Possess(The Syndicate: Crime and Passion 1)(37)

Twenty-Four





Maxim



I’d let Senna leave, deciding to be charitable for once, but my patience had reached its breaking point. Her upset was my fault. I’d let her think there could be something else between us. All that had changed was our physical relationship. We’d acted on the long-standing connection that had simmered between us, but there wasn’t more than that.

There could be nothing like what Senna probably thought of as a normal life. I couldn’t even fathom how I could give her something like it. There was passion, connection, but that was all, so I’d given her time to come to grips with that. Perhaps not enough, though, given how she’d left earlier, bag in hand.

I knew something else was troubling her too. Those earrings were one of the only things she’d kept from her past. I hadn’t seen her take them out of her house that night, but she’d held them close, never let them out of her sight. She looked at them sometimes, and when I’d glimpsed her studying them tonight, I’d known the direction of her thoughts, my role in them.

I’d let her parents’ murders go unanswered for years, hadn’t given Senna the justice she deserved. Letting Santo live was an affront to her, had contributed to her pain. And it was my responsibility to see that affront repaired.

Maybe then, once I’d taken care of Santo and Senna had come to accept how things would be between us, we’d be able to go on.

I checked my watch.

She’d been gone two hours. Time enough. I knew where she had gone, and had Adrian drive me to the airport, knowing I wouldn’t feel right until I saw her again.

She’d planned to leave, and that should have made me angry, and it had, at least for a few minutes. But that anger had calmed quickly. I couldn’t give Senna what she wanted, but that didn’t mean I didn’t care for her. I’d show her how much I did, and then we’d move past her little tantrum.

I sent Adrian to retrieve her, knowing she would probably be more amiable to his presence than mine, at least right now. But I was anxious to see her, knew I wouldn’t feel right again until I did.

Though I wanted to stare out of the window until I saw her, I didn’t, kept my eyes centered ahead, but was acutely aware of her approaching. She got into the SUV, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking at her immediately, the sight of her sweet face, her dark eyes on mine loosening some of the tension in my chest that I had tried to ignore, though I wouldn’t feel completely normal until I touched her again.

“Taking a trip?” I asked as Adrian drove off.

“That was the plan,” she said, her voice sounding weary.

I looked at her, saw tiredness around her eyes, sensed a weariness that was unlike her. I reached across the seat and gripped her small hand in mine, ignoring how she stiffened at first and kept my fingers entwined with hers.

“You’re tired, little flower,” I said.

She frowned but then quickly moved her expression to neutral. “I am. That matters to you?” she said.

I held her gaze with mine, but didn’t get angry. I understood that she was upset and knew that I bore some responsibility for that, something I planned to fix. “That matters to me,” I said.

She flashed me the most heartbreaking smile and then her face again went neutral.

“I’ll take you home so you can rest,” I said.

She looked at me again. “Home? Is that what you think it is?”

I said nothing, but as we rode in silence, I couldn’t shake her last words, how haunted, brimming with disbelief they had been. Nor the response that I hadn’t given voice to.

Yes, I thought of it as home because it was where she was. Anywhere she was was my home, and for the first time, I questioned if it was the same for her.

I glanced at Senna again, saw how she looked out of the window, or more honestly, looked anywhere but at me. I had let her down, but I would fix it. Then we would get back to normal.





Twenty-Five





Maxim



When we reached the building, Senna got out before Adrian or I could stop her, but I emerged quickly and caught up with her, followed as she rode up to our living area. But unlike before, she turned into her bedroom, and without looking at me, she went inside, closed the door.

Her distance hurt, deeply, but I would fix this.

I went down the stairs, found Adrian and Sergei waiting for me. Santo standing between them.

I walked toward him.

“So this is it, huh?” Santo said.

I nodded.

He scoffed, shook his head. “I thought we’d have time to negotiate,” he said.

“Interestingly enough, I considered it. But I’m no longer willing to overlook what you’ve done, Santo,” I said.