Page 14

Chapter

Fourteen

EVIE

T he three of us are quiet on the drive back home. I can tell Katya is bursting to talk to with me about Tatiana’s friends, but she keeps it to herself, whether because she doesn’t want to talk about it in front of Dimitri or because she doesn’t want to upset me further.

I’ll admit I feel like a failure. I couldn’t have one fun day at the beach without having another panic attack. Dimitri is trying to help, and I’m appreciative of that, but he can’t take away what I’ve done.

No one can.

Maybe returning to New York will help. I can see Juno again. Go back to the library. Have some semblance of normal.

And then I see the fire.

Dimitri stops the car across the street from his house.

His house that’s currently going up in flames.

“What the fuck?” he whispers then gets out of the car. Both Katya and I scramble out after him.

He rushes across the street and to the house. “My house. It’s gone. It’s … ”

“All my stuff,” Katya says. “Dimitri, we have to do something. We have to stop that!”

“How? How can I stop a fire? With my own bare hands?”

“I don’t know,” Katya mutters. “Just try something.”

While the two siblings bicker, I look closer at the house. Why is it that only Dimitri’s house is on fire? I know we didn’t leave the stove on. Unless it was faulty wiring, how else did it get caught on fire?

Abram. I know in my core.

Does he know Tatiana is dead? Does he know it was me?

If he wanted me dead before, he’ll surely want me dead now.

And that’s when I see him.

Storming down the street, two guns in his hands pointed at the three of us.

“Dimitri!” I shout. “Abram!”

He whirls around to see Abram and throws himself at me, covering my body as Abram begins firing. I hear Katya scream.

“Stay down,” Dimitri tells me. “Get back to the car.” He turns to Katya, who has blood dripping from her arm.

Because she got shot.

“Katya!” I scream.

Abram doesn’t even care that he’s out in the middle of the open. He doesn’t care that the fire is attracting attention. He keeps on shooting.

Dimitri shoves Katya behind a car, pulls out his own gun, and fires at Abram, who has no choice but to duck down behind a car himself.

I grab Katya’s good arm and pull her across the street. We make it to the car and dive inside.

“How seriously injured are you?”

She pulls her hand away from her wound and looks. The bullet hole is obvious in her upper arm. “I’d say pretty injured.”

Looking out the window, I watch as Dimitri keeps firing at Abram as he runs back toward us. Abram just follows.

“I know you killed her!” Abram shouts. “I know my Tatiana is dead. I found her body, you bastard!”

Everything inside me chills to the bone. How does Abram know?

Dimitri gets into the car as Abram shoots at the windshield. It cracks but holds in place. Quickly starting the car, Dimitri drives us away from his mansion.

From his and Katya’s home.

The sad part is, I was starting to see their home as my home. And now, it’s gone.

No one follows us as we hurry through the streets.

“Suffice to say it was Abram who burned our house,” Dimitri says, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Fucking bastard. I’m going to kill him for this.”

“Yeah, but you seem incapable of that,” Katya snaps. “And he fucking shot me! I need to get to the hospital.”

“That’s where he’ll expect us to go. I’m sure he’ll have his men out scouring every hospital, searching for us.”

“Then what do we do?”

“I have my own doctor. I’ll take you to him.”

“Won’t Abram be expecting that, too?” I ask.

Dimitri slants his eyes at me. “He doesn’t know my doctor.”

“That’s fine,” Katya snaps. “Just get me to the fucking doctor!”

“You better not be bleeding out on my seats,” he mutters.

Katya only rolls her eyes. I determine she can’t be too hurt if she can still get annoyed with her brother.

Dimitri pulls up to Dr. Wilson’s clinic. I remember coming here for an MRI.

“Keep an eye out,” he says, “in case Abram somehow followed us.”

We hurry inside, and a shocked receptionist looks at us with wide eyes.

“Tell the good doc that Dimitri Ivanov is here to see him.”

She blinks then picks up the phone. After a moment, Dr. Wilson arrives. “What’s the matter.”

“I was shot,” Katya says, stepping forward and showing him her arm.

“Let’s get that looked at.”

“You go,” Dimitri tells her. “I’m going to stay in here.” To keep an eye out, I realize .

I want to stay with Dimitri, but Katya grabs my hand, pulling me along with her. Dimitri and I share a look before I walk down the hallway, and he disappears from my view.

It doesn’t take long for the doctor to take the bullet out in Katya’s arm. I remain by her side while she cusses and moans the entire time. Then he stitches her up, gives her medicine to help infection, and tells her she’ll be all right.

“You’ll just have a scar.”

Katya gasps. “A scar?” You’d think that was the worst thing to ever happen to her.

We walk back out to Dimitri, who tells us it’s safe to leave.

“But we have to find a new place to go to and fast,” he says.

“The beach house?” I suggest. We just drove hours going to and from there, but if it means our lives, the drive is worth it.

“No. Too many of my people know about it. Abram will be able to find it.”

“You don’t have a safehouse we can go to?” Katya asks.

He shrugs. “I never thought I would need one. Before I fucked up and fucked Tatiana, I thought I was invincible.”

“That’s just great, Dimitri,” Katya says, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“Can you get a new safehouse?” I ask.

“Yes. But we’ll need to change cars. Abram will be able to track it and find us. Let’s go.”

We hurry outside, keeping our eyes and ears peeled for Abram.

What I’m not expecting to see is Detective Johnson coming our way.

It’s clear from the surprise in his face that he wasn’t expecting to see me either.

“Evie?” he asks then stops when he sees Dimitri next to me.

“Detective. What are you doing here?”

He nods at Dr. Wilson’s clinic. “I always go here. What are you doing? You seem like you’re in a hurry.”

“We are,” Dimitri growls, grabbing my hand .

Johnson stares at him for a beat before extending his hand. “Detective Johnson. You’re Dimitri Ivanov.”

“I am. How do you know that? And how do you know my wife?”

“She’s come to see me before. About her kidnapping.”

“Did you get anything on Dima?” I ask.

He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Actually, we looked into the house of the pictures you gave us. And there was nothing there.”

“Nothing?” Hope deflates in my chest.

“Nothing,” he repeats. “No prints. No evidence. Nothing. So, we’re back to square one, and you just wasted our efforts.”

“But Dima is your killer.”

He shrugs. “Not as far as we can tell. Now, I’m not at liberty to tell you anything else about the investigation. But I am curious about you.” He sets his eyes onto Dimitri. “The great Dimitri Ivanov. Wonder what you’ve been getting up to.”

“Nothing,” Dimitri snaps. “Now, we were just on our way. So, have a fun freaking day.” He flashes his charming smile at Johnson and gets into the car. His smile does nothing to Johnson, I can tell.

“If you’re in trouble,” he says to me. “You can always tell me.”

He means against Dimitri. But it’s not Dimitri I’m in trouble with. It’s Abram and Dima and even Detective Johnson himself.

Only Dimitri will save me now.

“Have a nice day, detective,” I say as I get into the car.

I hate the look he gives us as we drive away—full of mistrust and even a little disgust.

“Do you have something you want to tell me?” Dimitri asks, gripping the steering wheel so tight his fingers are turning white.

“I told the police about Dima, not you. Clearly, nothing came of it.”

“But now that fucking detective is going to look into me!” His shout is loud in the car. It makes both Katya and me jump.

“Calm down, Dimitri,” Katya says. “Don’t scare poor Evie. She was just doing what she thought was for the best.”

“Including the police in Bratva business is never for the best.”

“You don’t own me,” I tell him. “I went to the police and told them about Dima. I never told them about you. So, you don’t need to worry. Now, let’s not fight. We just need to get somewhere safe.”

I can tell he wants to fight, but he holds it back.

He drives us to a quiet street and parks the car. “Stay in here. I’ll go get us a new one.” He gets out and hurries down the street to another car.

“Are you ok?” I ask Katya.

“I’ll manage. God, what has our life come to? I just got shot. The house I grew up in has burned to the ground. And now, we’re on the run.”

“Remember how you said you wanted me to live more?” I shoot her a smile.

Katya laughs and shakes her head. “I’m so sorry, Evie. I pulled you into this world. You were just a sweet librarian, and now, you’re technically a murderer.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Sorry.”

Dimitri comes back to us. “I found us a new car. Come on.”

We follow him down the street to a simple white car. “You’re stealing this?” I ask.

“I am.” He pauses. “Got a problem with that?”

Yes. But I know this is life or death, and I can’t be judgmental right now. Honestly, after what I did to Tatiana, I can never judge anyone ever again.

Dimitri drives us to a motel. “They take cash.” The motel in question is fairly run down. When we step inside our room, I can see mold stains on the walls and on the floor.

“Ugh.” Katya shudders.

“It’s the best on short notice,” Dimitri explains. “Stay here. I’m going to go deal with Abram.”

By deal with him, he means kill him.

“And after you’re done dealing with him?” Katya asks.

“Then we find a new home.”

Before Dimitri leaves, I grab his hand and pull him to the side. Katya steps away to give us some privacy. “Are you mad at me?” I ask. “About going to the police?”

He sighs and grabs my face gently. “No. I know you want Dima caught.”

“He’s still out there. Killing women.”

“I know. Once Abram is taken care of, I promise I’ll find Dima and kill him. It will be top priority for me.”

“Ok.”

He gives me a small peck on the lips before walking out the door.

I turn to Katya, who’s staring down at the bed with her nose wrinkled. “I’m not getting in that,” she says.

“We could sit on the floor.”

We both look at it. A cockroach scurries across the ground.

Both Katya and I scream.

“The bed!” She scrambles on top. “Maybe it can’t get to us that way.”

After everything we’ve been through, it’s kind of a miracle that the sight of a cockroach could freak us out this much.

It makes me feel somewhat normal again.

DIMITRI

“So, I need your help,” I say once Nikolai opens his front door. He stares at me—his scar pale against his tan skin.

“When don’t you need my help?” he mutters, letting me on in.

I nod at Ava as she hovers in the living room doorway. “Ava. Nice to see you again.”

“Don’t talk to my wife,” Nik growls.

I raise my hands up. “Hey, I have a wife of my own now. No interest in yours.” A wife I would much rather be fucking than having to fight for our lives.

“What do you need?” Nik asks as we head to his office.

“Help in killing Abram. He won’t stop. Do you know he blew up my fucking house?”

“I heard something to that affect.” Nik leans against his desk, crossing his arms. “If you haven’t been able to kill him over these past weeks, then what makes you think I can do it?”

“Because you’re the feared Nikolai Petrov. I thought you could do anything.”

He stands up straighter. I can tell he likes my compliment, but he would never admit it out loud. “We should include Maxim. He can help us.”

“Sure. But you know he’s a stick-in-the-mud. He never wants to do anything fun.”

“I’m calling him,” is Nik’s response.

After a half hour of Nik glaring at me and me making little quips and him glaring harder, Maxim finally shows up.

“What’s going on?” he asks. His leather jacket is a lot more casual than Nik’s and my suit jackets. Fucking bikers, man.

“He needs help killing Abram,” Nik explains.

“I’ve been looking into him, and I haven’t found anything to use against him,” I say. “His daughter is dead. There’s nothing I can do to draw him out. I’ll have to go to him, and I’d rather not.”

“You?” Maxim asks, raising his eyebrows. “Mr. Jump into anything without asking questions? I remember you when you were crazy.”

“Still crazy, but now, I have more things at risk.” Like Evie. I can’t lose her again.

“Huh.” Maxim nods his head, a smile on his lips. “I guess that means there’s hope for all of us to change.”

“Help me take down Abram?”

Maxim hesitates and then sighs. “There’s something I know about Abram. Ever since you had us confront him, I was curious. I knew he was going to cause more trouble, and I don’t like it when people cause trouble. So, I found out he doesn’t just have one daughter. He has two.”

I stand up straighter. “What? Why haven’t I ever heard about this?”

“Apparently, he keeps his other daughter pretty well hidden. But she’s ten. You could use her against Abram; though I don’t agree with using little girls as bait. I’m just saying it’s an option.”

“Wow,” I drawl. “I didn’t know you had that in you, Maxim. A little ruthless, if you ask me. ”

“I don’t like it,” he mutters. “But it’s one way to draw Abram out. Just don’t hurt the girl, Dimitri.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“After you killed his first daughter, I just wanted to make sure.”

I go still. “You know about Tatiana’s death?”

Nik nods. “Abram sent the news across our contacts. He wants everyone to know he’s going after you for the death of his daughter.”

“But I didn’t even kill her!”

Maxim snorts.

“I didn’t,” I emphasize.

“Then who did?” Maxim asks.

I almost tell them the truth but hold it back. I’m not going to throw Evie under the bus. Besides, she didn’t mean to kill Tatiana. She doesn’t deserve to have that over her head forever.

“No, I did,” I lie. “I killed Tatiana, but she was a pain in my ass. I won’t hurt a ten-year-old girl, Maxim. If you really thought I would, then you never would have told me about her in the first place.”

“You’re so strange,” he mutters.

“Enough,” Nik says. “I won’t take part in the kidnapping of a young girl. I just won’t.”

“Ava has your balls in a vise, doesn’t she?” I comment.

He levels a glare at me. “And your wife doesn’t?”

“Not yet. So, I’m going to kidnap Abram’s other daughter, draw him out, then murder him. Simple. Maxim, join me.”

“Why me?”

“It was your plan to begin with. And I’ll need the help.” I turn to Nik. “Unless you want to join in on the party.”

Nik scoffs, crossing his arms. “I’m good. If you want me to help kill Abram, I’m game. But I refuse to kidnap a little girl.”

I shrug. “Fine. I’m going to because I need to do everything in my power to save my wife.”

“The Dimitri I knew would do it just for the fun,” Nik murmurs.

“I’m not the Dimitri you once knew.” The moment the words escape me, I realize just how true they are. I’ve changed, and it’s all thanks to Evie .

Man, when all this is over, I’m going to finally sleep with her and show her all the ways one can experience pleasure.

But right now, I need to focus.

I need to kidnap a ten-year-old girl.

But to do that, I need to get into Abram’s house, which won’t be easy since he has a million fucking guards outside of it.

Well, not a million, but damn near.

“I count five guards,” Maxim says from the passenger seat of my stolen car. He normally drives a bike, but it’s not incognito enough.

Fine. So, there’s five guards, not a million.

“Let’s go kill them.” I grin.

Maxim shakes his head. “You know, when you smile like that, it reminds me of when you helped Nikolai kill a bunch of my men.”

“We’re past all that.”

“I’m only helping you with this because I want to make sure that girl isn’t hurt.”

“You know, I’m shocked you’re agreeing to do this.”

“I want peace, and right now, Abram is causing this city to go up in flames. I don’t want him coming after me for working with you, which he might do now that you killed his daughter. I want to end this, and if that means using a girl as bait, that’s what I’m willing to do. But I will not see her get hurt.”

I raise my hands in surrender. “Duly noted. The only person who’s going to get hurt is Abram. And his guards. And anyone else who might get in my way.” I smile. “Ready?”

“I’m going to regret this,” he mutters, but he follows me out of the car anyway.

Using the silencer on my gun, I shoot the first guard in the head before he even has time to react. Maxim takes down guards number two and three.

That just leaves two more.

Maxim goes around one side of the house, and I take the other. The next two guards are down before they can even raise their weapons. I feel kind of bad for them.

I mean, not really, but I’ll pretend to feel bad for them. Anyone who’s working for Abram is an enemy in my eyes.

We reach the back door then stop.

“He must have an alarm in place,” I whisper.

“I don’t know how to disable an alarm.”

I shrug. “Then fuck it.” I open the door, and right on cue, an alarm sounds out, and two men coming running right for us.

Maxim and I shoot them dead before they get very far.

“Abram will know we’re in here,” I say. “We have to get the girl now.” I rush upstairs while Maxim remains on the first floor. Abram doesn’t pop out anywhere, so I know he’s somewhere else.

I open every door until I find the room I’m looking for.

A little girl is asleep in her bed. I feel a pang of guilt, but then I push it to the side. Now is not the time for guilt. If it were, I’d be dead already from the pain of it.

I slip my hand over the girl’s mouth. She wakes up and tries to scream. “I’m not going to hurt you, but you can’t scream. Understood?”

Slowly, she nods.

“Good.” I release her mouth. “Now, I’m sorry about this, but you’re coming with me.” I pick her up and carry her downstairs. Maxim is pacing back and forth while the alarm continues to blare.

“See?” I say. “No girls were harmed in the breaking and entering of Abram’s house.”

Maxim rolls his eyes. “Let’s just go.”

“Wait.” I set the girl down and run into the kitchen. I find a pen and notepad and leave a note for Abram. Just so he knows it was me.

We hurry out of the house and to my car. I place the girl in the back seat, being careful with her. Then we drive away from Abram’s house.

He doesn’t even know what I just did. I know when he finds out, he’ll be even angrier, but hopefully, he’ll lay down his life for his daughter. If I had a daughter, I would do that .

I wonder if Evie and I will ever have kids. The thought makes me strangely excited. Me as a dad? I can see it.

Maxim insists on staying, so all three of us head back to the motel.

“You sure your wife is going to agree with this?” he asks, nodding at the girl in the backseat. She hasn’t said a word since I took her.

“No. She’s going to hate me for this, but I’m doing this for her.”

“I can’t imagine fighting for someone so hard.”

“That’s because you’ve never been in love.” I pause. Am I in love? Honestly, I have no fucking clue, but if being in love means I can’t get Evie off my mind, then sure, I’m in love.

Maxim only shakes his head as he gets out of the car. He coaxes the girl out of her seat. “We won’t hurt you.”

“What about my dad?” she asks.

I startle at her voice. “Your dad is the reason we’re doing this.”

She flinches and doesn’t say another word. Maxim glares at me, but I don’t care. What I said is the truth.

Opening the motel door, I find Evie and Katya huddled together on the bed.

“There’s a cockroach,” Katya whispers.

“Whispering won’t make it disappear,” I respond.

“You made it back safely,” Evie says, coming over to me. “I’m so glad.”

“There was, uh, something I had to do.” I motion at Maxim to bring the girl inside.

Evie steps back. “What’s … going on? Who is this?”

“This is Abram’s other daughter,” I announce. “Uh …” I turn to the girl. “What’s your name?”

“Maria,” she whispers.

“There you go.”

“And why do you have Abram’s other daughter?”

“To draw Abram out,” I answer honestly.

“You’re using this girl as bait?” I hear the disgust in Evie’s voice, and it hurts my fucking soul.

“I am, but we’re not going to hurt her. Once Abram is dead, she can go back home, safe and sound. ”

“You’re going to kill my dad?” Maria asks and instantly begins crying. Maxim awkwardly pats her arm, which only makes her cry harder.

“Dimitri, this is wrong,” Evie says. “This is so wrong. I … I can’t even look at you right now. I have to think.” She brushes past me and heads outside.

“Evie, let’s talk about this.”

“What’s there to talk about? You kidnapped a little girl, Dimitri!”

“Yeah, and you killed her sister.”

I know the moment those words are out of my mouth that it was the worst thing I could say.

Evie looks at me like I’m a monster.

That hurts most of all.