by Rose, Bella
“It didn’t hit any arteries. I’ll clean it out and wrap it. It should stop bleeding soon,” he said quietly. He was concerned about the blank look in her eyes. Anyone else would have been terrified, but she seemed to have checked out.
Once again, she’d proven more than capable of handling herself. The petite history student had faced two trained assassins and lived to tell the tale. In fact, he began to wonder if there wasn’t more to her. What were the odds that she could have bested not just one but two professionals?
Still, her methods had been rudimentary at best. He doubted that she was trained. The most likely answer was that, given her size and status, no one actually expected her to fight back. And when she did, it threw them off balance.
It certainly threw him off balance.
He tried to ignore the black lacy bra and the way her cleavage heaved with every breath. Grabbing a bottle of vodka from the bar, he poured some over the wound and began to clean it.
With her eyes on him, she grabbed the bottle and drank from it.
“Easy,” he said as he took it from her. “I’m not sure I can handle you drunk.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “You can’t even handle me sober.”
It was the first sign of life in her since they left the bodies, and Dmitri smiled. If they were arguing, she would be okay.
“You just left the bodies there,” she muttered.
Dmitri didn’t say anything. Kaz wouldn’t be pleased that Dmitri hadn’t taken care of the evidence, but that’s what Kaz got for not answering his damn phone. Plus, Dmitri had been far more concerned about the blood gushing from Charley’s arm than rolling dead bodies into expensive Persian rugs.
“You did good,” he said quietly.
To his surprise, Charley rolled her eyes. “Stop. Stop saying that. It’s ridiculous that I’m fighting to stay alive, and the best you can do is compliment me. Tell me what’s going on. Tell me, or I’ll leave.”
“You probably won’t survive if you leave me,” he muttered.
“Most likely. And then I’ll haunt you every day for the rest of your life. Doesn’t that sound like torture?”
Just the thought of her not being around twisted his stomach into knots. When he finished wrapping her arm, he handed her shirt back to her. She flung it into the corner. “I’m not wearing that. It has blood on it.”
“I’ll get you a new one,” he promised.
“Dmitri. I just killed someone.”
He raised his head and looked at her. She had blood caked in her dark curls, and her eyes were desperate. She wore sass and wit like a mask, but as she sat on that counter covered in the blood of another, she was naked and vulnerable.
“My father was an engineer. He abhorred the thought of violence, but he was the top designer in his field. He found himself working for Fedor Saiko as a weapons designer. I don’t know the full story. I don’t know how he got roped into it, but I know that he tried to get out. He tried to quit, and they came for him. I was just a child, and I hid while they blew him away.”
She watched him quietly, but she didn’t interrupt. He continued. “Ivan Bobrov was my father’s good friend. I called him Uncle Ivan. I made my way to him, and I told him what had happened. Ivan took me in and raised me. He had no children of his own, and I became like a son to him. But Ivan was consumed with hatred, and that’s how he raised me. I was always to avenge my father’s death. I was always meant to kill Fedor Saiko. When I was eighteen, I realized that Ivan was never going to go through with the plan to kill Fedor. He’d set his sights on something else. He wanted power and money. I wanted revenge. So I left. I struck out on my own, and I waited until I could finally find a weakness in Fedor’s impenetrable armor.”
“Veronika,” Charley breathed.
Dmitri nodded. “Veronika and Kazimir gave me my chance. I wanted to pull the trigger myself, but in the end, all that mattered was that he died. Suicide was not what I had hoped for, but the end results were the same. I thought I was free.”
“Aren’t you?”
Dmitri gave her a hard look. “Ivan was touted as Fedor’s good friend. He took over the business. He got all the power and money he’d always craved, and he’d done it on the back of Fedor’s death. It made me suspicious to say the least. How could Ivan and Fedor be friends if Ivan knew that Fedor had killed my father?”
“Maybe he was playing a longer game,” she said quietly.
“Oh, he was. But I don’t think that game included vengeance for my father.” Dmitri sighed. “I think there’s something more going on here. Ivan doesn’t believe that I’m dead. He’s looking for me.”
“Maybe he misses you.”
“Our relationship was never one based on love. Ivan isn’t just looked for me. He’s sending assassins to kill me. The thing is, I need to get inside that house and figure out what’s going on. That’s the only way this is going to end.”
“So confront him. It’s not like you’re not better than his assassins anyway.”
Dmitri couldn’t help but smile at her. “Your confidence in me is flattering, but Ivan doesn’t have proof that I’m alive. He only has suspicions. When I said that I left when I was eighteen, the truth was that I faked my death. Ivan doesn’t know what I look like. He hasn’t seen me since I was a teenager. He only suspects that the man parading around as Dmitri is the child that he raised.”
Charley gave him an astonished look. “Dmitri is not your given name?”
He ignored the question. He hadn’t uttered his real name in quite some time. “You’re too far in this. I can’t leave you alone, but I can’t protect you forever. I have to end this.”
“So we’ll sneak into the house and figure out what’s going on.” She smiled bravely. “I’ll help you.”
“Ivan is back in town. He’s been visiting cities where I’ve completed jobs. He’s looking for proof that I’m Dmitri. I can’t just waltz into his house. I’m good, but Ivan taught me everything that I know,” he said wryly.
Charley swept her hair to the side and gave him a demure look. “Then I’ll distract him.”
Dmitri swallowed hard. Did she have any idea how sexy she looked right now? “And how do you plan on doing that?”
“Do you think Daphne saw you at the house when you tried to rescue me?”
Dmitri shook his head. “I know she didn’t.”
“Fine. Then I’ll just waltz up to the house and let him interview me. While he’s talking to me, you can search the house for whatever you need.”
“And if he doesn’t let you walk out of the house alive?” Dmitri asked as he gave her a hardened look.
“Insurance. I’ll tell him that my friend is going to call the authorities if I don’t return by a certain hour. He’ll probably try to kill me later, but I doubt he’ll take the risk that night.”
He pursed his lips and stared at her. It was a dangerous plan, but a good one. Ivan still had no idea that he and Charley were together. He might suspect something, but he wouldn’t risk killing her. “You watch too much television,” he said sourly.
“We need to work on your social skills. What you should have done was congratulate me on coming up with such a good plan. Instead, you fall back on insults. It’s rather irritating.”
“We’ll need something for you to wear.”
“Something sexy like spies wear?” she asked with a delighted smile.
He groaned inwardly as she pushed herself off the counter. The move pushed her breasts out, and they bounced as she landed.
She was going to be the death of him.
Chapter Six
Despite her eagerness to get things started, Dmitri made her wait until after her wound had started to close. He spent the next few days away from the hotel room, and she paced in frustration. There was no word from Veronika, and Dmitri barely spoke to her when he did come back.
He seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts, but she caught the way he glanced at her when he didn’t think she was looking. She saw
the way his eyes darkened with lust. He wanted her.
All he had to do was say the word, and she’d gladly spend the night with him. She was desperate to relieve some of the built-up tension and frustration inside her.
Early one evening, she slowly unwrapped the bandage and stared at the scab that had started to form down her arm. If it scarred, she’d have to live with it for the rest of her life.
Dmitri walked in with a bag and tossed it on the bed. “You will do everything that I tell you. If you so much as think of deviating from the plan, he will probably kill you. Do you understand?”
Charley stared at him. “Tonight?” she whispered.
“He’s having guests at his place tonight for a dinner. Some of them will be dangerous, but a few will be politicians who won’t want to be around any violence. It’s our best chance to get in and out.”
Her heart pounded with excitement as she glanced in the bag. It wasn’t a long evening gown like she had hoped. Frowning, she recognized the outfit as her own. “Really?” she asked as she gave him a disappointed look.
He shrugged. “If you walked in with something that you couldn’t possibly afford, he would know it. That outfit is sexy enough to keep his attention, and that’s all we want.”
Sitting her down, he went over the plan. And then he went over it again and again until she could recite it by heart. When he seemed satisfied, he left her to get dressed.
An hour later, she was driving a rental car to the house. Her whole body was a bundle of fear and adrenaline as she pulled up to the gates. An intercom buzzed as the guard asked her for her identity.
“My name is Charley Barns. I’m here to see Ivan Bobrov,” she said quietly.
“You are not on the list. I’m afraid you’ll have to come back,” the security guard said automatically.
“I don’t care about your damn list,” she snapped. “I’m here to talk about the assassin Dmitri, and I assure you, if you turn me away, your boss is going to be pissed.”
After a few minutes, the gates creaked open. Taking a deep breath, she made her way up the drive and saw four armed men waiting for her. She got out uneasily and tossed one of them the keys. “Are you a valet?” she asked as he grabbed them without ever breaking eye contact.
Impressive.
“You will come with us,” one of them said as he reached forward to take her arm.
“Hey,” she said as she held her hands up. “I came here on my own. Don’t manhandle me.”
He nodded sharply, and she followed them inside. Sounds of clinking glasses and laughter wafted from the center of the house, but she was directed to take a sharp left. As she stumbled into the darker room, the doors shut behind her.
“Search her.”
As a single lamp came on, rough hands ran over her body. She struggled not to scream as Ivan Bobrov came into view. He was intimidating, to say the least. Towering over her, he had the look of a man who saw violence every day and never thought twice about it.
It was the same look that Dmitri had.
“Miss Barns. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked as he seated himself on the chair. The man touching her pulled out her cellphone. She thought about protesting, but he quickly pocketed it. Satisfied that she wasn’t armed, he stepped away.
“I hear you’ve been looking for me,” she said nervously. Although he was old enough to be her father, Ivan raked his eyes over her as though she wasn’t even wearing the shimmery tank top. Her mouth dried out quickly.
“And why would you think that?”
“When my roommate tried to kill me, your name slipped out. I have a friend who’s good with computers. It didn’t take long to track you down.”
“I’m not in hiding,” he said easily. “I’m just been away traveling. And I’m sorry to hear about your incident with your roommate, but I promise that I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Right. I’m sure you didn’t.”
He chuckled and waved her forward. She took a few steps at first before the man behind her pushed. Glaring at him, she hurried her steps until she was within Ivan’s reach. Thankfully, he didn’t move. “You are American?”
“I’m studying abroad. But I’m sure that you know that.”
“And what else do I supposedly know about you?” Ivan asked as he cocked his head and smiled lewdly at her.
She shuddered. Dmitri had told her not to hide any of her true fear. The more Ivan sensed from her, the safer she would be. “I’ll have you know that if I don’t contact my friend in twenty minutes, he’ll call the authorities. Even if you hide my body, you and your guests will be subject to inquiries,” she said boldly.
The smile froze on his face. “Smart girl,” he said softly. “If you fear your safety, why are you here?”
“I’m tired of always looking over my shoulder. You’re looking for information about the body in the safe house. I’m inclined to give it to you. I don’t give a damn what happens, but I don’t want to be attacked anymore.”
Ivan straightened. “I find all information useful, and I will hear you out. But first I ask where you’ve been. For an American with few friends and even fewer connections in this country, you’ve been hard to find.”
“I thought you weren’t looking for me,” she shot back. His gaze didn’t waiver, and she shrugged. “I won’t give you my new place, but let’s just say that I’ve been here long enough to fake a Russian accent. A wig goes a long way in helping a girl hide,” she said as she flawlessly mimicked the accent.
“Impressive. Someone underestimated you. It won’t happen again. Proceed with your information.”
Charley took a deep breath. She still had five minutes to stall. “As you know, Veronika Saiko applied as my roommate. While she was living with me, all I knew was that she came with a bodyguard. Kazimir was on a mission to kill Fedor Saiko, and he’d been in touch with someone named Dmitri to help him. I met the man once when Kaz had been injured in a car accident. He introduced himself only with the name Dmitri, and I didn’t know anything about him until after he’d been found dead. I was questioned for hours about whether I could identify the body in the house.”
“You lied, though. Why would you do that?” Ivan asked shrewdly. “You would not have had any loyalty to a man you’d only met once.”
“Kaz asked me to lie. At the time, my loyalties were to Veronika. If Kaz could keep her safe, if he could keep me safe, I would do anything that he asked,” she lied. She’d practiced the line so much that it came naturally to her lips.
“So you said you couldn’t identify the body. When did you find out that the man known as Dmitri wasn’t dead?”
Charley was quiet for a moment. She wanted Ivan to think that she was going to lie, and he fell for it.
“I know that he’s not dead, Miss Barns. And I also know that you are aware of it. Don’t give me any reasons to be suspicious of you now.”
“Fine. After the funeral, Veronika returned to the house. There was a note in her pocket. She mentioned that it was from Dmitri and that he was alive. I haven’t actually seen him, so I can’t confirm it.”
“What did the note say?”
Charley shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about Veronika’s relationship with Kazimir.”
Without warning, Ivan moved, Charley didn’t have time to react as he gripped her wrist and pulled her closer. She struggled not to scream when he brushed his hands over her hair and trailed it down her bare shoulder. “Why did you not divulge this information when Daphne interrogated you?”
Dmitri had warned her that Ivan would try to catch her off guard, but nothing had prepared her for the man’s touch. Her skin crawled with disgust as his fingers trailed down her arms. She visibly shuddered. “I took offense to the way that she asked. I’m funny like that,” she said through clenched teeth.
His other hand came up to clasp her neck, and she stiffened. “If you even think of killing me…” she said in a panic.
“Hush,” he said softly. His
other hand slowly trailed up her side over the fabric of her shirt. When he reached the side of her breast, she struggled to pull away. “Charley Barns. You have nothing in your background to indicate that you’re anything more than a student. You drink and party too much, but your grades are passable. So how exactly did you survive my lovely Daphne? She’s quite good. I trained her myself. She’s the best both in and out of bed. So how did you best her?”
“With a baseball bat and an intense dislike of being attacked in my own home,” Charley spat.
“I heard the streets of Boston are rough. Perhaps you’d let me hire you. You’d never have to worry about finding money again.”
Charley couldn’t suppress her snort of disbelief. “You want me to fight for you?”
“Oh no. With a body like this, I want to hear you moan. The thought of you and Daphne grappling in bed is already getting me excited,” he said as he bent down.
Terrified that he was going to kiss her, she tried to wrench out of his grasp, but all she could do was turn her head.
His lips grazed her throat.
“I have to decline,” she ground out when he finally let her go.
“Pity. Well, I’d normally have you taken out back and executed. I have no doubt that your threat is an empty one. You don’t seem the type to involve the lives of your friends in this mess. But since my dinner guests would balk, I’m inclined to let you leave,” he said as he leaned back. He nodded his head, and Charley felt his guard grab her roughly by the arm.
“Miss Barns,” he said, just before the guard threw her out the door. “I trust that if this Dmitri tries to get in touch with you, you’ll contact me?”
“If I agree, can I safely return to my house?”
“Would you believe me if I said yes?” he asked in an amused voice.
“No.”
“Then I suppose we’re done here.” He waved his hand, and the guard pulled her out of the room.
“My phone?” she asked as he threw her outside.
The man looked at her stoically, and she sighed. Someone drove her rental up, and she slid in to the car. As per Dmitri’s instructions, she drove to a crowded bar, parked, and threaded her way through the crowd outside the door.