by Rose, Bella
He let her get all of her anger out before he ran his hand through his hair. “I actually did know all of that.”
“You did?”
Dmitri cleared his throat and nodded. “I had to know if you or Veronika or Kazimir identified my body. I had to know what you said.”
“What did you find out?”
“You all lied for me. Even you. I suppose Veronika told you to do that.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t see Veronika or Kazimir until afterward. I was taken from the fucking university library, Dmitri. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was? I almost flunked my exams because of you.”
Feeling even more uncomfortable, he shifted as he kept his eyes on the rearview mirror. So far, it didn’t look like anyone was following them. “So why did you lie for me?”
“I don’t know.” She pulled at her seatbelt and shrugged. “I guess I thought you’d given your life to protect Veronika. You deserved to be protected. Bullshit reasons, I guess.”
“That’s not a bullshit reason,” he said quietly. “Is that why you lied to the woman in the house?”
“Daphne? How did you know that I lied to her?”
“I planted a bug in your room.”
Her face flushed. “Excuse me? You did what? Oh my God, how long has that been there?”
“Just a couple of days. I didn’t hear anything personal,” he said quickly.
Charley cringed in the seat. “You didn’t…oh my God. No. No. Just…no.”
“I’m sorry. I was aware that someone was looking for me, and I was afraid they’d come for you. Veronika has Kazimir, but you had no one to protect you.” He thought of the baseball bat that she’d swung at his head. “Although I guess you didn’t need it. So why did you lie to Daphne?”
“She betrayed my trust in the biggest way possible. She didn’t deserve the truth.”
“Veronika didn’t tell you about her father being a mob boss. That didn’t seem to bother you,” he pointed out.
She glared at him. “I’m sorry? Did you have my room bugged for that conversation as well? It did bother me, but she can’t help the family she’s born into. You know what she didn’t do? She didn’t hold a gun to my head. She gets major points for that.”
Dmitri sighed. “You can stay with me tonight. It’s probably best anyway, to make sure they aren’t following you. Then I’ll take you someplace safe.”
“Are you going to explain what the hell is going on?”
“The less you know, the better,” he said softly. He thought she would press the issue, but she fell into silence instead.
“You did good work, you know. You figured her out. You defended yourself.”
“Shut up,” she muttered. “Anything you heard on that bug is never to be brought up in conversation. That is the only way you are walking away from this alive.”
He couldn’t help but smile. The bug had only been planted for a few days, and the only real thing he’d learned about Charley was that she was smart.
And that she talked to herself too much.
“Fucking unbelievable,” she muttered.
Yup. Way too much.
By the time they got to the hotel room, she seemed less angry. He didn’t say much as he handed her the baseball bat he’d stashed in the backseat. She gripped it like armor and glared at him. There was a distinct possibility she was going to bash his brains in while he slept. Comforting thought.
He opened the trunk and opened his duffel bag. “Put it in here,” he said tightly.
“No,” she said as she hugged it.
“Charley, this is a five-star hotel. You can’t just walk in with a baseball bat. I promise that as soon as we’re in the room, you can have it back.”
She handed him the bat with a mollified look. “I’d ask how you can afford a place like this, but I guess it isn’t cheap to hire someone to murder for them.”
He slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and slammed the trunk shut. “Inside. Now.”
“You do like to order people around,” she muttered a she trailed behind him. Once safely in the room, he shut the door and spun around.
“Do you think this is a joke?”
“Do I think having a gun pointed at my head is a joke? No. I really don’t. But I don’t have this happen to me on a normal basis, so let me apologize for how I’m acting. It’s a first for me.”
All of his anger deflated as he stared at her. She’d actually done brilliantly, and here he was yelling at her. He didn’t understand why so much fear had blossomed inside of him when he’d heard the gun. He barely knew her, and he’d been willing to risk his life to save her.
“You’re welcome to the shower,” he muttered. “I’ll order us some food.”
“I’m not hungry,” she said softly. “But I will take that shower. I think I still have that bitch’s blood on me.”
“You did good, Charley.”
She sent him a questioning look, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she shut the bathroom door and started the shower.
After looking longingly at the door, he pulled out his phone and called Kazimir. The man didn’t pick up. He bounced the phone in his hand and pursed his lips. It was one thing for Kaz to ignore his phone call, but Charley had called him, too. He wouldn’t have ignored a call from her.
After ordering some lunch, he stretched out on the bed and pulled out the file he had on Ivan.
The man had been family. Of course, Dmitri had never really thought of him as family, but Ivan had taken him in and raised him.
Turned him into the monster that he was today.
So was Ivan searching for him out of love? Or out of vengeance?
As far as he knew, Dmitri hadn’t done anything malicious to the man. Given a chance to escape, he’d taken it. But it wasn’t about getting away from Ivan. It was about freedom to avenge his father.
Surely Ivan understood that.
“So why did you lie about your relationship with Fedor, old man?” he asked softly as he stared at the picture.
The water from the shower halted, and Charley opened the door a few minutes later. “I don’t have any clothes to wear,” she said with a frown. Dmitri tried not to react. She was wrapped only in a towel, and the water was still fresh on her skin. A sudden desire to lean over and lick it was overwhelming.
“I’ll get you something from the shop below,” he said as he swung his feet off the bed. He needed to get out of the room and get her dressed as soon as possible.
“Some shorts and a T-shirt will be fine,” she said with a smile. “Or a tank-top.”
Dmitri nodded curtly and stormed out of the room. If he had his way, he’d dress her in flannel from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
It probably still wouldn’t make her any less sexy.
***
Charley dressed in the university apparel that he’d found in the convenience store in the hotel. She couldn’t help but chuckle when she looked at herself in the mirror. He’d chosen the baggiest pair of jersey shorts and T-shirt that he could find, but it didn’t really matter to her. Exhaustion was quickly taking over her body, and she couldn’t wait to dive deep into sleep’s arms. The day’s events were almost too much for her to handle.
Being on the sidelines of Veronika’s drama was one thing, but Charley seemed to be front and center of this new development. And she couldn’t help but realize how easily she had been duped. First, it was Veronika. She hadn’t actually posed a direct threat to Charley, but she’d hidden a big and dark secret, and Charley had never been the wiser. And now Daphne, who had completely made up a new persona just to get information from her, had taken her completely by surprise.
So what did that say about her instincts? How could she possibly trust Dmitri when everyone else she’d been around so easily lied to her?
“I’ll stay on the couch,” Dmitri said gruffly as he eyed her from the doorframe. “I want you to try and get some sleep tonight.”
Well, wasn’t
he the gentleman? It wasn’t like having him sleep on the couch was going to do anything to dampen the tension between them. She had no idea if he was attracted to her, but she was just about ready to jump his bones and find out.
It had been a long time since a man had truly pleased her. Dmitri certainly looked like he could amend that issue.
“Sleep. Right. I’m sure that’ll come easily,” she muttered as she crawled into the bed.
“Charley.” He hesitated as if he wanted to say more, and she looked at him expectantly. There were so many things he should tell her, and she would be all ears when he decided to open that can of worms. But he just shook his head instead. “I’m sorry about all of this.”
“Your apology does me no good,” she said stiffly. “And if you don’t stop looking at me like that, you won’t be sleeping on the couch.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Looking at you like what?”
Like you want to eat me alive. But she couldn’t say the words. Despite her normal confidence around men, there were more important things than her inexplicable desire to bed the stranger across from her. Like how she was going to get out of this alive.
Instead of answering him, she pulled the bedding over her body and lay down. As she sank into the soft mattress and felt the silky sheets covering her, she thought that maybe, for the night, she would be safe.
Dmitri had just dodged bullets to try and save her. He would protect her.
As she drifted off to sleep, a slow smile curved on her lips. She wondered what he thought of the fact that she’d actually saved herself.
Charley Barns was no damsel in distress.
***
The next morning, Charley sat in the car, frustrated. Dmitri wasn’t even there when she woke up, and she’d nearly gone out of her mind with worry until he showed up with breakfast. He was completely nonchalant over the whole situation, and she soon found herself buckled in the car.
“You’ll stay with Kazimir and Veronika until this whole thing blows over. He’s used to protecting you.” Dmitri almost sounded cheery as he drove.
“Really,” she said dryly. “That’s it? You nearly get me killed, and you think that dropping me off at Kaz’s is your solution?”
“What would you have me do?” he asked as he slid his gaze toward her.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe explain the situation would be one good way of handling it. That way I kind of know what to expect next.”
“Nothing is going to happen next because Kaz is going to make sure you’re removed form the situation. When everything is taken care of, I’ll make sure you can go back to your house. As I’ve stated before, the less you know, the better.”
And that, apparently, was that. Charley tried not to sulk in the seat, but she felt like she was being treated like a child.
They rode in silence as they pulled up to Veronika and Kaz’s home. Charley always tried not to stare in awe at the house. She knew that Veronika had grown up with money, but Charley had to work for everything she had. She’d never seen anything like Kaz’s new home, although she knew that it apparently paled in comparison to the mansion Veronika had grown up in.
“Wait here,” Dmitri growled as he got out and went to the front door. Charley watched as he rang the doorbell and, after a few minutes, pounded on the door. She undid her seatbelt and got out.
“Did you call to let them know we were coming?” she asked calmly.
“Of course I did. Get back in the car.”
Ignoring him, she joined him on the front steps. “And did he confirm that he would be here?”
She felt a small thrill of satisfaction when Dmitri avoided her gaze. It was immature, but she liked knowing that sometimes the gorgeous man messed up. Of course, her life was on the line, so she should take that into consideration.
He pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the front door. “Kaz gave you a key?” she asked incredulously.
“Of course not. I had one made when he bought the house,” he answered easily.
Charley opened her mouth to point out how ludicrous that was, but she quickly snapped it shut. If he didn’t think it was strange that he just helped himself to the keys of other peoples’ houses, she wasn’t going to be the one to point it out.
She followed him in the house, but as soon as the door closed, he covered her body with his and pushed her into the wall. Thinking that they were in danger, she tensed, but he merely studied her quietly.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. Having him this close to her made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
And turned on.
“Stay here,” he said quietly. “I’m going to check out the house, and I can’t be watching out for you. Stay in this corner and do not move until I get back. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Fine,” she said tightly. Was he doing this on purpose? Did he realize that her body tingled with desire whenever he was this close?
A small smile played on his lips, and she cursed her bad luck. Of course he knew.
Arrogant asshole.
He moved away from her and began to quietly explore the downstairs. Astonished, she watched as he practically vanished before her eyes. He melted into the shadows of the house, and if she hadn’t been watching his every move, she never would have known that he was there. He moved upstairs, and she began to relax. Obviously Kaz and Veronika had taken a vacation somewhere. She wouldn’t put it past Kaz to realize that there was danger and swoop Veronika up before it even touched her.
She was so consumed with her own thoughts that she didn’t even see the shadow moving toward her until it was too late. As the body jumped toward her, she opened her mouth and screamed.
“Charley!” Dmitri’s shout rang out from the stairwell, but she heard a crash right afterward. Whatever he was doing, he wouldn’t be coming to save her anytime soon.
She turned her body to try to deflect whatever weapon came her way. Something sharp grazed past her shoulder, and she bit back a moan of pain. Bringing her knee up, she connected with something, and her attacker grunted. They both twisted and fell to the floor.
Whoever he was, he was big. He landed on top of her like dead weight, and the air left her lungs. Panicked, she dug her fingernails into his face when he wrenched his arm up again.
A blade flashed wickedly in the sunlight.
As he brought it down again, she shoved her thumbs into his eyeballs. He howled in pain, and she knocked his arm away. Bringing her knee up between his legs, she managed to roll him off her.
“Bitch,” he screamed.
Wow. She was really gaining a reputation. Blood flowed freely from her shoulder, and her eyes filled with tears from the pain, but she couldn’t let herself stop just yet. Digging her elbow into his side, she fought for the knife, and when she finally wrapped her hands around the handle, she acted out of pure instinct.
“Charley!” Dmitri shouted again. She brought the blade down and felt it sink into her attack’s soft flesh. He moaned and fell still.
Still straddling him, she stared in horror at what she’d done.
Dead. The man under her was dead.
“Come on,” Dmitri urged as he reached her. “We have to go.”
She heard him, but his voice seemed a million miles away. She’d killed someone. She’d taken someone’s life, and she hadn’t even given it any thought. It was him or her, and she’d just acted.
“I’m sorry,” Dmitri muttered, and she felt a searing pain through her shoulder.
“Damn it,” she screamed as she looked up. Dmitri was digging his fingers into her wound. “What are you doing?”
“You’re going into shock, and we have to go.”
He pulled her up, and she looked at the man helplessly. “I killed him,” she said lamely.
“Yes, and if you hadn’t, he would have killed you. And if that happened, I’d be killing him. Either way, he was going to die. Be glad that you didn’t have to die with him.”
She stared at him in horror
as he continued to pull her from the room. To him, life was nothing. Taking a life was part of his job, what he did to survive. He’d barely blinked as he’d looked at the dead body.
So cold. He was so cold inside.
What could he possibly think of her? Did he even care enough to make sure that she made it out alive?
Chapter Five
Today, the boy turned eighteen. There was no cake and no presents. There was no party. In fact, it was entirely possible that no one, not even the boy himself, remembered that he was eighteen. In the eyes of Ivan, he was already a man. He’d taken orders. He’d taken lives.
Instead of a gathering of loved ones, the boy stood at the edge of the bridge. The note left at the house detailed what he was about to do and why he was about to do it.
The things he had seen were driving him mad. At first, he had felt nothing. He’d been cold and even. But every night, the picture of his father burned into his memory. The dead man who spilled blood all over the carpet was his sole companion. And he simply couldn’t handle it anymore.
No one would be surprised. His dark and silent manner had invited concern from his teachers. Even those who called him lover or friend would admit there was something off and strange about him. No one would investigate. No one would think twice.
As people on the highway began to slow down, some pulled over and got out of their car. They approached slowly and begged him to come down. Come to safety. It was far too cold and windy and bitter for him to be standing half naked on the beams of the bridge.
Ivan had plans for him. And for a while, the boy thought Ivan was right. But Ivan wasn’t focused. His attentions were split, and the boy could no longer work for him. There was only one goal, now. The boy would do it alone.
With a final of cry of rage and defeat, the boy turned man spent his eighteenth birthday flinging himself off the bridge and dying.
***
At the hotel, Dmitri hooked his hands under her and lifted her easily on to the bathroom counter. She didn’t resist as he removed her shirt and examined the bloody gash on her shoulder.