“He said Josh needs to come to Warehouse to discuss some things, and not to keep them waiting too long. Then he added, by the way, he has a beautiful niece.” Rage froze Dmitry’s blood, but Kip was crying now and he needed her calm. “He’s talking about my daughter, Dmitry. My baby. The only piece of Kon I have left. My whole fucking world.”
“And you said you are home now?” Dmitry asked, holding his calm in the face of her panic.
Kip took a breath as if attempting to control her hysteria. “Yes. I’m not sure I’ll ever let her out of my sight again.”
“I’ll take care of it. Given the circumstances, you shouldn’t leave the house again today. I’m sending Jozsua to you. By tomorrow, everything will be back to normal.”
At his name, Jozsua sat up. “What’s going on?”
Dmitry held his hand up, silently asking the man to wait. “Kipley, I promised Konstantin. You know I won’t let anything happen to any of you.”
Her voice still shook, but she seemed calmer. “I know. I trust you.”
That was why he would never let her down. “Jozsua is on his way.”
“Okay.”
With his reassurance in place, Dmitry disconnected the call and focused on Jozsua. “I need you to go to Kipley.” Jozsua leapt from the bed, looking more than a little worried, and sexy as hell in his nudity. “Gio has made a veiled threat in regard to Jade if you don’t come to Warehouse to discuss a contract.”
“What?” Jozsua’s furious roar was every bit as hot as his body. “I’ll snap that little fucker’s neck.”
Dmitry pulled some clothes on, calculating his every move while Jozsua continued his rant.
“How fucking dare he drag Kip and Jade into anything, especially since he knows she’s a Danshov. Oh my God,” Jozsua breathed. “Unless he’s spoken with someone from the Danshov family and they’ve come up with some kind of way to trap us all again.”
“No,” Dmitry said, putting an end to Jozsua’s growing fears. “I have… reassurances in place. If he’d contacted anyone, I would know. No,” Dmitry repeated. “This is him alone, and showing a serious lack of care for breathing. Now, please, go to Kipley. She is upset and needs your strength.”
Jozsua’s entire demeanor shifted. His expression went blank in a valid attempt at hiding his emotions, but his eyes gave him away. They were filled with pain. “Don’t do this to me twice. The last time you sent me to Kip, you didn’t come back. Maybe I should just make a deal with Gio?”
Dmitry needed to hurry, but Jozsua needed reassurance. Jozsua won. After closing the distance between them, Dmitry cupped Jozsua’s face, giving him no other choice but to hold Dmitry’s stare. “No. Whoever controls you controls me, and that’ll never happen. I will always come back to you. This cabin you spoke of, meet me there at ten tonight. I swear to you I will be there. But right now, I need you to go to Kip. It’s imperative you go now, in case Gio grows bold.”
Dmitry’s warning sank in and got Jozsua moving. The way his man openly accepted Dmitry’s word had Dmitry recalculating his plan. He would have to be faster than usual if he hoped to make the ten o’clock deadline.
Chapter 7
Josh expected to find a freaked out Kip when he arrived home. Instead, she was calm—eerily so. If Jade felt anything off inside their home, she didn’t show it. She was her usual high-energy self. It ended up being him who couldn’t withstand the waiting. By nine, Kip put him out of the house.
“Cam will be home in a few minutes. You should go.”
Josh snorted and twisted at his fingers, trying to hide his rising panic. “Are you kicking me out of my own house?”
Kip held his gaze and Josh realized something he should’ve noticed already. Her calm was a façade. Inside, she was freaking the fuck out. “When Cam gets home, you don’t need to be here. If he doesn’t see you, he can’t disprove you weren’t where you claimed to be. You know, when and if Dmitry needs an alibi.”
After closing the distance between them, Josh pressed a quick kiss to Kip’s forehead. “If anything happens, I’ll be right outside, lurking out of sight.”
For a moment, Kip clung to him. “Dmitry won’t let anything happen to us.”
Jesus, his brother had been so lucky to have Kip. “I know.”
With a final shove, she had him moving for the door. “Now go before Cam sees you.”
Josh rambled around outside, trying to pass the time. Every time he checked his phone for the time, it was a minute later than the last. His nerves couldn’t take it. The theory of relativity was kicking his ass. If Dmitry had been there with him, staring at the beautiful springs and enjoying the night sky, time would have flown. Now that he was waiting, praying for everything to be okay, time screeched to a halt before crawling away like a snail.
At ten till ten, Josh couldn’t stand any more. He picked his way through the trees and headed for the building hidden nearby. If he was early, then he’d wait. Anything had to be better than this constant staring at the face of his phone, praying for the numbers to change. The tiny wooden structure came into view. Josh bit back a growl at the sight.
The cabin was dark. There wasn’t a car in the driveway and—as far as Josh could tell—no movement inside. His heart fell at the sight. He’d wanted to trust Dmitry. Wanted it with every fiber of his being. Every step he took toward the cabin felt like another nail in the coffin of his life. Being with Dmitry again had sent him back to that place where he hoped for more. If life had taught him anything, it was that hope was a fool’s game. Still, he headed for the door, praying Dmitry was only running late. He could show up at any moment. Lying to himself was Josh’s favorite pastime.
The black mood coating his brain dissipated when the doorknob turned beneath his hand without unlocking it. When the smell of burning candles reached his nose, his happiness notched up even higher. Dmitry was here. The flicker of candlelight spilled from the kitchen and danced on the walls of the living room. Josh’s feet carried him toward the flames, like he was the moth.
Josh found Dmitry lighting candles on the kitchen table. He glanced up as Josh entered the room. With the tiny lights dancing on Dmitry’s cheekbones, the man looked like a ghost. Sometimes, Josh felt like Dmitry wasn’t real. Without a doubt, Josh knew Dmitry could disappear without a trace at any moment.
Dmitry blew out the long match he’d been using. “You’re early. I wanted to surprise you.”
Josh took in the food sitting on the table and the mood lighting. This man would be the death of him. While Josh had been panicking, Dmitry had been preparing. “I couldn’t wait any longer. When I saw the place was still dark and no car in the drive, I got worried.”
After moving to one end of the table, Dmitry pulled out a chair and motioned for Josh to sit. “I no longer have a car. It went up in flames, along with the house.”
The temptation to ask for details—like how in the hell Dmitry had gotten there—was overwhelming but didn’t matter. Dmitry was there. Life was complete. He moved across the room. Before reaching the chair, Josh snagged Dmitry around the waist, determined to taste the man’s lips and kill the last remnants of terror still scratching at his spine. A hiss of pain escaped Dmitry, reverberating off the walls of the kitchen. Josh released Dmitry and took a step back. A dark stain appeared on Dmitry’s light-colored shirt. For a moment, all Josh could do was watch it grow while his mind came to terms with what his eyes showed him. Dmitry was hurt. Once the realization hit, Josh ripped open the man’s shirt.
“What the fuck happened?” There was a nasty-looking gash in Dmitry’s side. It had been stitched but was still seeping. “Oh my God. Did you stitch this yourself?”
“Someone had to do it,” Dmitry answered, sounding weak.
Josh’s gaze shot to the man’s face. He looked, really looked at Dmitry, and realized the real reason he’d thought Dmitry looked like a ghost in the candlelight. His face was pale, making the dark circles beneath his eyes stand out.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Dm
itry. What are you doing serving dinner like nothing happened?” As he asked the question, Josh forced Dmitry to accept his help and headed for the hall. Anger became full-blown panic when Dmitry leaned most of his weight into Josh, as if he wouldn’t make it under his own power.
“You mean more than I do,” Dmitry said, as if that answered everything. “I knew you would sit around worrying and skip dinner.”
Josh ground his teeth, attempting to hold the flood of emotion racing through him at bay. He lost the battle. “Tell me right fucking now, Dmitry Salko, what I’m up against. What happened? Can I expect company any second?”
“Gio is a knife man, apparently, which is something I would’ve known if I’d had time to study his habits. You have nothing to fear, baby. There isn’t a Conti left to come calling.” No Contis left. Holy shit. Dmitry’s steps slowed even further and his weight increased. Josh picked up the speed, sweeping Dmitry into the first bed they came to. “No doubt there will be some other family who will step up and take their place with the underground, but no one who knows about you.”
“Seriously, Dmitry. You think I give a fuck about my fighting career?”
Dmitry’s eyes were closed, as if barely hanging on to consciousness. “The night you told me you had to give up your run for the championship, you looked so sad. I’ve never forgotten it.” Dmitry’s voice weakened by the moment. “I wanted to steal you away right then and make life different for you. Done nothing but fail you,” Dmitry said as he passed out.
Josh stared at Dmitry’s still form until his eyes burned from not blinking. He needed to see his husband’s chest moving up and down in time with his breathing like Josh needed oxygen to survive. Once he was certain Dmitry was truly only unconscious, he rushed through the cabin, finding everything he needed to clean Dmitry’s wound. Josh thanked the stars Dmitry didn’t stir through the entire ordeal. The peroxide he poured on the man’s skin bubbled for way longer than Josh cared to see. He didn’t stop until the fluids ran clean. Next came the scolding hot water and clean bandages. Dmitry hadn’t done a bad job of stitching himself up, all things considered.
He did his best to keep Dmitry clean and comfortable. Josh lost all concept of time as he sat at Dmitry’s side. When the man stirred, fighting an invisible foe, Josh climbed in beside him and held on. The moment their skin met, Dmitry sucked in a deep breath. It sounded so much like a happy sigh that Josh found himself smiling in spite of everything. Dmitry would be fine. He couldn’t let himself think otherwise. When Josh had lost Konstantin, his grief had run deep. Those days would be nothing in comparison if anything ever happened to Dmitry. It had been one thing to know the man was alive somewhere in the world, even if they weren’t together. He couldn’t imagine any scenario where Dmitry wasn’t there anymore at all.
“Nana’s chairs went up in the blaze,” Dmitry’s said, startling Josh. He hadn’t known the man was truly awake. He searched Dmitry’s face. His eyes were still closed and Josh still wasn’t convinced Dmitry wasn’t talking in his sleep. Still, he answered, hoping to soothe Dmitry just in case.
“It’s okay.”
“But what about your childhood memories,” Dmitry argued, sounding lucid.
Happiness burst to life in Josh’s chest. A chuckle escaped him in his relief. Dmitry would be okay. “They’re just chairs, Dmitry. In the grand scheme of things, they matter not at all.”
“But your nana sang to you in those chairs.”
Josh swallowed back a snort. “She also turned me over her knee many times in those chairs, so no, they’re no loss.”
A line appeared between Dmitry’s closed eyes. “The bed and piano are gone too.”
“I’ll buy us new ones,” Josh said, hoping Dmitry calmed down soon. He didn’t need the man getting upset over trivial shit.
“Okay.” As Dmitry agreed, his muscles relaxed. Josh bit back a sigh of relief. Dmitry stiffened again in Josh’s arms. His eyes shot open. “Jozsua.”
The panic in Dmitry’s tone had Josh on edge. “Yeah?”
“I wanted to be normal for you. I should’ve told you that every day.”
Josh’s eyes burned with unshed tears. He tightened his hold on Dmitry while trying not to hurt him. “That’s funny, because I never—not for one second—wanted you to be anything or anyone other than who and what you are.”
Dmitry’s breathing deepened, letting Josh know he’d drifted back to sleep. In spite of the fear sitting on Josh’s throat, his eyelids grew heavy while listening to the steady beat of Dmitry’s heart. His muscles relaxed. They wouldn’t be apart again. Even if Dmitry slipped away from this life, Josh would choose to go with him.
* * *
A loud banging pulled Josh from his sleep. He rushed for the door before the sound woke up Dmitry. When he swung the door wide, Kip burst inside with Jade on her hip. “What happened?” Kip asked, letting Jade slide to floor. The little girl was off before Kip had time to pull Josh in for a hug. “I’ve been trying to call, but your cellphone goes straight to voicemail. Cameron got a call on his radio, saying the Conti family was killed when a gas line exploded during a family get together at a friend’s house. They were saying the family friend was dead too, and I hadn’t heard from you, and damn it Josh, I was freaking the fuck out.” Kip punctuated her claim by punching Josh in the arm. He was still trying to absorb every word she said while blinking off sleep. “Cameron was just like—not my jurisdiction, and all I could think was—I know that address. It was Dmitry’s house.”
“How do you know where Dmitry lives?”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Kip fussed. “I was scared shitless something had happened to Dmitry.”
Josh shook his head. “He’s okay,” Josh lied. For some reason he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t force his lips to shape the words, letting Kip know the man he loved more than life had been stabbed. He motioned toward the bedroom. “He’s sleeping.”
Kip’s gaze moved in the direction Josh pointed before returning to hold his stare. “A buddy of Cameron’s says there’s zero evidence the explosion was anything other than a tragic accident. So, there’s that.”
Thankfully, Kip just looked relieved for everything to be over, because Josh was barely holding his shit together. Dmitry had been stabbed. He could’ve died. It was just another day in his life, but it was days he’d thought he’d left behind.
Kip cast a glance around the room. “Where did Jade go?”
They both turned toward the bedroom. He’d left the door standing open. Jade’s chipper voice filled the air, talking faster than any man could keep up with. As one, they headed for the open doorway. When Jade and Dmitry came into view, Josh bit back a laugh in spite of his internal freak out. He couldn’t lose this man. Dmitry and Jade sat face to face on the bed while Jade showed off a bruise on her knee. She spoke a mile a minute, but Dmitry kept nodding along, as if he understood every word.
“Tree, kiss it,” Jade demanded.
Dmitry dutifully pressed a kiss to Jade’s bruise. Jade’s smile turned luminous as she threw her arms around Dmitry’s neck and tried to climb his shoulders. Dmitry tried to hide a wince. Josh caught sight of his pained expression before it disappeared behind a mask. Josh rushed across the room. He snagged Jade and tossed her into the air before catching her again. Her loud squeal rent the air.
“What are you doing in here bugging Dmitry?” Kip asked, making a valid attempt at sounding stern.
“Tree pretty,” Jade said, holding her arms out for Kip. Josh stopped himself from vehemently agreeing. Seeing Dmitry’s beautiful eyes open and lucid was fucking beautiful.
Kip sighed as she took Jade from Josh’s arms. “Jesus, I’m in so much trouble.” She smoothed her hand over Jade’s blonde curls. “Tree isn’t your jungle gym and although he’s very pretty, he’s also looking kind of ragged, so let him get some sleep, okay?” Jade’s bottom lip made an appearance, but Kip was having none of it. “Anh, don’t start that. We’ll come back later.” Without waiting for Jade’s
agreement, Kip focused on Dmitry. Her eyes welled with tears, taking Josh by surprise. “Thank you,” she mouthed before turning on her heel and leaving them alone. Josh watched her go, barely stopping his mouth from falling open. Only moments earlier, Kip had looked so put together. Now, she was showing cracks. Sometimes he forgot how good she was at pretending none of it got to her.
Unfortunately, Kip’s gratitude didn’t soothe Josh’s fear. The moment they were alone, Josh met Dmitry’s tired-looking gaze. For a moment, he simply stared at the man he loved more than life and took in his gorgeous face. “Tree is very pretty,” Josh said to hide the delayed panic setting in.
Dmitry snorted. “Tree needs to pee.”
Josh snorted but helped Dmitry to the bathroom. “Say that five times fast,” Josh said before Dmitry closed the door in his face. It was a ridiculous attempt at stopping the words building in his throat. Josh sat on the bed and listened to Dmitry moving around inside the bathroom. The water ran and Josh focused on the sound, trying to force his mind to go blank. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t not do this. The bathroom door opened and Josh shot to his feet. Dmitry looked steady, but pale. He’d taken off his shirt. Josh’s gaze moved over the man’s body, soaking in every detail. They couldn’t keep this up. There would be another mafia family. Another contract. Maybe one day Dmitry would get caught and go to prison or the next knife wouldn’t miss. With every building thought came another brick on Josh’s chest, piling on top of the one he still had from losing Kon. Dmitry stood still—waiting. He knew. The dam burst.
“I lied,” Josh said, like ripping off a bandage. “Kon said I’d never have it, but I do want normal.”
To Josh’s surprise, Dmitry smiled and slowly crossed the room. When he reached Josh’s side, he pushed until Josh was flat on his back and staring at the ceiling. He tried sitting up when Dmitry straddled his hips, pinning him to the bed.
“No. You’ll tear open your stitches.”
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