Maksimillian 'Max' Angeloff

When my sister coaxes Sunday to step out and wander down the hall, a drooling Saint practically has to pick his jaw up from the floor before he moves to follow them, panting after Verity like a thirsty dog.. I am well aware that my sister is beautiful, she's always been the centre of attention in any given room, and there has been no shortage of guys lining up to take a swing at impressing her.. That is just the way it was with Verity, boys would chase her and she'd expertly wrap them around her finger..

But even though she tries to hide it, Verity was never the same after being thrown to the wolves by our father, a vicious punishment intended to inflict the most pain possible in retaliation to her promiscuity..

When the nefarious Outlaw President, Aleksandr 'Sasha' Angeloff discovered his teenage daughter was sneaking off for a secret rendezvous with a lowly prospect of the MC, he took it as an insult.. The mere suggestion that she was no longer a pristine virgin bargaining chip, it sent him into a fury like she'd never seen before.. To teach her a lesson, he would have her abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night, stripped naked and shamed as she was tossed into a dingy basement full of savages..
Savages I have since hunted down and unleashed a bloody retribution upon.. Ramsay Neeves, Crew Draper and Gunner Bates.

I killed them all, for her..

My helpless sister was trapped in that hellhole for hours, used and tormented.. Degraded and disrespected.. Subjected to the most foul violations imaginable.. Afterwards, she would pick herself up from the cold concrete floor, drag her battered little body back up the stairs to find Sasha.. Sitting at the dining table, wearing a disgusted scowl, he had been listening to her every horror stricken cry of pain, her pleading sobs for mercy.. And he had done nothing to help her..

There is no limit to my father's cruelty, just as there is no end to my hatred for the man..

Never one to miss an opportunity to bend and manipulate people to his will, Sasha would quickly leverage Verity's trauma and desperation to be forgiven to his advantage.. Naturally, it was from his forked tongue Verity would learn that it was her very own brother who had betrayed her secrets..

The match that would light the fuse to an explosive, atomic feud, with ground so scorched it would never be walked upon again.. And so, in an impulsive and vengeful fashion true to her character, Verity would fight fire with fire, by weaponising Luka's most sordid shame and laying it bare at our father's feet..

Once Sasha learned of his youngest son's sexual preference for the company of other men, Luka was beaten merciless by those very same savages who had raped our sister, before being cast from the Outlaws.. Abandoned and left undefended in the cold, by Sasha's orders, Luka was forced to turn to the one place he would find protection.. The Brotherhood would take him in, if only he would return to the closet..

Neither Verity nor Luka had ever recovered from the damage done that they blame each other for..
But I know who the true villain in our story is, and I intend to set the balance of justice back into place, even if it goes against the sanctions as laid down by the Pakhan.. My fiercest regret is that I wasn't here to protect them both from his psychological warfare.. Instead I was down south in El Chavez, digging through rubble to recover the dead, while my own living flesh and blood suffered in anguish and my family was torn apart by manipulations and barbarity.. So now, I am finally going to do what I should have done all those years ago and protect my family..

Starting with any leering jackass who oogles my sister without any intention of treating her right..

Stepping in front of the door to block Saint's path, I set a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to hear the conviction of my threat and urging him to heed it.. "If you touch my ss-sister, O'Cleriegh, I'll kick your ff-fucking teeth in.."

It's not that I don't trust Saint O'Cleirigh, of course I do, he's solid.. Hell, on a good day I might even admit that I like the guy.. On paper the man is everything women likely wet their panties over, a humanitarian surgeon who goes on aide missions to Africa and runs a free clinic on the southside in his spare time..

Saint might look like Darkport's most eligible bachelor from the outside.. But behind closed doors the man is a fucking deviant.. A sadist of the darkest variety.. From everything I've heard about his visits to the back rooms at The Pakhan club, his tastes are something twisted, even to a Discipline Dom like me, and there are several working girls who downright refuse to see him..

Then again, everything I've heard is unsubstantiated hearsay, just rumours and bullshit..
But just in case it turned out to be true, Verity doesn't need to be exposed to that kind of depravity.. She's already had enough of it to last a lifetime..

"O'aye?" Saint's interested green gaze shifts sideways to meet my warning glare as he considers the ramifications, only to come up with a mischievous smirk.. "I aint' in a habit o'making promises I can't keep, Angel, you know that.."

My menacing grip on his shoulder tightens.. "I'm not ff-fucking around, Saint.."

A far more patient man than I, he nods, holding up two deferential mitts in surrender.. "I hear ya, the sister is off limits.." He watches wistfully down the hall as the girls turn the corner and disappear from view.. "But she is a fine beauty to be sure.."

I let him go with a bemused scoff and a comradely thump on the back.. "She'd only break your heart, Brother, believe me.."

"Tsk tsk tsk.." He chuckles in his merry Londonderry accent, clicking his tongue.. "And what about you, Angel? Are ye' seein' to breakin' that wee girl's heart? Does she know the shite you're getting her into?"

"I haven't lied to her.." I flatly state the fact as if it were an answer to his questions, even while the knowledge of my omissions niggle at the back of my guilty conscience..

Of course I had tried to impress the serious sense of danger and risk upon Sunday, but she has still picked up that pen and signed her name right next to mine.. Which leads me to believe she either doesn't understand the gravity of all it is I have asked of her.. Either that, or that she is exactly the kind of loyal, ride or die woman I need by my side..

"Have'ney told her the truth either, have ya?" Arching a cloy, knowing brow in my direction, Saint cuts through the bullshit.. He's always been a human lie detector, an admirable yet irritating quality..

"And exactly what truth is that, Doc?" I fold my arms, taking up a casual stance since bluffing is my only tactical manoeuvre to escape the subject of Sunday and all the selfish reasons I've kept her under my roof..

Reasons I'm not even ready to admit to myself..

"All that hate, it's poisoning you, old friend.. Life is happenin' all around, ye've got cash to burn, the respect of your peers, family loyalty, and a beautiful woman on your arm.. But yer' still the same miserable feckin' bastard, holdin' onto the past and sabotaging the future.."

"Spare me the ff-fucking lecture.." All I can offer is a bitter chortle.. Not because anything Saint says is funny, but because it is all so repulsively accurate.. "This is who I am, who I've always been.. You just didn't wanna see it- cus that same hate is what made me the kind of Commanding Officer who brought his entire unit home- instead of leaving pieces of them to rot on the battlefield.."

Eyeing me with cautious suspicion, no doubtely questioning my mental state and moral fibre, Saint finally sighs in concession.. "Maybe you're right-" Running a hand back through his sandy fade, he returns my impatient frown with a defeated half smile.. "I just think it's about time you tried being happy for once.."

I shrug.. "I'll be happy when Prez is dead.."

Saint nods, agreeable to at least share some common ground with me on the matter.. "You and the rest of Bermuda.. The Outlaws have been hiking taxes up and down the strip.. Most people can't afford that kind of money.. Isn't your band'o'brothers supposed to be running protection down there?"

"Bermuda isn't Bratva territory.. It's a no man's land.. And it's gonna stay that way so long as Prez and Pakhan agree to keep the peace.."

"Alls I know is somebody needs to put an end to it, Angel.. They've taken it too far, the people down here are already sufferin', Outlaws are runnin' wild and Prez is steppin' on their necks.. Just yesterday there was a girl brought into the clinic, she was flayed open like a feckin' fish! They found her wanderin' around outside some crack house that burned down, ramblin' on like a wee lunatic.. She kept saying the shadow man came.. Poor thing was out o'her mind after the torture she'd been through.."

I don't need to hear another word to know Sasha had found the girl I'd stupidly left alive as a witness to Ramsay's death.. He'd probably ripped her apart, interrogating her for answers that she didn't have..

Shit...

I should have killed her myself.. I could have saved the poor girl the suffering end Sasha put her through trying to find out what she saw..

But she didn't see anything except a masked man bleeding out a wasted junkie like a stuck pig.. A shadow man..

"Where is the girl now? Did she say anything else?"

"She didn't make it.." Saint shakes his head, his brow pinched in a somber expression.. "You and me both know there's only one butcher who carves up girls like that.."

"Sasha.." I affirm with a grim bark..

"Do you really want to bring a baby into this world with a monster like that looking over your shoulder.."

"The baby's not mine, Doc.."

He sniffs, a kind of incredulous mocking sound.. "Do you think that detail is gonna matter to The Outlaws? A blind man could see that girl is falling in love with you, and Prez will never let you keep her.. The best thing you can for Sunday Santos, is let her go, Brother.. Before it's too late.." With those terrifying words of advice on he strides away, leaving me alone and reeling from my growing guilt complex..

....

As I near the parked car in the lot, I overhear the tail end of what sounds like a subdued yet heated exchange between Sunday and my sister, and much to my satisfaction, Sunday seems to finally be making her stand.. A necessary fortitude for her to demonstrate if she hopes to be heard in this family..

I can keep Verity and Luka on a tight leash, but I still can't keep them from biting..

"Whatever you think of me Verity, I don't want to fight with you, even though God knows that's what you've been looking for since the second you showed up and started treating me like the help.." Her voice is soft, yet firm with conviction as she calmly and smoothly makes her arguments, articulate and astute, there is a rational intelligence to Sunny that makes her impossible to dismiss.. "You're Max's sister, he has to love you, it's in the DNA you share, so maybe you can't help but take it for granted.. But I don't, because he chose me.. He trusts me, even if you don't, and if you can't respect that-- You might just push away the only person who still cares about you.." Sunday lifts her chin and with a final devastating blow, she adds.. "But what would I know, I'm just Latina trailer-trash to you.."

"Oh, is that what you're so mad about?" Verity tuts at Sunday's sharp observations with a flippant wave, but the truth has rocked her, and I can hear it in the waiver of her voice.. "I was only trying to illustrate a point, it wasn't personal, Sunny.."

Sunday folds her arms and her adorable button nose wrinkles with doubt.. "It felt pretty personal to me.."

Verity chortles.. "You really need to toughen up, Buttercup.. Ever since you showed up it's caused nothing but-

"Uhem--" Approaching the back of the car, I clear my throat to announce my presence and the women fall suddenly silent as they turn to me.. "Problem?"

Verity shakes her head, playing it off as no big deal.. "Nope.. Just a little girl talk is all.."

"Pfft-" Sunny scoffs beneath her breath, her golden eyes glowing with a quiet fury.. The energy around her has shifted from a usually timid calmness to a thrumming agitation, like a caged panther purring and pacing, just waiting to be unleashed.. "Tu hermana me enfada tanto que quiero ahogarla.." (your sister makes me so angry, I just want to strangle her)

"Conozco a la pequeña conejita.." (I know, Little Bunny) I chuckle, enjoying a rare glimpse at the fire inside her.. The secret flame she keeps tamped way down, suppressed by a sense of obligation and self preservation..

"It's rude to talk shit about somebody right in front of them, you know.." Verity glares between us with a tight jaw and a sneer.. Visibly envious of our conversation, she props both hands on her hips, expectantly waiting for either of us to translate for her.

But I have no intention of backing her in this fight..

"Almost as rude as doing it behind their back.." Sunday chides, biting her bottom lip to mask a victorious smirk..

Of course my sister can't stand not having the last word.. "It's nothing I wouldn't say to their face-"

"Enough." I shake my head, deciding it is probably better if I don't get involved as a black Range Rover pulls up beside us.. "Viktor's gonna tt-take you both home.. S-ssunny needs to rest and I've got business that needs handling.."

Verity reluctantly agrees, picking up on my paper-thin patience, though it isn't enough to deter her continued protest.. "Fine, but I've got better things to do than babysit her all night-"

"Yeah right.." I grunt, stepping up and yanking open the car door for her in an effort to rid myself of her unhelpful attitude that much faster.. "You mean ff-fucking bartenders and popping ecstasy? How productive.."

Verity rolls her eyes as she shoulders past me.. "It's called having fun, Maksim.. Maybe you should try it sometime.."

"I don't need a babysitter.." While my sister climbs into the passenger seat, disappearing behind tinted windows, Sunday interjects from beside me, in an obvious attempt to diffuse the burgeoning argument my sister aims to incite.. "Couldn't I just come with you, Max?" Blinking up at me with wide honey-eyes, she pleads.. "I promise that I won't get in the way-"

"No." I reply, slamming the door shut behind Verity and moving to the back door, ready to open it for Sunday.. But instead of moving, she peers up at me from beneath thick, dark lashes and her hopeful expression falls away to reveal one of hurt and disappointment..

"Oh.." Shying away, Sunny withdraws into herself, her chin dropping to her chest and her eyes fixing on her feet.. Seeing the way she shuts down ignites an irrational amount of guilt for denying her, even while knowing it is for her own good..

Goddammit..

"I need to know you're safe.." My gaze sweeps down to where her hand sits protectively over her belly.. "Both of you.. So from now on, Viktor will be your security detail when I'm not around.."

She frowns, unable to see her own value for all the poison Navarro poured into her pretty head.. "I meant what I said, Max.. I don't need a babysitter-"

"This isn't a negotiation, Zakya.." I harden my resolve, immovable in my determination and making it known my decision on the matter is final..

"I thought you were finally going to trust me.." Her eyes swell with sorrow and her bottom lip quivers as she fights to keep emotions contained so all that escapes is the single silver tear that slips down over a rosy cheek.. "I signed your contract-- what more do I have to do to prove myself--"

"Don't give me those sad-puppy eyes.." My defences crack under the pressure of this intense mounting sense of obligation and duty.. An obligation to fulfil the promises I'd made and a duty to protect Sunny and the baby from the dangers she now faces because of me.. "It's not that I doubt you, Zakya.. But seeing you hurt at the Casino-" Regretting my previously gruff tact, I make a concerted effort to soften my tone.. "I'll never forgive myself for failing you that night-" Possessed by an irresponsible but undeniable affection, I take her by the waist, catching her as she tries to slip by me.. My arm wraps around the small of her back, drawing her so close to me I can smell her peachy fragrance as her soft curves tessellate against my hard angles.. "Sunny-"

My heartbeat thuds loud in my ears as I watch her soft pink lips part with an anticipating gasp.. "Max?"

"You told Verity that I chose you- but the truth is-" Chewing on the dumb thing to say, I alter course to spit out something even stupider instead.. "I never had a choice.."

"Why not?" She blinks, forcing me to confess to the very same feeling I have been trying to fight since the very first moment I lay eyes on her beauty..

"I can't explain it, Bunny.." I shake my head, seeking a sensible explanation and coming up short.. "You've got this hold on me.."

"Is that such a bad thing?" She pouts.. Poking out that sweet bottom lip of hers making me want to lean down and draw it into my mouth..

Fuck.. I bet she tastes like strawberries and honey...

I sigh, trying to ignore the needling intensity of my blood heating to course like a river of fire through my veins.. "I know you didn't choose any of this, Zakya-"

"Mi Ángel-" (my angel) Sunday silences me with a gentle pull as she winds her delicate fingers around the back of my neck, coaxing me closer to hear her seductive breathy whisper.. "I choose you, Max.. Siempre te voy a escoger.." (I will always choose you)

★★★

A note from the author...

Hey there Besties!

There were some big revelations this chapter, including the source of Verity and Luka's feud.
We've seen Sunny begin to stand up for herself and Max beginning to admit his feelings.

So where do our leading couple go from here?
And will the siblings ever be able to forgive each other?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I am so looking forward to hearing from you all!

Much love
Leela ❤️