Deceitful Vows (Marital Privileges #2)

50. Zoya

50

ZOYA

“ I ’m getting married!”

I step back, stunned. My hearing must be playing tricks on me because there is no way those words just came out of Nikita’s mouth. She is as straight as an arrow. The only responsible one of our duo. She wouldn’t marry someone she’s been dating for six months, so a stranger doesn’t stand a chance.

“Can you believe it?” She walks straighter than Aleena did when I chaperoned her walk to her room several floors down, her gorgeous lace gown swishing against her thighs.

Aleena needed time to decompartmentalize everything we had discussed, and since I was just as eager for a debrief, I didn’t fight her wish for some downtime.

“I guess your ploy worked.” When she leans in, I don’t smell any alcohol on her breath. “A bikini competition was all that was needed for him to pull his head out of his ass.”

Before I can respond, a doorbell buzzes.

Nikita’s eyes pop before she strays them back to Maksim, who’s standing at the side of the living room, looking a cross between coy and frustrated. “That’ll be the event coordinator to set up the aisle.”

“You’re getting married now ?”

She nods, smiles brightly, then bolts for the door to let in her late-night guests.

“Keet… I don’t think this is a good idea. You hardly know this man.” I twist to face Maksim. “No offense.”

“None taken,” he replies, stepping closer. “But we both agree that this is the best way we can move forward.”

With a proud smile, and after letting in a crew of twenty, Nikita cozies into Maksim’s side before fanning her hand over his heart. The position would have you convinced they’ve been married for decades. “I took Aleena’s advice. I told him everything . He knew most of it, but there were some things I had managed to keep secret”—she playfully slaps his chest—“despite being under surveillance twenty-four-seven.” She leans in as if sharing a secret but keeps her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’re safe in the bathrooms, though I would steer clear of the bedrooms. Maksim has cameras everywhere.”

I swallow the brick her commentary caused before trying to simmer the electricity brewing in the air. “I’m glad you’ve been honest and that you’re happy with the outcome, but are you sure this is the route you want to take? Gigi will have a fit when she finds out you got married without her.”

“Maksim says we can do it again in a couple of months. We just need to wait for the heat to die down first.”

The gurgle of my stomach accompanies my brief reply. “Heat?”

Nikita looks set to answer me. Before she can, she is interrupted by a florist asking what color hydrangeas she wants on the makeshift altar.

“What am I missing?” I ask anyone willing to listen.

Maksim doesn’t seem like the type who enjoys an interrogation, but he gives me a little bit of leeway since it is late and I’m completely lost. “I can’t disclose everything now, but this is the best way for me to protect her. By becoming my wife, she won’t be just protected by me. She will also be sheltered under mafia law.”

“ Mafia law?” I knew you could tell a man by his suit. Maksim’s screams mafia.

As does Andrik’s , though we will keep that confession for another day.

I appreciate his honesty when he dips his chin. I just wish the honesty route we’re endeavoring to get off the ground didn’t leave me open to infiltration.

“But I’ll have a hard time keeping her safe if you’re not on the same team as her.”

I take offense to his claim. “Of course I’m on the same team as her. I’ll always be on the same team as her. Nikita is my best friend. I would never do anything that could put her in danger…”

My words trail off when Maksim spins around a tablet he gathered off the couch table. The image on the screen is grainy, but not even poor pixelation can hide the fury in Andrik’s eyes as he drags me out of the competitor’s area of the bikini competition.

After a quick swallow, I say, “Andrik?—”

“Andrik?” Maksim interrupts, his brow arched.

When I nod, he twists the tablet screen to face him, stares down at the image for several seconds in silence, and then tabs across several images.

The surveillance photo he shows me this time around makes more sense of his worry. It is a still image of Ellis goading me into accepting his bribe. I couldn’t look more corrupt if I tried.

“He was railroading me, so I said what he wanted to hear so he’d leave me alone. He wasn’t meant to show up. But when he did, I learned something I didn’t know previously, so I pretended his money was mine.”

Maksim twists his lips like this isn’t the first time he’s hearing my side of the story. “Is that how you paid for this?”

I follow his hand’s wave around the penthouse suite before nodding. “I deposited money into Nikita’s grandmother’s account before using her credit card to order an upgrade. Nikita doesn’t know about any of this. I don’t want to overwhelm her. She has enough on her plate.”

Again, he nods, his understanding a little unnerving. “If you truly want to help lessen her stress, you need to give the money back.”

“I know that. I’ve been wanting to do that. I just haven’t had the time…” I stop with the excuses and be honest. “I will give it back. I would do it tonight if I could.” I’m not sure how Andrik will feel when I admit to taking a bribe from his father, but I can’t demand the truth from him and not give him the same. “I left the majority of the money at Myasnikov.”

It is in the cardboard box under Nikita’s bed because if I were ever going to rob the rich, I would always give it to the poor.

“How much do you need? I will organize the funds.” Maksim stops and furrows his brows. “I can deliver it for you as well, if you’d like?”

“That isn’t necessary.” I swivel on the spot like a schoolgirl. Innocence is not an act I can pull off. “Andrik is coming here tonight.”

“Here?” He points to the floor beneath his feet.

“Uh-huh. We have… business to discuss.”

Maksim doesn’t believe me, but thankfully, he doesn’t push me on it. “How much do I need to organize until we return to Myasnikov?” His question matches my sentiment to a T. He will not pay for my mistakes. He will only help me fix them.

“One hundred thousand.” I grimace. “Minus this.” I swirl my finger around the penthouse. “And two first-class airplane tickets.”

Maksim huffs as if one hundred thousand dollars is chump change.

I realize I hardly know the man in front of me when he mutters, “If you’re sleeping with the airline’s owner, you should have been given an upgrade for free.” He punches something into his tablet before locking his dark eyes with mine. “Or better yet, you should have flown in one of his many private jets.” An arrogant smirk stretches across his face. “Or perhaps he knew I was watching and wanted to leave this weekend breathing.”

I love his cockiness, but I also think he is a fool. He must be to underestimate Andrik’s level of dominance. I’ve only been standing across from Maksim for minutes, but I’m shocked the door hasn’t already been busted down. That’s how possessive Andrik is.

After a handful more finger punches on his tablet, Maksim says, “I will have the funds delivered with our wedding rings.”

I sigh in relief and panic at the same time.

“Is this really happening?” I ask while staring at the people transforming the living room of the penthouse into a wedding chapel.

“Yes,” Maksim answers, his eyes on Nikita. “It would have been weeks ago if they hadn’t tried to fool me.”

I ponder if his level of deception is as deep as what Andrik has endured the past two months but am stolen the chance to ask when Nikita thrusts two swabs of fabric in front of me.

“What color do you prefer?” Nothing but love and admiration shines in her eyes when she lifts them to my face. “You will be the most beautiful maid of honor, and I will be so blessed to have you standing at my side.”

She doesn’t necessarily ask for me to support her while she weds a man she hardly knows, but the sentiment in her eyes sees me giving the same answer I gave Aleena only hours ago.

“Yes.”