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When I don’t start speaking right away, Dixie squeezes my hand. Knowing I still have his support gives me the push I need to start. He was right. I need his strength to get through this. I’m grateful to have it.
“Everything starts with Maxim. I met him when he paid to have a reading. He was charming. I never once felt like I couldn’t trust him, instead I saw happiness in my future whenever I was with him. His aura had a dark tint to it, but nothing that scared me off. He pursued me and I loved the attention he lavished on me. Not only was he wealthy and powerful, but he respected me and my gift.”
“What gift?” Vladimir asks, leaning forward. Hex scowls at him. “Yeah, yeah, you said don’t interrupt. But I’m not a member of your club and you all seem to know about her gift. I don’t.”
Leaning forward, I tap his hand to draw his attention back to me. “I’m a psychic. I can sense danger.”
“This is what you did earlier when you sensed Levi’s sister was in danger?”
“Exactly.”
“But you didn’t realize my father was dangerous?”
I blush at the subtle accusation, but nod in agreement. “He wasn’t a danger to me. At least not then. I don’t believe he had plans to hurt me. He never gave me a reason to believe he was nothing more than a man attracted to me. One who appreciated my ability. He didn’t hide his business from me. I knew he worked in the gray area, but since he wasn’t involved in human trafficking, guns, or drugs, I overlooked everything else. Before every deal, he’d consult me. If I saw danger in the plan, he’d step back or even step away from the deal. I truly believe he appreciated me.”
“What changed?” Hex asks.
“I got pregnant. He wasn’t angry about the pregnancy. He was thrilled. The pregnancy wasn’t difficult, even though I was carrying twins. But the delivery was. You came out first, with no complications,” I say to Vladimir before turning my attention to Hex. “You didn’t. You were coming out breached, but that wasn’t the only problem. The umbilical cord had wrapped around your neck. Your life signs weakened, and the doctor thought we would lose you. They did an emergency c-section on me. I could feel your life slipping away, which stressed me out even more. Once you were safe, they stitched me back up, but I had complications. Including a fever. Both of us had to stay in the hospital for several days.”
“That’s when Maxim took off with me?” Vladimir asks.
I nod, then realize he knew more than I thought. “He told you?” I ask in surprise.
“No,” Vladimir growls. “He told me you left us. I overheard you telling the girls before I had Levi rescue you. All this time, I thought you had abandoned me, but a small part of me doubted Maxim’s version.”
“What happened?” Hex asks, clearly out of patience.
“While I was in the hospital, Maxim took Vladimir out of the hospital and disappeared. By the time the hospital released us, he was gone, and I didn’t know where he went.”
“What did you do?” Shayna asks.
“I hired a private investigator. He discovered Maxim had left the country, but before he could discover anything more, he died in a car accident. I hired another detective who quit hours later. That’s when I hired your father. He discovered the truth about Maxim and suggested that I stop trying to find him and Vladimir. He told me that Maxim had the means to make me disappear if he wanted. I told him I would think about it. Three days later, Maxim approached me. He had you with him,” I say, looking at Vladimir.
“What did he do? Did he say anything?” Sasha asks.
I glance at Vladimir, who is watching me closely. “He told me he left Armond and me because he didn’t expect us to live. I asked if he was back, but he just laughed at me. Told me to forget about Vladimir and be happy with the child he let me keep. That if I didn’t stop trying to make trouble for him, he’d kill Armond in front me before killing me, too.”
“I don’t blame you for not fighting him. Maxim would have made good on his threat,” Vladimir says, reaching forward to squeeze my fingers.
“I didn’t give in,” I tell him. “At least not right away. I demanded that I see you at least once a year so I could see for myself that you were alive and well.” Vlad says nothing as I continue my story. “He agreed, but he made sure I never got to speak to you. I could look, but that was all. He’d tell me when and where to meet by sending a text. He always included a photo of Armond taken while he was playing in the park or at school. A not-so-subtle reminder that he could hurt Armond if he chose. Later, after I had Sasha and Shayna, he added their pictures to the threat.”
Hex slams his fist on the table, making me jump.
“Did Dad know? Is that what happened to him? He died because of Maxim?” Shayna asks.
I nod. “In a way, but not how you think. One night, I couldn’t sleep. I got up to get a cup of tea and heard someone moving around in your room. Your father was in there, even though he told me he was working on a case and wouldn’t be home. I almost stepped in to join him, but then he took out his phone and took several pictures of you. Something felt off about it, so I backed out of the room and went back to bed. I heard him leave the house. The next day, I got the photos from Maxim about the location. The pictures were of you two sleeping in the same pajamas you wore the previous night. Your father took the photos and sent them to Maxim.”
“No!” Shayna exclaims as Sasha covers her mouth with her hand. I see both Vladimir and Hex fisting their hands.
Wiping the tears that I hadn’t realized I was shedding, I thank Dixie when he hands me a bandana that he keeps in his pocket. “I didn’t confront him right away, although I wanted to. I waited until he went out fishing with his friends. Then I broke into his office and went through all his papers. I found that he’d been getting regular payments from Maxim, with a bonus every time Maxim came to town with Vladimir. I found surveillance that he did on me prior to my hiring him. He even had details about the two private investigators I hired before him.”
“Maxim sent him to keep tabs on you,” Vladimir offers and I nod.
“That’s what I thought.”
“What did you do?” Dixie asks quietly.
“I took out the gun he kept in his safe and I waited for him,” I say, my voice cold as I recall that night. “I knew he’d stop by the office before going home. He always did. So I sat in the dark and waited for him to arrive. I left the file open on his desk and sat in the shadows. He didn’t see me right away, but he saw the file. That’s when I confronted him.”
