by Sherie Keys
She knew that she had fallen in love with him. She had never spoken the words. She liked to hope that Dimitri felt the same way. She had an inclination that he did, but she was not quite certain. Regardless, she clung to her feelings for her own enjoyment. It had been a long time since she had fallen in love with a man, and even longer since she had fallen in love with one like Dimitri.
Chapter5
It was July now.
Just the weekend before, Alicia had forced Dimitri to really celebrate the Fourth of July. He had ignored it in the previous year he had been in the country, but this year she had dragged him around to have the full American experience. They’d gone to her family’s barbeque, and then gone down to Baltimore’s harbor for fireworks. He had spent most of the time rolling his eyes good naturedly at the hot dogs, but he’d secretly enjoyed himself. Despite her family’s reaction to him on Easter, he was accepted now. They both noticed that her parents had a bit of a problem referring to him as her husband, but it was not an uncomfortable event.
Spending so much time at the harbor had been nice. Dimitri had previously had no reason to venture into that part of Baltimore. It was a bit too high end for his crowd. But on the holiday, it seemed like the perfect place to be. He didn’t really understand the thrill of fireworks. Brightly colored lights exploding in the sky did not do much for him. However, out there, surrounded by so many people in celebratory mode and decked out in red, white and blue, he understood. Besides, he loved America just as much of the rest of them. And he felt he had more reason to. Wasn’t America built on people like him who had come here for a better life? Wasn’t his story what this country stood for?
Dimitri made up his mind right then and there that as soon as he was eligible, he was going to take his citizenship test. He wanted all of the rights that went along with becoming a full American citizen. For now, he kept this fact to himself. He’d tell Alicia later…once he was absolutely certain the idea of being married to him wasn’t horrible.
He was now back to work full force in Stan’s shop. He was particularly busy right now. Everyone seemed to have some sort of issue with their car. Fortunately, Dimitri was good. Or maybe it was unfortunate. Stan’s shop had got a reputation for their quality. Stan himself was thrilled. He loved the business Dimitri was bringing in. He assured Dimitri that he would have no issue making a living in this business-and that he could stay on here as long as he liked. Dimitri was pleased. In fact, he had been nothing but happy these last few months.
It always seemed that in times when you were the happiest was when things went their absolute worst. Today was that day.
Dimitri had been working on an oil change for a Ford Explorer. He had just gotten up to make notes on the receipt to be given to the owner, when he noticed three men coming towards him. This was not unusual, but it was the men themselves that set him on edge. They were all big, strong looking men. The worst part of it was that Dimitri recognized them.
“Dimitri!” The tallest of the three exclaimed. “Just how are you?”
“Rudolph.” Dimitri frowned. He knew the men with him as well. One was Alexei, and the other was Victor. They were all men that he had known in Russia-and all men that he had worked with in Russia. He did not like that they were here now. He could only imagine what they wanted. He could not imagine that it was good.
“Is that any way to treat an old friend?” Rudolph slapped him hard on the back. “How in the hell are you, Dimitri?”
“I am very good.” Dimitri answered suspiciously. “You did not come here just to find out how it is that I am doing.” He looked from one man to the other. “What is it that you want?”
Rudolph smiled. He was a good looking man with a brown mustache and short cut brown hair. Dimitri had always thought that Rudolph was smaller than him. He carried more of a wiry strength than the brute muscle of either Dimitri or Alexei. Regardless, he was the tallest of his three counterparts. Now he looked at the other two men, shrugging casually.
“We need a bit of…help.”
“You mean with your car, right?” Dimitri asked flatly.
“Right…sure…that’s exactly what it is.” Rudolph was chuckling. He had always been the brains of the operation. He was the one who was responsible for finding their jobs, and for making sure that they were carried out. Personally, Dimitri found him to be the smartest.
Alexei had the lightest coloring of the four men. He had light eyes and light blonde hair buzz cut to his head. He was always perfectly clean shaven. He had also always been the strong and silent type. He was the type who did not need to say anything. Everyone knew that he was capable of using violence to get what he wanted. Dimitri had always thought that Alexei was bigger than him. If Dimitri was big, Alexei was gigantic. Alexei was also the man who would get into this sort of business simply for the fun of it.
Victor was shorter than the other four, but just as muscled. He stood with his hands behind his back. His hair was a mass of black ringlets that looked as though they had never seen a comb. His black eyes were always searching around, boring into his next victim. He was the one that Dimitri had always considered to be the most like him. Victor had got into it for the money. He had gotten his girlfriend pregnant, and was now working hard to try and support both she and the baby. This brought in the money he had needed. Even now, Dimitri saw that Victor looked nervous. Perhaps Rudolph wasn’t the smartest in the bunch after all.
“Let’s face it, Dimitri.” Rudolph smiled. “You know why that we are here. We need a job done.” That was all Dimitri needed to hear. He raised one hand, shaking his head firmly.
“Say no more. The answer is no. I am no longer in that line of work.”
The three men looked at one another. Only Victor looked like it was an acceptable time to walk away. Dimitri watched as his eyes flicked nervously towards the doorway. But Rudolph was not backing down. It was not like Dimitri had expected him to.
“I do not think that is a very good answer, Dimitri.”
“I am sorry for that.” Dimitri shrugged. He was trying to keep his cool. “And I am sorry that you have come all of this way for me just to tell you no.”
Rudolph began to pace the space of the garage. It was large enough for two cars, but Dimitri had only one in there right now. Rudolph looked over at Alexei. Alexei took a step towards Dimitri. That was intimidating. Dimitri had no desire to try and fight with Alexei. Alexei was one of the only people he knew who could physically harm him.
“Well, if no is what you are standing by, perhaps I should give you a piece of information.” Rudolph took a step backwards to lean on the car on which Dimitri had been working. “What if I was here to tell you that I have some evidence which could make you change your mind about this new job?”
“There is nothing that you could say.” Dimitri met the other man’s eyes square on. There was nothing that would make him go back to that life. He wanted to be here, with Alicia, making a life for both of them. He did not want to be tangled up in any illegal-or potentially illegal-activities.
“Oh, I believe there is. You remember Jeremy Riley?” Dimitri raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Jeremy Riley was the man who had brought Dimitri to the United States in the first place. Dimitri had taken care of him and walked away. He had never given him a second thought.
“What of him? I broke his legs.” At that statement, Alexei chuckled. Rudolph glanced at his counterpart and smiled.
“Oh you did more than that.” Dimitri froze. What exactly did that mean?
“I did?”
“Jeremy Riley is dead.” Rudolph let the statement hang in the air. A cold chill crept up Dimitri’s back and settled like a weight into his stomach.
“What do you mean? I did not kill anyone.”
“Those broken legs that you gave him were a bad start for old Jeremy.”
“What-? What are you talking about?” Dimitri finally exclaimed, feeling exasperated. If they were trying to pull one over on him, it was succeeding in making him s
ufficiently nervous.
“Jeremy got an infection while he was sitting in the hospital.” Rudolph shook his head in mock sadness. Alexei snickered. Victor glared hard at Dimitri. “It’s a shame that infection killed him.” Rudolph clearly did not care at all, but he hoped that Dimitri did.
“But then that--" Dimitri began, but Rudolph was already nodded his head.
“Yes, that’s right. You’ve become a murderer, Dimitri. That’s what happens when someone dies because of wounds that you caused.”
“How do I know that you are not lying to me?” Dimitri had a sickening feeling that they were being truthful, but he was not prepared to take that at face value. Alexei was reading into his pocket. He pulled out an iPhone. For a moment, he scrolled through. Then he held it out to Dimitri. Dimitri took it in his hand with trembling fingers.
In front of him was a screen shot of an obituary. It was dated just a few months prior, and featured a picture of the man in question. It was the Jeremy Riley that Dimitri had known. His heart sank. It was true. He was a murderer. He’d never wanted to kill anyone-hell he’d never been that set on hurting someone. He’d just been doing a job.
“I never meant to kill him.”
“You think the police will care about that?” Rudolph sounded amused. “I mean really, Dimitri. Especially after they see that fake paperwork you’re carrying and know just how you get in here? You’ll be deported and end up in a Russian prison for the rest of your life.”
He wanted to think that Rudolph was just trying to scare him, that what he was saying wasn’t true. But Dimitri knew that it was. He knew that he had to try and find a way out of this.
“What do you want from me?” After all, they were here for a reason. Clearly it was something to do with this job that they had mentioned to him.
“We will make you a deal.” Rudolph offered. “You finish up this last bit of ugly business for us, and we’ll keep your secret.”
“And leave me alone?” Dimitri tried. It was a long shot, but he hoped it could be done. He hoped that one more job for these men would by him some time-if not freedom for the rest of his life.
“Sure.” Rudolph nodded. “One last job. You take care of our boy, and we will go away forever.” Dimitri closed his eyes.
“Fine.” He sighed heavily. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
The man’s name was Philip Henson, or Phil for short. He was known to be mixed up in drugs and a variety of money laundering activities. He unfortunately owed a lot of money to some people. The job needed to be quick and subtle. Dimitri needed to make his point and get on his way. Dimitri didn’t know why they couldn’t just have Alexei do it. He thought that Alexei would at least enjoy it. They gave him an address, and a date they wanted it done.
“If it is not done in two weeks,” Rudolph warned him, “we’ll be coming back. I’d hate to go visit that pretty wife of yours.”
Now Dimitri’s head shot up. He did not want Alicia involved in this; in fact, he didn’t want her to know anything about this. The entire time they were together, he had been extremely careful to hide his background from her. Things were going so well. If she found out that he was involved in this type of crime-or that he had committed murder-it would all be over. He knew that even deportation couldn’t save him from Rudolph’s reach. Back in Russia, he could end up dead, and his parents could end up dead. No, he had to do this job and keep all of this quiet.
“Stay away from Alicia.” Rudolph’s dark smile returned.
“Ah yes, A-li-cia.” He shook his head. “Pretty girl, Dimitri. Better than anything that you had in Russia.”
“Stay away from her.” Dimitri repeated. “Or else I will--"
“I know what you will do, Dimitri.” Rudolph raised his hand dismissively. “And I have to say that the threat does not frighten me. We will see you later.”
The three men headed off. Dimitri watched as they headed to a car, climbed in and headed out of the parking lot. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he’d have to think of something-fast.
Not sure what else to do, Dimitri told Stan that he wasn’t feeling well. He promised to finish up the remaining jobs tomorrow and headed for home. When he pulled in, he was surprised to see Alicia’s Focus already parked in their designated apartment spots. She too was supposed to be at work. Frowning, he headed up to the apartment.
Alicia met him in the kitchen. She seemed to be a flurry of excitement. Dimitri wondered what could have possibly happened to have her so excited. He hated to admit that whatever it was had better be important-because he was largely not in the mood.
“Hi!” She exclaimed, running to wrap her arms around him. Dimitri was a bit surprised. Alicia had become an affectionate person with him, but this was a bit much even for her. Awkwardly, he slipped his arms around her.
Alicia pulled back from him. She was absolutely radiant. A brilliant smile shown across her face. Something huge must have happened.
“I have something to tell you!” It was obviously good news. Whatever it was had her over the moon. Despite his shaken mood, he forced himself to give her a smile.
“Tell me. I could use some good news.” Alicia looked suddenly concerned.
“What are you doing home so early? Is everything all right?”
“Yes, yes, everything is fine.” Dimitri smiled at her patiently. “I just have...bit of a headache.” It was not really a lie. He did have a headache.
“Well, this might help. Or make it worse.” Alicia giggled. Dimitri shook his head. He could only imagine what had her so excited.
“Then please, do not make me wait any longer.” Alicia nodded. She took a step back, sighed.
“I’m pregnant.”
“What?” Dimitri was momentarily stunned. Alicia reached out and took his hands.
“I wasn’t feeling well when I left for work this morning. It didn’t pass, so I decided to come home. I was laying on the couch, scrolling around on the internet when I came across this mommy post that one of my friends had shared on Facebook. So I was reading it, when suddenly it dawned on me. So I went out, and bought a pregnancy test, and…” She reached into the back pocket of her jeans. She offered him a small white plastic tester. Sure enough, two pink lines were clearly visible.
Alicia knew that she was rambling, but she was just so excited. She couldn’t believe this. She’d always dreamed about becoming pregnant, but now it had happened. In all of the times that she and Dimitri had been together, she had never really thought about the implications. It had always been a possibility, but now it was reality.
“Well?” She looked at Dimitri hopefully. Dimitri smiled back. While this was unexpected news, he could not complain about the excitement. He reached for her, pulling her into his arms.
“This is wonderful!” He hugged her tightly. “Alicia, this is absolutely wonderful!” She had hoped that was what he would say, but she didn’t want to get too optimistic. Lifting her head, she pressed a kiss to his lips.
“I love you,” she whispered. Dimitri tilted his head, wondering if he had heard her right.
“Really?”
“Really.” She pressed another kiss against his lips. “You are the best man that I have ever met. You are kind, you are a good husband, you make me laugh, I can’t think of anyone else that I would want as a father for my child.”
Dimitri kissed her again. He pressed his face to hers
“I love you too.” He murmured. “You are truly a wonderful woman. It was pure fate that I met you. I can’t imagine ever having anyone else but you.”
Alicia had never been so happy. She kissed him again, this time harder and with a purpose. They had gone from having an in name only marriage to having a real marriage. She’d never dreamed that she would meet her husband in this fashion, but it had worked, and they were here now. She simply could not believe how her life had turned around.
She was tugging at his shirt. Dimitri pulled back, shaking his head.
“I am a mess from wo
rk. I need to shower, change.”
“Then let me help you.” She smiled seductively.
“Is it safe?” He did not know much about pregnant women, so he figured that he should ask-even if it was a bit early.
“Yes, it’s safe. Come on.” She took his hand, leading him through the living room to the bathroom. Once there, she turned on the water. Testing it with her hand, she turned back to him once she was satisfied with the temperature. She began to help him shed his work clothes.
First she unbuttoned the dirty work shirt. She pushed it off of his shoulders. Then she pulled his undershirt over his head. Dimitri worked the buckle free on his belt. Her fingers met his and unbuttoned his jeans. They both pushed them and his boxers down.
“Your turn.” Dimitri pulled the t-shirt that she was wearing over her head. For a moment, he took in the sight of her body. She looked incredible. He wanted to enjoy how she looked now as a memory of how she’d looked when he met her. It would not be long before her body changed. That would be just as beautiful in a different way.
Alicia took off her bra. She leaned up to kiss him slowly. Dimitri let his hands hook beneath the waistband of her yoga pants. He was a tiny bit surprised to find that she wasn’t wearing underwear beneath them. Catching his look, Alicia gave him a coy smile.
“I took them off when I got home.”
“So you did.” Dimitri slipped her pants down. Alicia stepped out of them. She took his hand, guiding him into the shower after her.
Dimitri raised his head to press a kiss to her lips. Alicia clung to him, pulling him under the stream of water with her. After a moment, she turned and grabbed his bottle of shampoo. Dumping a bit into her hand, she reached up and began to lather it into his hair. Dimitri closed his eyes. The feeling of such a simple pleasure at the hands of another was wonderful.