Page 14 of Maksim
“What happened?” the runner who must be Zinovy asks. I don’t look at him either. I just wait for them to lug Maksim’s body out of the car, and as soon as they do, I shove the car in reverse and let off the brake, my foot sliding to the gas pedal.
“Stop!” the large man yells, but I don’t listen. I slam on the pedal, and the car jolts as I wiggle the wheel, trying to get control. I speed past the gate only to crash into a car parked on a curb.
My blood running hot, I go to put the car into drive but recoil as the windshield shatters from a bullet. I scream, raising my hands while tucking my head into my shoulder to announce my surrender.
Seconds later, a different man appears and drags me from the car while I struggle half-heartedly, still conflicted about what to do. One part of me says run, the other part says stop, and I can’t seem to make up my mind.
When we get inside, I’m taken upstairs to the same bedroom they took Maksim to. He’s laying on the mattress while Zinovy, a skinny guy with full-sleeve tattoos on both arms, works on him with antiseptic.
The big one stands over them, looking even more massive than he did outside. His bushy eyebrows are furrowed as he stares at Maksim, acne scars covering his troubled face.
He turns to me when he must realize I’m here, and I cower from his angry glare.
“Why did you run?”
Great question.
I don’t answer. My instinct to not know English suddenly kicks back in, and I just stare, pushing my bottom lip out to look as pathetically innocent as a wounded dog.
They don’t think I did this to Maksim. No sane person would believe that. Look at me. Look at him. I’m just a stupid girl. He’s a big, strong man. A killer.
They won’t know I did this until he wakes up and tells them. I move my eyes to Maksim, praying he won’t wake up.
Maybe I should’ve stabbed him one more time.
“Hey.” The giant takes one long stride to me and grabs me by the back of my neck, jerking my head up to look at him. “Answer my fucking question.”
“Jesus, Hugh, she’s scared.” Zinovy looks up from tending to Maksim. “Give the girl a break.”
“Stay out of this,” Hugh snaps over his shoulder.
Zinovy holds up his hands. “I’m just saying. She saved Maksim’s life by bringing him here. The least you could do is not be an asshole.”
“I’m not being an asshole.”
“I mean…” He shrugs and grabs a bottle of vodka. “Prosti menya brat.”
Maksim’s face twists as vodka pours over his wound, and his mouth opens in a bellow. “Fuuck,” he growls, opening his eyes.
“There he is,” Zinovy cackles.
Maksim falls back, his arm covering his eyes as Zinovy works on the punctures.
“That’s right, Sleeping Beauty. Back to bed.”
Hugh’s attention moves to me once again.
I shake my head before he can ask me another question. “Nuk flas anglisht.”
His head tilts backward with a sigh, and he gives it a shake before addressing the guy with the gun behind me. “Can you get her to clean up? She smells worse than your mother’s cunt.”
His chest hits my back as he laughs. “Go fuck yourself.”
A sense of shame washes over me, but the idea of soap and water on my body is pleasant enough that I forgive the crass comment.
This house feels similar to the warehouse Anton took me to in that there are a bunch of Russian guys, but if there’s a hierarchy here, I wouldn’t know what it is. They feel relaxed with each other.
The man with the gun takes my arm and leads me from the room. Hugh calls behind us, “Put her in the basement when you’re done.”