Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (35 page)

I
dug my heels in. “I can’t go downstairs like this. I need to put clothes on.”

His
eyes swept over my black camisole and shorts. “You look fine. Besides, no one
will be allowed to enter the lobby while we’re down there.” He looked at the
guy who had just entered the room. “Kill the bugs.”

I
stared at Maxim. “Bugs? What bugs?” I asked thoroughly confused.

Maxim
ignored me as he nodded toward Cory and Sammi. “In their room too.”

Cory
widened his stance as he attempted to block the doorway. “I’m going downstairs
with you or she doesn’t go.”

Maxim
raised an eyebrow. He glanced from Cory to me.

I
nodded.

Maxim
narrowed his eyes at Cory. “Suit yourself, but stay out of my way.”

Cory
squeezed Sammi’s hand. “Stay with Shae until I get back.” He stepped back as
Maxim pulled me into the hallway.

I
stepped gingerly over the bits and pieces of wood that used to be our door.

Maxim
turned his attention to another man, who stood just outside the door. “Get
their door fixed. Rip a door off one of the other rooms if you have to.”

The
guy nodded.

Maxim,
Cory, and I walked down to the lobby. I was still in my bare feet, so I was
shivering by the time we made it down the cold cement stairs.

Maxim
narrowed his eyes at the guy behind the desk. “
Prinesi yey odeyalo
… Go
get her a blanket…
a clean one!
” He nodded his acknowledgement to two
men in black who stood with their arms folded just inside the entrance to the
hotel. There was a man standing near the stairwell we had just exited. Another
man stood in the entrance to the far hallway. Each one had a gun strapped to
his chest.

Cory
eyed the guns nervously as Maxim steered me toward the couch.

Maxim
motioned toward the man standing near the hallway. “Move one of these chairs to
that far corner.” He nodded toward Cory. “He can sit over there.”

The
guy nodded. He easily lifted the massive chair to the far corner of the lobby.

Cory
trailed after him. He glared at Maxim as he dropped into the chair.

Maxim
reached for my hand as we sat on the couch. “Look. We aren’t the bad guys here.
Believe it or not we are trying to keep you safe.”

I
rolled my eyes. “Oh. So that’s what you were trying to do when you had me
pressed up against the wall. And here I thought you were trying to have sex
with me.”

A
small smile teased at the corner of his lips. “I was…” He paused as he searched
for the right word, “… multitasking.”

I
tugged my hand from his.

The
desk clerk scrambled over and handed me a thick blanket.

I
offered him an apologetic smile. “
Spasibo
.”

Maxim
wrapped the blanket around my shoulders as he dismissed the clerk. “
Ostav'te
nas byt'
.”

The
guy practically sprinted from the room.

Maxim
rested his knee on the couch as he turned to face me. “Look, there are a number
of people following you. I haven’t been able to figure out who all of these men
are yet, but you are not safe in this country unless you align with me. If
people see you with me, they will leave you alone. If you continue to go it
alone, then you will be considered fair game.”

I
turned to face him. “Fair game? For what?”

He
shrugged. “Rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, criminal accusations, you name
it.”

I
silently considered him.

He
waited patiently for it to sink in.

Finally,
I spoke. “You’re serious? This isn’t an attempt to get me into your bed?”

He
shook his head. “I want you in my bed, but I could not be more serious.”

I
stared at the darkened window. I couldn’t help but wonder who might be lurking
outside. “I take it you weren’t referring to insects when you told that man to
kill the bugs.”

Maxim
waited to speak until my eyes returned to his. “The Ukrainian government
regularly plants listening devices in hotel rooms housing Americans.”

“Why?”
I breathed.    

He
shrugged. “They presume all Americans are spies.”

A
chill slid down my spine. “I’m not a spy. None of us are.”

Maxim
nodded. “I know you’re not a spy. They know you’re not a spy. It doesn’t mean
they won’t accuse you of being one to achieve other objectives.” He sighed
heavily. “When you live in a country where government officials are corrupt…
where they repress poor people, violate human rights, and restrict civil
liberties… you need non-government organizations with enough power and strength
to keep the government in check.”

My
eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to tell me the Russian mafia isn’t an
international crime organization? You’re what… a regional NGO that seeks to
keep corrupt governments in check?”

He
tried not to smile. “Yes. We aren’t all fortunate enough to be born in the
United States. Some of us still have to fight for civil liberties. There are people
in this country and others who need our help accessing medical care, education,
and employment opportunities. And, yes, we do sometimes engage in criminal
activities so we can obtain the funds necessary to achieve these objectives.”

I
shook my head. “Education and medical care are supposed to be free here.”

He
reached for my hand again. “The government would like you to believe those
things are free and available to everyone. But go to any emergency room and you
will see that the only way you get in is with a bribe. The same applies to our
universities. Only those with money can afford to pay the bribes that are
required for education and health care. Worse yet, people are regularly accused
of crimes simply so they will be forced to pay a bribe. Most people in this
country are too poor to pay those bribes. The Russian mafia levels the playing
field for those people.”

I
eyed him skeptically. “With brute force and intimidation?”

He
nodded. “Sometimes… if necessary. We also pressure the government to do the
right thing. We offer enticements that will encourage them to take the right
course of action. We also employ a number of economic strategies.”

“Like
what?” I asked curiously.

He
studied me. “Who do you think is responsible for managing our shadow economy? The
Ukraine’s shadow economy is nearly as strong as the legitimate economy, and
those jobs put food on the table for a lot of Ukrainians who wouldn’t otherwise
have jobs.”

I
blew out a long breath as I relaxed into the couch. “Why do you continue to live
here when things are so bad?”

Maxim
kissed the back of my hand as he settled in next to me. “It would be selfish to
leave. The only person that helps is me. If I stay, I can help a lot more
people overcome these problems. If enough people work toward change, we can reduce
government corruption, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of life in
Ukraine.”

I
glanced questioningly at Cory, who had been listening intently. He studied
Maxim as he leaned forward in his chair. Slowly, he nodded.

“Not
everything is as it seems,” I murmured softly, recalling Konstantin’s note to Shae.

Maxim
wrapped his arm around me. “No, it’s not.”

“You’re
really one of the good guys?” I asked uncertainly.

He
chuckled softly. “Yes. Well, I tend to think so. Not everyone would agree.”

I
tried to stifle a yawn. Now that my adrenaline was gone, I felt extremely
fatigued. “Where do we go from here?”

He
kissed the top of my head. “Well, you could always come home with me…”

I
punched him in the stomach. Softly.

He
laughed. “I had to try.”

I
turned to face him. “Look, Maxim, I’m sure you’re a really great guy, but I
have a boyfriend. I’m crazy about him. You’re, ah, very handsome and very good
at, um…
multitasking
, but I don’t want to cheat on my boyfriend. Is
there any way we can just be friends?”

His
eyes softened as he caressed my cheek. “I would like it if you considered me a
friend. I can’t recall the last time I was able to talk with a woman like this.
Maybe I never have. You’re smart, funny, beautiful, and kind. I still can’t
believe you gave those flowers to the children’s hospital…”

I
winced. “I’m sorry. I did keep a vase for myself.”

He
smiled. “I noticed that. I’m not mad that you shared the flowers with the
children at the hospital. I’m just surprised. Most women would have kept them
for themselves or thrown them away. They wouldn’t have thought to share them
with sick kids.”

I
sighed softly. “The roses really were quite beautiful, but we aren’t spending
much time in our hotel room. Those flowers would have withered away in that
room while we worked. The children really enjoyed your gift. Some of those kids
had never been given a flower before. I had so much fun sharing the flowers
with them, Maxim. For me, that experience was the best part of your gift. So,
thank you for the roses and for the opportunity to share them.”

Maxim
shook his head. “I really wish you didn’t have a boyfriend.”

“If
you promise not to kill him, I’ll introduce the two of you next week,” I
responded teasingly.

His
eyebrows rose. “He’s coming here next week?”

I
nodded. “He’s planning to meet me in Sevastopol.”

Maxim
sighed. “I’ll have to extend some level of protection to him too.”

I
glanced at him in surprise. “Why?”

Maxim’s
eyes met mine. “Because if the guy ends up dead, you’ll think it was me.”

I
tried not to laugh. “I don’t think he’ll need your protection. Rafael is a
pretty resourceful guy. He used to be special ops.”

“Rafael,”
he mused. “That is not a typical American name.”

I
shook my head. “He’s not American.”

Maxim
looked surprised. “He’s not?”

I
shook my head again. “He’s Portuguese.”

Maxim
looked thoughtful. Then he smiled. “Does he look like me?”

I
shook my head. “No. Not really. But the man I used to be engaged to looks a lot
like you, only thinner.” I squeezed his bicep teasingly. “He’s a little softer,
and he doesn’t have all those hard edges you put up in public.”

“Hard
edges?” he asked curiously.

I
shrugged. “You don’t have any hard edges up now, but there’s an intensity and a
directness about you that is really intimidating when you’re out in public.”

He
laughed. “Hard edges.”    

I
bit back a yawn. “Yeah. I prefer this side of you.”

Maxim
pulled me against his chest. He tugged the blanket around me.

I
glanced over at Cory, who was now sprawled out in the chair asleep. “I should
go upstairs so we can get some sleep.”

Maxim’s
arm tightened around me. “Please, Kristine. If you are going to deny me the
pleasure of having sex with you, then at least let me sit here and hold you. I would
really like to know what it feels like to hold you in my arms.”

I
relaxed against him. “Okay, but only for a few minutes longer.”

Maxim
glanced over at the guys standing by the door. “
Vklyuchite svet vniz tak,
ona mozhet spat'
.”

One
of the guys nodded. He flipped some switches by the door, and half of the overhead
lights turned off.

Maxim
pulled the blanket from around me and adjusted it so that it was draped over both
of us. He slid his arm around me and gently rubbed my arm. “I’d like to at
least pretend we’re dating when we are in public. It’s the only way I can
ensure the SVR and the SBU steer clear of you.”

I
yawned sleepily. “What does SVR and SBU stand for?”

“The
SVR is Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. The SBU is Ukraine’s security
forces. Both agencies are firmly entrenched in the former KGB. When you hear
about Americans being accused of spying in our region, those two agencies are
generally involved. They are notorious for false accusations and tortured
confessions.”

I
tried to force my thoughts away from the disturbing images his statement evoked
so I could focus on what he was asking me to do. “They’ll stay away from us if
I date you?”

He
tucked me against his chest as he continued stroking my arm. “Yes, they will.”

I
grew quiet as I considered the options. The room faded to gray, then black, as
my eyes slid closed. “We can just pretend?” I murmured.

He
chuckled softly. “
You
can pretend.”

My
thoughts faded as I drifted off to sleep.

Maxim
nudged me, seemingly determined to have an answer.

My
eyes fluttered open briefly, then slid closed again. “Okay.”

“Kristine?”
he whispered as his fingers traced some obscure pattern down my arm.