by Ava Bloom
“It’s maybe different, between what we do and what Audaz does,” Dmitry said, shaking his head. “She’s everyone’s younger sister or cousin or granddaughter or… We’re more like a village than a group of friends. No one is going to risk her over anything silly. But she deserves to be here, enjoying all the rewards that come with being a Volkov.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that.
“Anyway, it’s her choice,” Dmitry said dismissively. “If she doesn’t want to be here and be involved with us, then she can stay in Russia, or go off on her own.” He clapped his hands together. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Sure,” I said easily, moving after him through the house. He led me up the stairs and out towards the back of the house, onto a large balcony overlooking the water. While I made myself comfortable on a padded wicker couch, he busied himself at the bar and came back with two glasses of sweet red wine.
“All this and a view,” I said, still marveling at the house.
“Your parents must enjoy the perks of being involved with Audaz,” Dmitry said.
I shook my head. “It’s nothing like this,” I told him frankly. “First of all, my father isn’t very important to them in terms of what he can do. He doesn’t make much money from the assignments he does for them. Actually, he can barely afford my mother’s medical payments; that’s why-“
I cut myself off abruptly, aware that I have nearly said too much. That’s why I’m doing Audaz a favor, to get them to pay her medical bills.
I cast around frantically for a way to finish the sentence, but Dmitry finished it for me. “It’s no shame to admit you’ve come home so that you can work and help support your mother,” he said, reaching over to squeeze my hand lightly.
I breathed out a silent sigh of relief and took a sip of my wine. “I just didn’t expect it to ever be this way,” I admitted. And I meant it, about all of this—my mother, our family’s finances, getting tangled up with Audaz.
Falling in love with the enemy.
I looked at Dmitry out the corner of my eye and saw that he had his gaze fixed on my face, studying me. “You so beautiful,” he sighed, reaching out to lightly stroke my hair.
I turned towards him, fighting down a feeling of melancholy. This thing with Dmitry, I couldn’t keep doing it. I knew it was wrong, the fact that I was just using him. Not only that, but I was starting to feel like I was in over my head. I had only managed to help out my mother. But now here I was, getting myself involved in gang fights, falling in love with the enemy, spying and sneaking around and planning to betray this man who had shown me a kind side of himself that I doubted many other people even knew existed.
I hated being involved in any of it. But there was no way out now, not with Audaz. I had to get whatever information I needed, that night, and get out of there. I had to resolve to never see Dmitry again.
With that in mind, I set my glass of wine carefully down on the coffee table and leaned in to kiss Dmitry. He hummed into the kiss and blindly set his own wineglass aside, cupping my face in both of his palms as he tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss.
The kiss was slow and unhurried, and I wondered what he had planned for me that night. I felt a shiver run up my spine, and Dmitry pulled away, chuckling softly. “Already so interested,” he murmured. Then, he paused, cocking his head to the side. “Up here or in the bedroom?”
“Bedroom,” I said immediately, although I wasn’t sure why I made that choice. If I was truly saying goodbye to him, I shouldn’t make this intimate. It should be nothing more than a quick fuck on the balcony like we couldn’t contain ourselves.
Ah, but with the bed, it would be easier to slip out unnoticed afterwards, leaving him slumbering there, I realized.
We went down a short hallway and into Dmitry’s bedroom. I barely glanced around at the furnishings, watching lustfully as Dmitry stripped down bare and then scrambling to follow suit. When we were both naked, he tumbled me back onto the soft bed, crawling on top of me and kissing his way down my body.
I clutched at his hair as his mouth found its way in between my legs, kissing my mons and then sucking at my folds, his teeth raking ever so lightly across the sensitive skin, making me arch and moan. Dmitry hummed again, sounding pleased, and the vibrations shot straight through me in hot pulses of desire.
His tongue slid into my cleft, tasting me as he worked me into a frenzy with his fingers until I was practically dripping with the need for more.
But I didn’t want this to be all about me. In fact, the more I thought about it and about what I was going to have to do, the more I started to feel my lust ebb, sadness and guilt taking its place.
I tugged at Dmitry’s shoulders to get him to slide up my body. Then, I turned us so that I was on top, my hands trailing across his skin, stimulating his body. His prick was hard where it was trapped between us, and I only gave it a couple cursory strokes before I situated myself above his body and pressed down onto his length.
Focus, I thought, trying to bring my mind back to the present. If I didn’t manage to cum, I knew it would be obvious to him, and he’d know something was wrong. I couldn’t have that. So I rocked my hips desperately, chasing an orgasm. It was easier than I had feared it would be: it was hard not to get off when I had my hands pressed against his; when he was using his abs to thrust up into my motions, forcing himself deeper and deeper into my core.
He shifted closer to the headboard, and I cried out as the angle changed just ever-so-slightly—but in important ways, as he was now hitting that spot inside of me. I gasped breathlessly, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to keep my body moving.
As though sensing that I was losing the rhythm, caught up in my feelings of bliss, overcome with need, Dmitry’s hands came to rest at my hips, latching onto them and helping me keep moving with those long, steady thrusts. He squeezed my ass, one hand on each mound as he continued to press up into me, never relenting.
My pussy pressed against his intrusion, squeezing desperately—and then suddenly, my whole body relaxed, all the tension gone as I found a screaming release at his talented ministrations. I sobbed as he continued to use me until his hips suddenly stuttered to a stop as well. He shouted my name, his back arching as he came in a long wave of passion before slumping against the bed.
As soon as his hands quit holding me upright, I slumped down as well, exhausted beyond belief and wanting nothing more than to curl up against his warm, muscular body and let sleep take over.
But that wasn’t what this was about, I reminded myself.
Dmitry pried open his eyes and smiled over at me, turning on his side so that he was facing me, one hand resting lightly on my lower back. He looked like he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, he held himself in check. It wasn’t long before he was snoring.
I wriggled out from under his hand, pausing breathlessly in the doorway and looking back at him, making sure that he was still asleep. But his snoring never ceased, and after a moment, I slipped out of the room.
I had spotted his computer on the way through the house earlier. The thing was already powered on and logged in to his account. Because of course, this was his private house, and he didn’t think he had to deal with any subterfuge from the people that he invited in there.
Again, there was that flicker of guilt, but it faded the more I scanned his emails.
There was a long email chain between various Russians, originating from someone named Evgeni—the Volkov mob boss, if I remember correctly from the information Audaz had given me. Not only were they planning to make a move on Audaz, but they were also planning an attack on their headquarters.
I swallowed hard as I read through some more of it. I didn’t understand it all, but what I could read, about bombs and snipers and other vicious attack methods, was grim. This plan could decimate Audaz, at least as it operated there in Barcelona. There was nothing honorable about it; there would be no chance for Audaz to defend itself.
I was
horrified.
It wasn’t just the callous disregard for life. It wasn’t just the fact that Dmitry was caught up in something this horrible—that he came from a family who had masterminded something as gruesome as this attack. But these were my parents, and my father’s closest friends. These were real people who would be harmed because of this.
And all because the Volkov family wanted to expand its territory, to sell more drugs and weapons. I looked around, sneering at Dmitry’s elegant place. Clearly the family wasn’t hard-off for cash if they could all afford to live in palaces like this, with yachts and private jets and fancy sportscars and who knew what else.
The whole thing made me sick. And suddenly, I didn’t feel quite so guilty about copying the email chain into a document file and saving it onto the USB stick in my purse.
I glanced back towards the bedroom, feeling torn. In spite of all of this, part of me insisted that Dmitry wasn’t the one planning this, that he hadn’t spoken up in any of the emails. Sure, that meant he hadn’t protested. But maybe it meant that he didn’t agree with the plan. Maybe he really was the charming guy I had come to know.
And there was that cursed biology to contend with as well. My body already ached slightly with the memory of what we had gotten up to just an hour before. I longed to go into the bedroom and curl into his side, to pretend that none of this was real.
But I finally had the information that Roberto needed from me, and that meant that I could finally pay for the medical attention that my mother so desperately needed. It was difficult to turn my feet towards the door, but in the end, it wasn’t so impossible.
8
Dmitry
I wasn’t sure what was going on with Vitoria. I had been disappointed to wake up alone the morning after we’d had sex. I wondered if I should have specified that she could stay the night, but I didn’t realize that she thought that she was expected to leave. Of course, she probably knew I was a player; my reputation was no secret around Barcelona. I still didn’t know why I was so hung up on this one woman.
But even now, I couldn’t seem to get her off my mind.
Or get my mind off her I thought, as I woke up hard and aching for the third morning that week, rutting fruitlessly into the sheets.
But I was starting to wonder if something was really wrong. No matter how many times I tried to call, she didn’t answer. I wondered if she was busy at school, but I would have expected her to at least shoot me a message if that was the case. All I got from her was silence, though.
And as a couple days turned into a week since I’d last seen her, I started to realize that she hadn’t left because she thought I expected it. For some reason, she had wanted to leave. Maybe the house had made her feel uncomfortable? Maybe she wasn’t interested in me in that way?
But I didn’t believe that for a second.
Anyway, it was confusing that Vitoria hadn’t even said anything to me about it. I’d always thought she was direct; it was one of the things I had liked best about her. There was no toying around with her. What you saw was what you got.
Still, there was nothing I could do about it. If she didn’t want to talk to me, there was nothing I could do to make her, short of looking up her address and stalking her. I wasn’t that desperate for a bit of sexy Spanish pussy.
Besides, I had other things to think about; I couldn’t dwell on the situation with Vitoria even if I wanted to.
Sergei frowned across his desk at me. “We’ve decided to put you in the Peoria Hotel as a sniper,” he said, holding up a hand. “I know that we had originally discussed having you lead one of the dispatching teams into the headquarters, but in light of your relationship with the Mata girl, we’ve decided that’s too risky.”
I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest, looking first at Sergei and then at Uncle Evgeni, standing just beyond the man’s right shoulder. “Come on, it’s not like someone from Audaz is going to be able to recognize me.”
“It’s still too big a risk,” Sergei snapped.
“What if you were to come across the Mata girl’s father, or the girl herself?” Evgeni asked reasonably. “Can you truly say that you would be able to dispatch them without a second thought?”
“I don’t even know what her father looks like,” I insisted.
“All the same,” Sergei said, shaking his head. He frowned. “I don’t need to remind you that any deviation from the plan could lead to losses that we neither can nor want to sustain.”
I scowled at him, even though the rational side of me knew that he was right. There was no way I could hurt Vitoria. Even if whatever we’d had was over.
“The thing with the Mata girl—Vitoria—is over, anyway,” I informed them.
“Good,” Sergei said, nodding approvingly.
Evgeni peered closer at me and then laughed. “But it wasn’t your doing, was it?” he crowed.
I buried my face in my hands. Sometimes, working with your family is the worst—especially when your mob boss of an uncle could figure out everything from your expression and tone.
Sergei wasn’t laughing, though. “It’s interesting that the girl would decide she was finished with you right before the attack.” He shook his head, looking at Evgeni. “You don’t think they know all about what we’re up to?”
“How could they?” Evgeni asked scornfully. “We’ve been very careful to make sure that we don’t have spies in our midst—easy enough to do when we’re all related, in some way or another, and when we have ample financial resources to make sure everyone stays happy!”
“True,” Sergei said, but I could see from the way he was looking at me, that he suddenly was doubting that.
I stood up abruptly. “Just let me know where you want me to be and when,” I said, stalking out of the room before he could air his suspicions.
The day of the attack, I stood poised in position, staring across the street towards the Audaz headquarters building. It was late in the evening, and as we’d suspected, there weren’t many lights on in the building. But we knew that there were people inside, holding one of their weekly meetings. Deep inside the building, our dispatchers would be starting the offensive, stirring up chaos. As the rest of the guys came pouring out of the building, we would be here waiting, to pick them off. Once all of our men were out of there, they would detonate a string of bombs, killing anyone who had remained inside.
I looked at my watch, impatiently counting down the minutes before anything would happen. I didn’t want to be here, on the back lines, especially not when my comrades were inside the building already, possibly in danger. But there had been no changing Sergei and Evgeni’s minds, even when I’d tried a last-ditch plea.
It was probably for the best, I knew.
I had woken up the night before, tangled up in the sheets, a nightmare still flashing through my skull. I’d been there, in Audaz’s headquarters, searching through the hallways for something—I hadn’t been sure what it was, though. Finally, I came around a corner and saw Vitoria curled up sobbing in the middle of the hallway. She’d looked up at me, tears in her eyes, right as I’d lifted my gun and shot her.
I still felt guilty about this, even though I knew that Vitoria wouldn’t be in the building: she had nothing to do with Audaz, even though her family was tied to it. But on behalf of her family and her family’s friends, I didn’t particularly like waiting here to shoot men down.
If Vitoria hadn’t already stopped talking to me, she definitely wouldn’t have deigned to talk to me after this attack. I knew that she wouldn’t understand.
For the first time, I started to wonder if I understood. Things were fine around the city at the moment. We had plenty of work, and plenty of money coming in. There was no reason to have to expand our territory there.
I understood, in some ways, where Evgeni was coming from: he thought it was only a matter of time before Audaz turned on us and tried to root us out of the city. The longer we allowed them to exist there, the longer they would have to
build their strongholds and recruit men to their cause. It would be easy enough to convince Catalonians to get rid of these outsiders, these Russian scum.
But at the same time, if we had peace, why not relish it for at least a little while longer?
I shook my head, knowing I needed to focus. If everything was going according to plan then our dispatchers should have reached the meeting point by now and started their task. That meant we only had minutes before it was time for us to focus.
It didn’t work out that way, though.
I spun around as I heard glass breaking on the far side of the building. We were in what had once been the ballroom, a large open space with fading wallpaper and viciously sparking light sockets. The place had gone out of business years ago, and no one had ever moved in with the money to renovate it. There were already enough hotels in the city, nicer hotels, and this one wasn’t needed. It made the perfect spot to snipe the headquarters from. But we had already cut holes in all the windows that we needed to shoot through.
Sure enough, the guys streaming into the ballroom were anything but Russian. They were shorter, darker—Spanish. And they all wore Audaz’s insignia on their chest.
I swallowed hard, knowing our guns were no match for the rapid-fire pistols in their hands. Everyone else knew it as well—we were just the backup unit, the snipers. We were massively outnumbered, and we had the wrong weapons for this kind of a fight. What’s more, everyone was looking to me for some kind of action. I considered trying to fight my way out for a long moment, but finally, I dropped my gun.
The other Russians in the room quickly followed suit, dropping their guns and putting their hands behind their heads, showing that they didn’t intend to fight.
I didn’t have enough power to think that I could negotiate with them on Evgeni’s behalf, but I needed to figure out how to keep my men alive. Inwardly, I was seething. I didn’t understand why there weren’t any guys streaming out of their headquarters building—because even now, the place was quiet. Somehow, they seemed to have figured us out.