Page 7

Chapter

Seven

EVIE

I can’t just sit around and do nothing while Dima is out killing more women and Abram is trying to hurt Dimitri and me.

But I’m just a librarian who’s spent my entire life stuck in books. I know I need to leave everything to Dimitri. This is his world.

But I just can’t stop thinking about what I could do to help make things better. I tell Katya this.

“Like what?” Katya asks as we lounge on the couch. Dimitri is gone, off doing who knows what. I’d rather not know honestly.

“I have no idea. I just can’t stay cooped up in this mansion all day.”

“Poor little rich girl.” She pouts then gives me a teasing grin. “I know. I get it. Like, I have everything. Money, good looks, but I can’t even use it because Dimitri doesn’t want me going anywhere. He literally has a tracker on my phone and car.”

“That’s horrible.”

She shrugs. “I mean, in this world, it’s more about safety. If something ever happened to me, he would know where to look.”

“It’s wild that you’re always so casual about things like that. In my world, tracking your phone and car makes you abusive. ”

“Well, that’s because you don’t have to worry about madmen with guns.”

Good point. I slump back into my seat, my mind flashing to Abram in the store yesterday. The way he looked at me with so much anger. The words he called me. And then Dimitri defending my honor. Dimitri looking at me with softness as I cleaned his hand. Dimitri making me feel safe when I’m not sure I should feel safe around him at all.

“I just wish I could do something. Make things better somehow.”

Katya sets her phone down and thinks for a moment before nudging me. “We could always talk to Tatiana.”

“Abram’s daughter? Why?”

“Because she’s the one who was wronged. Maybe if we talk to her and convince her Dimitri didn’t wrong her, then she’ll talk to her father, and he’ll stop being an ass about everything. It would be one less thing we have to worry about.”

“You think that would work?”

“It’s the best shot we have. We can’t exactly go after a serial killer. We don’t even know where Dima is. And Abram is too dangerous for us to confront. But Tatiana? Nah. She’s harmless. She’s a Bratva daughter like me. She knows me. We’re … friends.”

“That didn’t sound convincing.”

With a smile, she pushes herself off the couch. “Fine. We’re not friends. But we know each other. She might be willing to talk to me.”

“Should I be there? I mean, I’m the woman Dimitri married instead of her.”

“That’s exactly why you should be there. Maybe if she sees how nice you are, she’ll back off.”

“I’m not sure about this,” I admit.

Katya grabs my arm and hoists me up. “You wanted to do something to help. Well, we can do this one thing. I know where Tatiana spends a lot of her days.”

“Where?”

Turns out it’s a fancy restaurant that hosts tea parties.

When we step inside, I’m confronted with the memory of my school days. The expensive linens and fine China and all manner of pretty, rich girls seated around tables, barely eating anything. It’s like I’ve been transported back to our boarding school. I feel just as out of place now as I did then. The scholarship girl.

I’m sure the food the women are barely eating costs hundreds of dollars. I remember how I would bring my own lunch to school and how mocked I was for it because my dad couldn’t afford to buy me takeout from expensive restaurants every day.

“There she is.” Katya points to Tatiana, who’s laughing with a group of women. She reminds me so much of all the girls from school. Katya would fit right on in here with her looks and wealth, but instead, she’s standing beside me. She befriended me back in school and didn’t leave me to fend for myself.

I’m glad I have her by my side now.

We approach Tatiana. The moment she sees us, the table goes silent. Other than Tatiana, there are three women seated at the table, all with shiny hair and white smiles. They look me up and down and sneer, but once they notice Katya, they brighten up.

“Katya,” Tatiana says cheerfully. “Come to join us? It would be a good idea to get to know my future sister.”

She rolls her eyes. “Tatiana, you’re not going to marry my brother.”

“Oh?” She lifts a teacup to her lips. “And why is that?”

“Because he’s already married. To Evie.” Katya grabs my arms and shuffles me forward. “Everyone, meet Evie, Dimitri’s new wife.”

The three other women look at me with more fascination. I guess now they know I’m worthy of being around them because of who I’m married to.

“You’re pretty,” a redhead says.

Tatiana gives her a look. “Anna, why would you break my heart like that?”

I smile at Anna. “Thank you. You’re pretty, too.” Anna beams under my praise.

Tatiana rolls her eyes and turns back to me. “So, you’re the woman who stole my Dimitri out from under me. I have no idea what Katya was thinking bringing you here, but I want you to go.”

“We want to talk,” Katya says, placing her hands on the table. “We want you to talk to your father.”

She blinks innocently. “About what?”

“Ask him to call off his crusade on my brother. I don’t want him or Evie or anyone else to get hurt.”

“Now, why would I do that? Dimitri ruined me. He should be punished for it.”

“Fine. Sure. I agree. My brother is an asshole. But Evie doesn’t deserve to get hurt. Dimitri chose her. She didn’t have a choice. You all know how Bratva men can be.”

The other women nod their agreement, but Tatiana goes eerily still. “She did have a choice. When he married her, she could have said no.”

“No, she really couldn’t. Evie is not a Bratva girl. She doesn’t have a powerful father to protect her. Dimitri set his sights onto her, Tatiana. And I’m sorry he hurt you. That sucks. But please, talk with your father and ask him to back off. At least back off on Evie. He said horrible things to her yesterday.”

Tatiana’s eyes gleam with interest. “Oh? Like what?”

“He called me a slut,” I state point blank.

Her laughter is like a donkey braying. “Then you deserved it.”

Katya pounds her hands against the table, making all the women sit up straighter. “Do you want a war?”

“I don’t know. War sounds kind of good to me.”

“Do you know who gets hurt in a war? Women like us.” Katya waves her hand around at all of us. “If your father doesn’t stop causing trouble, Dimitri will hurt him. And he’ll probably hurt you, too, Tatiana. You know he’s capable of it. So, ask your father to make peace.”

“He stole my virginity,” she hisses. “He took it, and now, he refuses to marry me.”

I tense. Dimitri had told me he slept with Tatiana and refused to marry her, but he didn’t tell me she was a virgin. It shouldn’t matter but it does. It changes things .

“A lot of Bratva women aren’t virgins, and they manage to find husbands well enough,” Katya says. “Talk to your father.”

“Oh, I already have.” She lifts her phone up from underneath the table. “I texted him to come here. He has a few words to say to you. To both of you.”

Katya and I share a look. “Should we leave?” I ask.

“Right away.”

We turn to go when an idea hits me. “Tatiana,” I say, “I know you must hate me. I represent what you lost. If I could give Dimitri to you, I would. But I can’t because people cannot be used in other people’s games. I’m sorry Dimitri hurt you. You don’t deserve that. But please, for the sake of peace, talk to your father.”

For just a moment, her eyes soften. Then a wicked grin crosses her face. “Sorry. I don’t listen to bitches who steal other people’s boyfriends. I hope you rot in hell.”

I flinch. Never before has anyone said something so mean to me. Juno can be biting with her words, but she would lace them with kindness. Tatiana is just a mean girl who’s hurting, and that makes it worse.

“Come on,” Katya says, grabbing my arm, and we hurry out of the restaurant. “I thought that would help. I’m sorry.”

“What matter is we tried. That’s all we can do.”

We reach her car, but before we can get in, we’re approached by Abram and two other men.

Everything goes still and silent.

Then Katya tells me to get in the car. My hands slip on the door handle, and I don’t get the door open before Abram is upon us. One of his guys grabs me while the other one grabs Katya.

Abram remains standing there, not breaking a sweat since he doesn’t have to do this himself. His smile sends chills down my spine. “You thought you could talk to my daughter? The second you showed up, she texted me to come here. I didn’t hesitate. You see …” He walks right up to me and trails his fingers down my face. I jerk my head away, but I can’t step back, not when the other man holds me in place.

“You see,” he repeats, dropping his hand, “I want Dimitri to hurt for what he did to my daughter. I also want him to do the right thing and marry her. So, what better way than to kill his current wife?”

Everything inside me goes cold. Katya and I were just trying to help.

And now we’ve made it worse. So much worse.

“Boris, Arthur. Get them into my car,” he orders.

The man holding me does as he’s told. I try kicking and clawing at him, but he doesn’t let go. Then I remember—relax.

I ease back against Boris, and he stumbles, not expecting me to do that. Then I jam my foot against his foot, and he grunts, letting me go. I drop to the ground and roll away.

Then I hesitate. To help Katya, I need to get Dimitri. He’s the only one who can truly save us both. But I can’t leave my best friend behind.

“Run, Evie!” Katya says, struggling against Arthur. “It’s ok. Run!”

But I hesitate for too long.

Both Boris and Abram come at me and drag me to Abram’s car, where they throw me into the trunk. They push Katya on top of me so we’re both squished in the back of Abram’s trunk. The smile he gives me as he closes the lid will haunt me forever.

Once the lid is shut, Katya and I are in complete darkness. There’s no room to move or breathe.

I feel the panic hitting me, and my breath starts to come out in small pants.

“Evie,” she says softly. Her elbow jams into my stomach, making me gasp. “Sorry. We need to stay calm. We can’t panic. We only have so much oxygen in this thing. You know this. You’re smarter than me, and if I know this, then that means you know this. You can’t panic. For me. Stay calm for me.”

Slowly, I inhale and exhale, calming my racing heart. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Those fucking men will be sorry once my brother is done with them. He’ll find us, Evie. He’ll save us.”

Her faith in her brother is astounding. I wish I had the same kind of faith .

But all I feel is doubt and fear that I really will die this time.

How do I not panic over that?

The car starts and begins to drive. I know the farther we’re taken away, the harder it will be for Dimitri to save us.

DIMITRI

When I arrive home, I’m confronted with a surprise.

Juno is pacing back and forth in front of the door. “You’re finally here,” she says once I get out of my car. “I’ve been knocking, and no one has been answering.”

“Why are you here?”

“You should be ashamed of yourself. Kidnapping my daughter the way you have. She hasn’t called or texted. I need to make sure she’s all right.”

“She’s my wife now. Not my prisoner.”

Juno’s eyes widen, and then she slaps me across the face. Not many people can surprise me. Juno is a surprising woman.

“What the hell was that for?”

“You married my daughter and didn’t even invite me to the wedding?”

“It happened so fast. It was to protect her. I wasn’t thinking about family. I mean, my sister was there, but just as a witness. Now, if you’ll kindly move out of my way, I’d like to get inside my house.”

Juno plants herself more firmly in front of me. “I’m not going anywhere until you give me Evelyn back. She belongs at home. With me.”

“I didn’t know you cared. When we first me, you willingly offered yourself over to me.”

“Well, that was different. I’ve changed my mind. I want Evelyn back. Now.”

“She’s not going anywhere. Evie’s mine now.” A surge of possessiveness shoots through me. The moment those words come out of my lips I know how true they are. I’m still not fully sure how and why Evie has such a strong pull over me, but I do know I’m not letting her go. She fascinates me. A blend of cute and sexy, a little dorky yet brave. Most women throw themselves at me, and while I’ve been grateful for that in the past, it’s sort of refreshing to have a woman make me wait for her.

It makes me want Evie even more.

“Now, get out of my way,” I growl, brushing past Juno and unlocking my door. She tries to follow me inside, but I slam the door in her face. I married Evie, but I didn’t sign up to have an annoying mother-in-law. I’m not a man who plays by the rules, and I’m not the sort who cares whether I make the in-laws happy. Juno doesn’t mean anything to me.

I expect to find Katya and Evie in the living room, complaining about me probably, but they’re not there. They’re not in Katya’s room. They’re not in my room. The kitchen is empty. The backyard is quiet. They’re not here.

I check Katya’s phone and see she’s on the move. What is she up to? I rush back outside and bypass Juno, who tries to scold me again, and get back in my car. I follow Katya’s movements until she stops.

I recognize the address.

It’s Abram’s house.

What the fuck is Katya doing at his house? And is Evie with her? Or is Evie just … gone?

I don’t have time to worry about that. I just need to get answers.

EVIE

When the trunk opens, I can finally breathe again. Both Katya and I suck in the largest breath we can.

Boris and Arthur drag us out of the car and shove us through the front door of a very nice brownstone.

“If you’re going to hurt us,” Katya says, “do it and don’t be pussies.”

I stare at her. What in the world is she doing?

She shrugs. “I get angry when I’m scared.”

Abram chuckles darkly as he stands before us. “You should be scared. You thought you could tell my Tatiana what to do. You thought you could get your brother out of a situation he put himself in. But you can’t.” He turns his eyes onto me. “I don’t like to waste time talking.” He pulls a dagger from his jacket pocket. “Dimitri will be free to marry my Tatiana once you’re dead.”

My heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest. I thought Dima was going to kill me, but it’s been Abram all along who will end my life.

He brings his arm back. I know when he shoves it forward, that dagger will go into me. And it will end my life.

“Don’t!” Katya screams.

Lifting her long leg, she kicks Abram in the arm, making him drop the dagger.

“Get a hold of her!” he shouts at Arthur as he bends down to grab the blade. While he’s bent over, I kick my leg out and hit him in the head, making hm groan and flop onto his ass. “Seriously. Boris!”

Boris wraps his arms around me, but that doesn’t stop my legs from moving. I kick out again and land another hit to Abram’s face. He’s struggling to stand back up. As an older man, it’s to be expected. Katya and I have youth on our side.

Katya manages to land another kick to Abram before Arthur throws her to the ground and gets on top of her, holding her down. Boris quickly does the same to me.

Abram mutters under his breath. “Imbeciles.” His face is already bruising, which is a satisfying sight.

The front door opens and in walks Tatiana. “Have you killed her yet?” She pouts when her eyes land on me. “Daddy, why isn’t she dead yet?”

“I’m trying, pumpkin.”

Tatiana hurries over and helps him stand up. “You shouldn’t kill her in the living room. You’re going to get blood all over our couch.”

“I can just buy us a new couch.”

“But I like our couch.”

I huff, struggling against Boris, who reeks of sweat and ham. It makes me miss Dimitri’s cologne—it’s subtle yet masculine. I never thought I would miss any part of Dimitri, but here I am, doing exactly that.

“Fine,” Abram grumbles. “Boris, get her up. We’re bringing her to the basement.”

The moment Boris stands up, I jump to my feet and make a run for the front door. Instinct makes me grab a vase off a sideboard and chuck it at Boris. It smashes into his head. He falls to the floor and doesn’t get back up.

“Shit,” Abram mutters, pulling out his gun. “Stop right there.”

I do as he says.

“No, Evie!” Katya shouts. “Just run.”

But I’m frozen in fear at the sight of the gun. It reminds me of that night …

When I had to see my father get mugged down in the street. I survived, and he didn’t.

Panic creeps back into my throat and stomach, and I can’t move. Not a muscle.

Abram walks over to me and pushes me forward. “To the basement.”

The smug smile Tatiana gives me makes it all worse.

“No!” Katya shouts, bucking against Arthur, but he doesn’t let up.

“It’s ok,” I tell her. “I’ll be ok.” But we both know I won’t be.

Abram forces me down the stairs to the basement, which is made out of cement and is empty. This is where I’m going to die—in a cement box at the age of twenty.

He puts his gun away and lifts the dagger. “It will be more fun this way.” He rushes right at me …

… but I dodge out of the way, just barely avoiding getting cut.

“You’re dead,” he growls, grabbing my head and slamming it against the wall. My legs buckle, and I fall to the ground. Abram stands over me, smiling triumphantly.

A bang from upstairs makes Abram look away from me.

Footsteps. Shouts.

Then Katya is running down the stairs with Tatiana right behind her .

And behind them both is Dimitri.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he snarls at Abram. He has a gun pointed right at Abram’s head.

“She was getting in the way of my Tatiana.”

“Enough is enough, Abram. I tried to offer you peace, but you just wouldn’t take it. You’re dead to me. Actually, you’re going to be dead in one second.”

“Wait!” Tatiana shouts, throwing herself in front of her father. “If you kill him, you’ll have to kill me.”

Dimitri hesitates. “Get out of the way, Tatiana. You annoy the fuck out of me, but you don’t deserve to die.”

“She told her father about us,” Katya says. “She led him right to us.”

“Oh. Then you do deserve to die.”

“Wait,” Tatiana begs. “Please. If you let my father live, we’ll leave you alone. We won’t bother you anymore. You won’t need to marry me. I swear.”

“You actually mean that?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Tatiana,” Abram says, but she shushes him.

“Just let this go, father. Let it go.”

Abram gives her a hard, long look before nodding. “Fine. I’ll let it go.”

Dimitri hesitates then slowly lowers his arm, the gun down at his side. “If you try anything ever again, Abram, I will fucking kill you.” He rushes to my side and kneels beside me. “Evie?”

I groan, my head killing me.

“Let’s get you out of here.” He picks me up in his arms. The fact that he can be so attentive is mind-blowing. One moment, he was ready to kill Abram and Tatiana, and now, he’s nurturing me. It’s clear Dimitri is a man of hidden depths.

But it’s also clear this world is not one I want to be a part of.

The constant fighting and blood and guns and potential death. It’s all too much.

I let myself sink into Dimitri’s strong arms as he carries me out of the house. If I’m going to say goodbye to him, then I might as well enjoy being comforted by him for the time being.

Dimitri gets both Katya and me back to the house and sets me on his bed. “I’ll call for my private doctor. Have you looked over.”

He steps aside to make a phone call while Katya sits on the bed with me. “You almost died, Evie. All because of my stupid idea to confront Tatiana. What was I thinking?”

“You were thinking you wanted to make things better. So was I.”

“I’m just glad you’re not dead.”

I grab her and don’t let go.

Dimitri looks between Katya and me with an expression I don’t fully understand. It’s anger and confusion and worry all mixed into one.

“The only good thing about you being hurt,” Katya says, “is that Dimitri can’t berate us for leaving.”

I actually manage to smile.

Dimitri rolls his eyes and motions Katya away from the bed. “The doctor is on his way. God, Evie. I don’t want to lose you. Not when I just got you.”

“You never had me,” I admit. “You forced me into this relationship.”

His eyes widen and shame crosses his features. “Damn. You know how to make a man feel good.” He squeezes my hand. “Just rest until the doctor gets here.” He leaves the room, taking Katya with him.

Despite my complicated feelings for Dimitri, I do know one thing: I would’ve liked him to stay next to me.

DIMITRI

“She can’t stay here,” Katya tells me once we’re in the hall. “You know it, Dimitri. Since knowing you, she’s been hurt more than she ever has been.”

“You were the one who introduced her to me.”

Her eyebrows go into her hairline. “So, this is my fault?”

“It’s not mine. Abram is a possessive father, and Dima is a psycho. None of that is my fault. I’m not letting Evie go. Not for anything. So, you can just keep your mouth shut on the matter.”

Katya looks like I hurt her, but I don’t fucking care.

Apparently, I’m a possessive bastard when it comes to Evie, and because of that, she’s not going anywhere.

I refuse to let her go.