up unarmed.

“Anyway, nobody was there when I arrived,” Dima said, leaning into the front between us as we slowly made our way back towards civilization. “I poked around and figured out pretty fast that the place was wired to blow, and it was a big setup.” Neither of them gasped except for me. “Since I haven’t had a chance to disarm a bomb in a while, I decided to give it a shot and see if I could save the place. But, as you saw, it was too late.”

Max whacked him across the head. “Always trying to show off your skills. You should have just gotten out. It wasn’t even our building.”

“He should have just gotten out even if it was your building,” I piped up, marveling at how calm they were.

Dima took getting hit in the head by his older brother in stride and turned to me. “Good to see you again, but why are you here?”

We both turned to Max because I certainly didn’t know how to answer. Max searched my face and I couldn’t quite make out what he was thinking. I braced myself for whatever lie he came up with, wondering why I thought it was going to sting. Who cared if he hid the fact we were married? It wasn’t like it was real, or that it was going to last forever. That sweet one month anniversary gesture had seemed real, though, and now here I was in the middle of some kind of family business that had gotten a building blown up. It seemed pretty real.

To my utter shock, Max blurted out the whole story. He went easy on the part where I was drugged and kidnapped by the world’s biggest movie star, but at the mere mention of Luca’s name, Dima’s face twisted in disgust. Okay, that was another person who saw through the shiny mask.

“This is our one month anniversary,” Max finished with a hint of pride in his voice as he smiled at me. Relief filled me that he hadn’t come up with some elaborate lie, and I told myself it was just easier to tell the truth. He scowled back at Dima. “Swear you’ll keep this a secret,” he warned.

Those dark eyes of Max’s made me realize the cartel had been smart not to show up for the meeting, and would probably come to regret their cowardly attempt to end one of the Fokins. That was who I was married to.

Dima took the warning in stride. “Sure, I love a family secret.” He reached over to squeeze my shoulder. “Sorry to break up your party, sis.”

“It’s no problem,” I said, feeling a rush of warmth at his easy acceptance.

Sis. I’d had so many foster siblings, and some I’d actually grown attached to. It was always so painful to say goodbye when we were inevitably separated that I worked hard not to get involved. It must have been wonderful to grow up with a family that couldn’t be divided or torn apart.

“Why don’t we just keep the party going at my place?” Dima suggested. “The hotel has a great bar.”

“Hell no,” Max growled, and I whipped a hard look at him until his shoulders dropped. “We’ll go back to our house. I can cook up some steaks on the grill.”

I beamed at him, and he reached for my hand. I was in such a daze from everything I’d just seen and heard that all I could do was go along with it. Back at our place, I insisted on checking Dima over for injuries, wanting to be useful and feel like I belonged. Ignoring Max’s scowl, his brother whipped off his shirt and sat patiently while I checked for bruises and dabbed ointment on a few scratches.

Max pulled cuts of meat from the always well-stocked fridge, and they alternated between erupting into joking squabbles and seriously discussing the events leading up to the explosion while they grilled. I looked up how to mix margaritas online and brought out a pitcher, where I was greeted like I was one of those game show hosts who’d just revealed the grand prize.

Dima was much more relaxed than anyone had any right to be after almost being blown to bits, and kept me riveted with some far-fetched stories about bombs he’d been able to dismantle in the past. Or maybe they weren’t so unbelievable after what I’d seen. Max teased him mercilessly and Dima kept up, flinging back mild insults while simultaneously somehow propping up his older brother. It was clear how close they were, and I began to really like my new brother-in-law, who I’d only met once before, but now he treated me like an old friend. Or, like family.

I settled into a lounge chair, happy to dip out of the conversation and sip my drink with the cool ocean breeze wafting up to our back deck. It was strange to watch them interact, strange but nice, bringing on the old longing for a big, close-knit family of my own. Where everyone teased each other and had inside jokes, and most of all, where everyone had each other’s backs.