Chapter 7 Beauty Without Brain

• Maksim spat out blood. Poor maid. She would have to redo the cleaning. Pinching his nose to ease the bleeding, he grabbed the tissue box on the table and stuffed some of it up his nostrils. Papa drew closer, but Maksim stood his ground, ready for another attack. He should have expected the first.
• “She was right,” Papa said, stabbing him in the chest with his finger. “You’re a bastard.”
• “Papa.”
• “Don’t call me that.”
• “I. Don’t. Know her,” Maksim said.
• The lines on Papa’s forehead deepened, a sign that this was a futile conversation. His father always believed the worst of him. Why should today be different? He had long accepted that fate. Gently pulling out the soiled tissue, he tossed it to the trashcan by the door and sank down on the table.
• “One bastard is enough for the family,” Papa said. “You don’t know her, yet she’s pregnant? I’m not a moron like you, boy.”
• Maksim’s already impassive face grew more passive. His fingers curled around the table’s edge.
• “She must be a one-night stand,” he told his father.
• Papa scoffed. “You’re a disgrace, and I’ll not have a bastard grandson.” Adjusting his suit, Papa stepped back. “The Petrovs are not happy with how things ended. No wedding. The alliance with Nightfall Kings is on hold, and I fear they will cancel it.”
• Maksim grimaced at the information. They had worked tirelessly to form a truce with the rival mafia gang from the neighbouring city. Mila’s father, Don Viktor Petrov, was the current don of Nightfall Kings. Maksim’s marriage to his daughter would have solidified the truce and given him the spot of Grand Sinner of The Sinners Men.
• “We will handle Nightfall Kings later,” Papa added. “For now, find the girl. I don’t care how you do it, but bring her home to me. I’d like to meet my daughter-in-law.”
• The last thing Maksim wanted to do was marry Camilla. Put a gun on her head? Of course. Hell, yeah. She deserved that. That lady not only lied against him, she slapped him in front of many important families.
• “You want me to marry her?” he asked.
• Old age must be messing with Papa’s head if he thought marrying a stranger was a good idea. They married for connections, for wealth, to end age long bloodshed, and establish new unions and solidarity. Any other thing outside that was a joke. He had no idea who Camilla McKenna was, but he would find out soon and torture her. She wasn’t fit to bear the Kalashnikov’s name, let alone stand by his side as a princess and eventually, queen of the sinners.
• “Next time, use a condom,” Papa said.
• Getting accused was one thing, receiving a lecture from the least moral person on earth was another. Maksim wouldn’t stand for it.
• Maksim opened his arms like he would if he were welcoming guests, smirking as he said, “What can I say? I learnt from my papa. Fucking around without condoms.”
• “What did you say?” Papa whispered.
• “Aren’t we paying for your mistakes of thirty-six years ago? You failed to use a condom, and now, here we are, Papa.”
• Rage twisted Papa’s features. His hand came again for his son’s face, but Maksim was faster. He grabbed his father’s wrist before it connected with his cheek, forcing down his hand until the old man winced.
• “Once is enough, Papa,” Maksim stated. Both of them breathed harshly, the sound piercing through the quiet. His father’s amber eyes locked onto his. He had never been one to stand down, and today was no different. “And today will be the last time you raise your hand against me.”
• Papa yanked his hand from his grip. Hate simmered under the thick tension that took over the room. It was only a matter of time before he put a bullet through the old man’s head. Or maybe he would be nice and let him go in a car accident. Or maybe a flight. If Camilla hadn’t messed things up, he would have been made the don of The Sinners Men already. She would pay.
• “Find her,” Papa stated. Maksim would have to do that. For now, he had to play by Papa’s rules. After all, Oleg was still the don. “Bring her home and marry her. No grandchild of mine will be born a bastard.”
• “Understood,” Maksim replied.
• “If you must spill blood to bring her home, do it,” Papa said. That wasn’t a threat. It was a go-ahead to kill as many people in the way of bringing Camilla to their house. “Your marriage will hold, Maksim. Or else you can forget we ever knew each other.”
• The door slammed shut after him. Maksim waited a few more seconds before swiping everything on his desk to the floor with a silent scream. Walking over objects that had clattered to the rug, he picked up Camilla’s phone. This time, it didn’t come on. He tried the power button, but nothing happened. The battery was inbuilt, so he couldn’t remove it to know the problem.
• A soft knock sounded on Maksim’s door, followed by it creaking open. Without looking to know who it was, he said, “Get out.”
• “Is Papa gone?”
• Maksim dragged the last drawer open and pulled out his gun. In one swift move, he turned and fired a bullet that grazed his half-brother’s ear. Vanya’s hands shot up.
• “The next one will be on target,” Maksim said. If anyone in this house had the most accurate shot, it was him. “Get out, Vanya.”
• Maksim’s phone rang as Vanya shut the door behind him. He dropped the gun on the table and gripped the desk, his legs stretched back. Annoyance pumped through his veins, and his heart thundered. Knowing what he had to do didn’t help the tightening in his chest. He had to marry Camilla, but first, he had to find the lady.
• The incessant ringtone finally dragged his attention back to the phone. He picked it up without checking the caller and grunted into the receiver. The laugh from the other end made him pull the phone from his ear.
• “Christian,” he stated, his lips twitching in an almost smile.
• “I heard about your almost wedding,” his friend stated. Maksim waited two seconds. On the third second, Christian chuckled. “Congratulations. You have no idea how happy I am for you. Congratulations.”
• Maksim pinched his forehead, unable to deny the relief that engulfed him since the wedding was cancelled. He was marrying out of duty, but Mila was such a bore. His best time with her was spent when she was in another room. He preferred her silent.
• “That’s not what you should be telling me,” he said, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
• “Lucky fucker,” Christian continued like he had said nothing. They were both engaged to marry women they didn’t like. “Good for you getting out of that shitty marriage. Congratulations on the baby.”
• “You know I always use protection. I’ll need to do some work. I need to find her.”
• “Already on it,” Christian said. Maksim’s grin overtook his lips, and he fell into his seat with a groan. “Can you give me a name?”
• Eyes closed, he rested his head on the top of his chair. “Camilla May McKenna.”
• “The Camilla McKenna?” came from the phone. Maksim sat up. His friend made it sound like she was important. No person of importance would stalk him or pull all the stunts Camilla had in the last few days. “I don’t know if it’s the same woman. Eva talks so much about her. She’s an actress.”
• “Send a picture.”
• “Hold on. Give me a minute.” Maksim tapped his fingertip on the same spot until his friend added, “I just sent it. Check.”
• He wasn’t a man of faith, but he hoped it was the same person. Unlocking his phone, he let out a sadistic chuckle when he saw the picture. Beauty without brain, this Camilla McKenna. He would teach her.
• “It’s her. Can I get an address?”
• So he could confirm with what Vanya had already sent him. Camilla was in trouble.
• “What am I? The FBI?” Christian teased. Maksim didn’t laugh. “I’ll see what I can do.”
• They ended the call after a few more chats, which mostly comprised Christian thinking of how he could get rid of his fiancé, Eva. Maksim tossed the phone to the table. Looking up at the ceiling, he murmured, “God help you, Camilla, because you have played too far into the devil’s den.”