A PALE HORSE

Maggie looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had spent the last forty-eight hours in a flurry of activity and had just made it to Miami in time to catch Max before he had to fly back to Russia to meet up with his father. She needed to convince Max to take her with him to Russia because the only way she was going to learn more about this mysterious organization his father controlled was to become immersed in it;

And the only way that was going to happen, she reasoned with herself, was to get Max to take her along. She picked up her brush and began to brush her fiery red hair. She had always liked her hair, although the pale skin that went with it was a bummer, she thought. Max enjoyed her hair when she left it down and it curled gently around her shoulders. As she pulled the brush through her hair, her mind was conceiving a plan to get Max to take her to Russia with him. Maggie put the brush down as a knock came from the bedroom door. She left the bathroom, reached up to her pendant to activate it, slipped her newest pair of Jimmy Choo’s on her feet, and answered the knock. Max was waiting on the other side of the door, looking way too handsome and far too awake for Maggie’s coffee-deprived mind. She smiled and rose on her tiptoes to give Max a lingering, sweet kiss. “Good morning, Max!” she said, hugging him and breathing him in. Wow, he always smells so good!, she thought. Sandalwood, leather and gun oil. These are a few of my favorite things... She caught herself and continued, releasing him and twirling, “What an amazing place you have!- and, thank you! Thank you for letting me stay in your beautiful home. It is so stunning!” She told him with a huge smile. Maggie never was a morning person and had to really try hard for a bubbly personality.

Max raised an eyebrow and grinned at Maggie, “I see that Miami, just like New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles, agrees with you. You look very beautiful this morning, kiska,” he told her and she blushed. He grinned again and said. “You also look like you need some coffee. Let us go, and I will give you the big tour.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room.

“Grand tour?”, Maggie offered.

“Okay, then, the grand tour!” Max said jubilantly over his shoulder. She followed him down the massive hallway into the large living area.

This room would fit my entire place inside it!, thought Maggie. They continued on to a massive dining room, dark and classic, paneled with walnut. It should’ve been darker, but it was lightened by creamy cabinets and completed with a classically elegant, long dining table and great crystal chandeliers on the ceiling. She was bowled over by the enormity of this place in which only one single man lived. Max was saying something about the interior and its furnishings reminding him of the Gatchina that Catherine the Great had built for Count Orlov for helping with the plot to murder Peter the Great. Meanwhile, Maggie’s mind was building a complete fantasy sequence around this room that featured a talking candelabra and floating dishes. She smiled and thought to herself, I really am in desperate need of coffee! Max continued to pull her along until they came to a gourmet kitchen attached by a hallway to the dining room. The kitchen was the stuff of any chef’s dream; industrial sized everything, enough counter space to run a restaurant, and a small army of people to do it. Maggie also noticed that there was a small alcove at the back of the kitchen that housed an unassuming set of petite doors that looked like they led to a patio. Max pulled her along until they reached the alcove. Actually, she found it was a delightful little sunroom that was positioned off the back of the kitchen. Maggie smiled and looked out over the ocean. This room really was her favorite of all the rooms she had seen in the gigantic mansion. It was small and cozy, had views of not only the ocean on one side, but a beautiful garden on the other side. Maggie sucked in a breath and turned to find Max staring at her, “Oh Max,” she said breathlessly, “this is just… wow.” Max grinned at her and swept his arm toward a little table in the corner. It was laid out with a variety of different breakfast foods and a big pot of what Maggie hoped was coffee.

“This was my mother’s favorite room when we visited here. Most of the winters in Russia were long and brutal,” he told her with a sad smile. “I do not get here as often anymore, but I am glad to be here today, and I am glad that it has made you smile. My mother would have liked you, Maggie.” He came to stand beside her and partake in her joy as she took in the expanse of the shore and the jade green and turquoise water. She reached up to grab the hand that he had gently placed on her shoulder.

“I wish I could have met her. Thank you for showing this to me.” They stood this way in silence for a long minute, both taking in the beauty in front of them- Maggie staring out at the endless ocean, and Max staring at the girl he loved. It was Max who stirred first, and he broke away to pour Maggie a cup of steaming coffee.

“Come. My mother always said” He motioned her over to the gilded tea table, “my favorite room is where there is tea, there are chairs, and there is room for conversation.” She sat lightly in one of the white and gold wrought iron chairs, took the cup that Max proffered, and sat unspeaking, looking alternately at him and the expanse of water just to her right. The intimacy and quiet made Max uncomfortable, and he longed for Maggie to be light-hearted and chatty this morning. She sniffed appreciatively before allowing herself that first sip of caffeinated heaven.

“Mmmm,” she said. “This is turning out to be the best day ever! I will be so sad to see you go tomorrow!” She looked over at him demurely and smiled a sad smile. “How long will you be gone for, again?” she asked him.

He frowned at her and said, “I am not sure. It could be a couple of weeks or a couple of months before I can escape. I have some things I must attend to with my father and his associates.” Maggie was looking down at her cup, which gave her the opportunity to process and strategize without Max watching her face work.

I’m running out of time to get inside!, she thought. I have to get to Russia, and he’s going to be tough to convince! He could not leave without her this time. She set her coffee down, turned on the tears, and abruptly leapt from her seat to move to the opposite side of the patio with the garden view. Maggie knew that men didn’t know what to do with that type of display, and would typically be more agreeable to any forthcoming suggestions.

On cue, and startled, Max followed her and said, “What is wrong? Did I say something?” He stood behind her, brushing the red curls aside from her shoulders to place his hands comfortingly on her… and she liked it.

Nope, not the time, she thought. But it DID feel good! She said between her affected sobbing, “Oh, Max! We were just starting to get to know each other really well. I will really miss you while you’re gone. I always do.” Fresh sobs, and sniffing.

“I miss you as well, kiska. I wish I did not have to be gone all of the time.” Max said it, and Maggie knew it was sincere.

Keep going, she thought, you almost have him! She turned to him, looking up dolefully, fluttering her eyelashes, mostly to see through the real tears, but also that he could see her sorrowful expression. “ I wish there was a way that you could stay longer, or I could stay with you. I want you close to me, Max!” She told him, brushing a tear from her eye.

He reached over and ran his thumb down her cheek, “I, too, wish I could stay, kiska. It is a pity you could not come with me.” he told her.

Bingo! she thought. She immediately brightened at the prospect, and flinging her arms around him, she beamed, shouting “That’s a great idea, darling!” She could see the rejection spring to his face but before he could utter the words, she pressed on, “I have some time off and Charley won’t miss me for absolutely eons! I’ll call her and tell her now!” Maggie had concocted her backstory very early on: designer at up-and-coming Milan house Michelangelo, Charley was her eccentric, never-reachable boss... thank you, 70s detective drama! The fib allowed for Maggie’s lifestyle, cash flow, and ticked all of the right boxes to allay suspicions from any of Avatov’s men. She was beginning to feel the sting of lying to him, and everytime she revisited an untruth on Max, it stuck in her gut. She continued this time, as she must, “It’s only a couple of weeks, but It would allow us to spend some more time together.” Maggie leaned into Max, gave him a slow, lingering kiss, and let her gaze meet his, sultry and earnest. “Don’t you want to see, really, where this could go?” Max was not given to impractical flights of fancy or romance, but Maggie knew him well enough by now to know she had gotten to him. He seemed to mull over the idea for a moment. Maggie smiled inwardly to know that she had won and would, very shortly, be taking the next crucial step in her mission, but Max surprised her.

“No. I am sorry, kiska, but no. It is not a good idea. I will have to see my father while I am in Russia, and he is not a person to whom I care introduce you,” Max told her apologetically. Maggie had to double down.

“I don’t have to meet your father while I’m there. Truthfully, I don’t have to meet anyone, really. I want to be there for YOU… no one else. I can just stay at your place until your business is concluded. Then I will allow you to show me your city,” she told him with a wink. He raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. She pushed a little, adding, “I want to know all there is to know about you. Show me the wonderful place you love so much, Max.” Maggie swallowed hard, while she was playing a part, she truly did have feelings for the large man sitting in front of her. She did not wish to cause him any problems or place him in harm’s way just because she wanted to get closer. Closer to Max, definitely, but that was a want… a desire. She NEEDED to get closer to the evil his father dealt on a daily basis. She had a promise to keep. Max frowned and agonized over her words. Maggie could tell that he, too, wanted to spend more time together, but it was against his better judgment. Maggie took his hand and looked him in the eyes beseechingly. She made an absent stroking motion with her thumb over the palm of his hand. Max looked at their entwined hands and then at Maggie’s face.

He sighed loudly and said, “You win.” Maggie felt relieved and instantly sorry she had asked this of Max. She knew the trouble this could put him in, and, although she couldn’t tell him now, she vowed that one day she would make sure he knew just how grateful she was. She needed this story and Max, although she hated to use him, was the key. “We leave tomorrow morning. Do you have your passport?” Max asked her. Maggie, while downing her coffee, held up a finger to forestall him.

She replaced the cup on its saucer, swallowed again and said “Never leave home without it! I brought it on the off chance that you would let me accompany you after I threw myself at you.” She threw her arms around Max’s neck. “Thank you, darling. This will be good for us, and I can’t wait to see the city you were raised in,” she told him honestly. Max smiled absently and Maggie could tell that he was really torn at the idea of bringing her along. She could tell that he wanted her there, but she could also tell that it worried him to no end that she would be there within reach of his father. Maggie fell a little harder at the realization that Max was trying incredibly hard to give her what she wanted and to also protect her from the evil he knew could get at them both. Maggie knew that Max’s father dabbled in just about all aspects of the illegal and immoral. Sex slaves, guns, drugs, you name it and Lev Avatov had his hand in it, like a surgeon rummaging around in someone’s entrails, she thought disgustedly. Unfortunately, like most of the Russian mafia, he ran these illicit deals under the guises of several well-run businesses. Lev had money, connections, respect from others for what he could do or have done, and a small army of people who were utterly loyal to him that would carry out the unpleasant. He wasn’t afraid of anyone talking about his organization because he controlled them with fear. Fear of reprisal against them or their families. Maggie was used to looking after herself. After the incident with her best friend, Maggie’s parents had insisted that she learn how to protect herself. She prided herself on her black belt in jiu-jitsu, and she took her training a step further and learned kendo and aikido. She never thought she would ever use Japanese sword fighting, but a girl couldn’t be too careful. Besides, she thought, it’s a great way to relieve stress. Maggie took a bite of her bagel and sipped her coffee appreciatively. She looked up to find Max staring at her. She smiled and cocked her head to the side. “What?” she asked him.

Max smiled back at her and gave a little chuckle and shook his head ruefully, “What am I to do with you?” She looked at him questioningly and he answered the unspoken question with, “You have me so wrapped up inside. I cannot deny you anything,” he told her. He lost the smile and a look of concern came back to his face. “My home is not a safe place,” he told her. “Since you insist on going with me, I want you to make me a promise.” He gave her a minute to nod in acceptance.

“Okay?” she asked him, expectantly.

“You cannot leave my side. I need to know that you are safe and the only way for me to do that is to keep you with me,” he said. “If I have to leave you at the house, you are not to go out. If I cannot be next to you, then it will be Boris next to you.” Maggie shuddered a little at the thought of even going near Boris. That man seriously gave Maggie the willies. Max mistook her shudder for nervousness and sought to console her, “It will be okay, Maggie. I will not let anything happen to you. We will have a good time, I can show you things that most tourists will never see!” He was warming to the idea, and Maggie smiled at his exuberance.

“I have such a love for old churches! They help inspire our designs.” Maggie leaned over and told him in a whisper, “They are always so… holy,” she finished lamely.

Max chuckled and told her in a conspiratorial whisper, “We have many… holy churches” he teased, earning himself a slap on the arm from a slightly embarrassed Maggie. “Really!” he said laughing openly at her now. “There are many great churches just in St. Petersburg! You will love it!”

“Ooh,” Maggie squealed, “this is going to be so much fun Max, you’ll see!” She reached over the table and threw her arms around Max’s neck and kissed his cheek. Maggie thought to herself how utterly cliché and girly the next thing she was going to say would be, and she literally laughed out loud.

“What? What is so humorous?” Max inquired, curious.

“I have nothing to wear!” Maggie again laughed heartily at the absurd statement. “But, seriously, I don’t, Max. All of the clothes I brought were for Miami, not St Petersburg. I have nothing that would be appropriate for Russian weather!” she told him.

“I thought you would say that.” Max grinned and declared, “It is my last day in Miami for a while so, let us go shopping!” He called out to a passing servant and asked them to tell Boris to have the car ready to go in twenty minutes as he and Maggie finished eating their breakfast. Maggie sat skimming the articles in the newspaper, sipping another cup of coffee. She stopped at a local piece and started to read. She found herself so wrapped up in the article that she started when Max asked her, “Is there a problem?”

She looked at his concerned expression and told him, “A little girl went missing last night from the beach. Her family was here on vacation and had rented a condo. She was building a sand castle and, the next thing her family knew, she was gone,” Maggie finished. As Maggie was recounting the story she had just read, she was watching Max’s face for any changes. She was rewarded with a tightening of his lips and eyes, the only indicators that he was upset.

“I am sorry about the little girl. Do they have any leads?” Max asked, his voice taking on an almost imperceptible edge.

“I don’t think so,” she said as she continued to scan. “Wait, there’s this: Authorities did say, however, that there was a balloon vendor that the little girl had wanted to visit, but her father told her no. She might have slipped away to find him.” Maggie felt tears at the corner of her eyes. These types of stories always brought up bad feelings for her, mostly guilt.

“Are you okay, Maggie?” Max asked. She was visibly shaken, and he wondered if it was owing to her generous and kind nature, or if she was touched by the episode personally somehow. His eyes had softened and his voice carried the concern she saw when she looked at him.

She smiled at him and said, as if reading his mind, “I am a soft touch, and this kind of stuff does get to me, but it’s more personal than that.” Am I really going to do this? she thought. Am I going to tell him? She weighed the implications against her feelings. Her feelings won, but she knew it may be something she would rue later. She breathed deeply. Here goes nothing! she thought. “My best friend was abducted when we were twelve, Max. She spent the better part of a year as a sex slave. She had to endure being sold to one person or another before she was found and released back to her parents. This hits home.” She told him honestly. Max reached across the table and took her small hand in his massive, strong one.

“Oh, my God. I am so sorry. Are you still close? How did it affect her?” Max winced a bit at the latter question, and Maggie could see that he dreaded the answer, but had to know.

“She was not the same afterward, and really, I don’t know who she would have become if this had never happened. She went through a long battle with depression and shame, and she is a much harder woman than she probably would have been. When we were kids, she was always the dreamer, the one who helped me stretch my imagination. She thought that we could do and be anything, could have anything, go anywhere. These days, she rarely leaves her bedroom.”

“I will never let anything happen to you, Maggie,” he told her. Maggie shivered as she looked into Max’s eyes and saw the glint of his true heart in the tears. She felt as though she could fall right into their depths.

“Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that. I wish someone had said that to her when we were young and meant it.” Maggie shouldered the guilt like a pro, having carried it around for so long.

Max caught the hook of the guilt barb that had buried itself into his girlfriend and said, “Listen to me, Maggie. I have known you long enough to know that you would never leave a friend in a predicament if you could help it. Weak hands and strong hearts are not compatible, and no one should ask a child to bear such a burden. You are strong and kind and resilient. You are resourceful and gracious and beautiful. You are loyal. You are what anyone would want. What I want…” Max trailed off. They sat, staring, studying each other intently, their faces inching closer as if to gain a deeper insight of the depths of character and soul they’d yet to plumb in each other. A raspy voice clearing its throat made itself known behind them.

They both turned in unison to see Boris standing with a smirk on his face, “The car is ready. You are coming or not?” Max frowned at him and any warmth Maggie had seen earlier disappeared in a blink.

“We are coming now,” he said as he stood and offered his hand and a warm grin to Maggie, “Shall we?” They walked around Boris and both missed the look of hatred that flashed across his face.