Page 8

Chapter

Eight

EVIE

T he MRI machine whirrs as I lay in it and close my eyes. All I can see is Dimitri bursting into Abram’s basement to save my life. I know I can trust him to do that since he’s done it so many times by now. But he’s also the reason I’m in danger.

Abram wants to kill me because of what Dimitri has done to his daughter. Dima wants me dead because he’s a psychopath, but I never would’ve crossed paths for him if not for Dimitri’s party.

It all comes back to Dimitri.

The scan ends, and I’m let out of the machine. Dr. Wilson, Dimitri’s private doctor, looks over the results while I wait in the exam room and Dimitri paces back and forth.

“You’re making me anxious,” I tell him.

He immediately stops. “How do you feel?” Gently, he touches my head and then drops his hand.

“Tired. Abram bashed my head into a wall.”

Dimitri winces. “I’m sorry he’s targeting you. He’s my problem. I’ll deal with him.”

“Deal with him how? ”

He doesn’t give me a response, and I understand what that means. He’s going to have to kill Abram if Abram doesn’t stop coming after me.

“You want to know an easier solution? We can divorce.”

Something flashes in Dimitri’s eyes. “No. We’re not divorcing.”

“Dimitri, it would solve all of our problems.”

“Then Abram will still expect me to marry Tatiana, and I refuse to do that.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have taken her virginity.”

A surprising blush covers his cheeks. I’m not sure Dimitri has ever blushed before. “You know about that?”

“You told me you slept with her, but you never told me you took her virginity. And as you and Katya have made clear to me, a woman’s virginity within your culture is valued. You knew what you were doing. Did you even care?”

“Honestly, no. I didn’t care.”

“So, if you didn’t care, then how can I expect you to care for me?”

“Because you’re different.”

“How?” I demand. “How am I any different?”

“Because I like you. It’s plain and simple.”

“But have you ever asked if I like you?”

Dimitri goes still, then he places his hands on the exam table on either side of my legs. We’re so close he could easily lean in and kiss me. “Don’t you like me? I think I’m pretty charming.” He flashes his signature grin, and I hate to admit it, but my stomach does a little backflip.

“I don’t hate you, Dimitri. I probably should, but I don’t. However, that doesn’t mean I like you either.”

“Then how can I get you to like me?”

“By letting me go. Divorcing me. Sparing me from Abram’s wrath.”

“Then Dima would come right for you.”

“Then I’ll go to the police. It’s still an option.”

Roughly, he shakes his head. “No. It’s not an option.”

“Why not?” I whisper .

“Because I want you to be mine. God knows why I’m so drawn to you. I just am. You’re mine, Evie. Might as well get used to it.”

His eyes flick down to my lips, and I can’t help myself—I wonder what it would be like to be truly kissed by Dimitri. Would it be soft and sweet or fast and passionate? He’s the kind of man who could get any woman to do bad things.

But not me. I can’t be drawn into his world. The darkness and violence are taking a toll on me.

The door opens, and Dr. Wilson steps inside. Dimitri doesn’t back away. Instead, he places his hand behind me on the exam table, not quite touching but letting me know it’s there.

“So, good news,” the doctor says. “There’s no damage. You’re going to have a headache for a while, but you’re good. Very fortunate.”

Dimitri lets out a fast breath. “Good. That’s good.”

But is it? I got lucky this time, but eventually, my luck will run out. How can Dimitri keep protecting me when he’s the reason I’m in trouble in the first place?

The last person I would expect to see standing on the doorstep is my stepmother.

Dimitri is gone off to work today. I tried asking him about what exactly he does, and he was very cryptic in his reply. So, it’s just Katya and me at the house with instructions not to leave.

But I’ve been missing the library, so I decide to go and am stopped by Juno when I open the front door.

She gasps when she sees me, her hand flying to her heart dramatically. “You’re finally here. I came by yesterday, but you weren’t here.”

That’s because I was getting kidnapped by Abram. I decide not to tell Juno this.

“Did you need something?” I ask her.

“Yes. I want you to come home with me, Evelyn. I miss you.”

“Do you really? Or do you just miss the fact that I would cook and clean for you? ”

“Honey, no. I miss you . Not for your skills in the kitchen but for your lovely personality. You can’t honestly want to stay here with the man who kidnapped you, do you?”

She has a point. But do I really want to return home with the woman who’s made my life uncomfortable ever since my dad’s death?

“You really miss me?” I ask, not believing her.

“Yes. We had some good times together, didn’t we? We would go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. We would get facials and our nails done together.”

“We did that once,” I remind her.

“But we still did it together, and we can do it more. Honey, I’m sorry if I haven’t been the best mother to you ever since your father died. But I want to be a good mother to you now. Let me. Let me get you out of here and back home.”

“Dimitri won’t like it. He’ll come for me. And then there’s Dima.”

“Dima?”

She doesn’t know. I sigh, resting my head against the doorframe. “He’s a serial killer who tried to kill me. He’s the one the police have been looking for.”

Juno’s eyes are comically wide. “Then we need to go to the police.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying, but Dimitri thinks?—”

“Who cares what that man thinks. He kidnapped you himself. He forced you into a marriage. Come on. If we leave now, we can go to the police. We can end this.”

She sounds so convincing, and I’ve only ever wanted Juno to like me. It’s irrational, but when I lost my father as a teenager and she was the only mom I had, I developed a desire for her to accept me.

Maybe all it took for her to care for me was to lose me.

“Do you really want to help me?” I ask.

When she takes my hand in hers, it feels so warm and comforting. “Honey, I do. Come back home with me. We can go to the police together. Come on.”

I hesitate then nod. It’s the right thing to do. Dimitri wants to put it off, but the police need to be involved. “Just let me say goodbye to Katya.”

“No,” she says harshly, and I pause. “You talk to her all the time. You can say goodbye later. We should go now. She might try and convince you to stay. You know I’m right.”

I glance behind me toward the hallway where I know Katya is in her room. She knew I was heading to the library. She won’t think it’s strange that I’m gone. Besides, I can just text her later.

“Ok,” I finally say and follow Juno out of Dimitri’s house. “To the police station.”

“Of course.” Juno stays true to her word and takes me to the nearest police station. Walking inside, it’s like something out of a movie. Officers walking by in a hurry. A person eating a doughnut. The sound of incoming calls.

A large front desk is before me and behind it sits an officer. A young man with curly hair. He reminds me of the boys back at my boarding school rather than a police officer. His name tag says Deacon.

“How can I help you?” he asks when I slowly approach the desk. Juno remains right beside me. I find myself needing her strength.

It’s time to tell the police about Dima, but I’m scared. Will Dima find me here? Will going to the police somehow make things worse?

“My daughter has news on the serial killer you cops are looking for.”

“All right. Just fill out this form, and a detective will come by and talk to you.”

The form asks me to fill out my statement, but I don’t even know how to put into words what I went through. I try my best though and describe the event, from Dima kidnapping me to him almost killing me to Dimitri saving me. I don’t mention my marriage to Dimitri or who he is exactly. That’s not important. I want Dima caught. Not Dimitri.

Deacon takes the report back and raises his eyebrows as he reads it. It seems to hurry him along as he calls for a Detective Johnson.

After a few minutes, a man comes out of a side room. He’s short and plain and unmemorable. “Evelyn Anderson?”

“Yes. ”

“Follow me.” He takes Juno and me into a room filled with different desks. His name, Detective Johnson, is on a nameplate. “So, you have news about the serial killer we’ve been searching for.”

“Yes. His name is Dima. He kidnapped me and brought me to his house. I can show you where it is. He took me down into his basement and tried to kill me.”

Instead of looking interested or scribbling all of this down, Johnson leans back in his seat and studies me with curiosity. “When did all of this happen?”

“A few days ago.”

“And you’re just reporting this now?”

“Yes.” Sweat begins to break out on my body.

“How did you escape?”

“A man saved me.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “A man?”

“Uh … just some man. I don’t know him. He happened to show up at the house and saved me. I escaped.”

“And this was a few days ago?”

“Yes.”

“Why not come in sooner?”

“Because …” Because the man who saved me made into his wife, and I don’t want to tell you about him. I shouldn’t protect Dimitri from the police. I’m sure he’s done some terrible things in the past, but I don’t have proof. All I’ve seen of Dimitri is him saving me. He doesn’t need to go to prison for that. But as a Bratva man, I’m sure the police would be interested in him. It’s why he didn’t want me going to the police in the first place.

“Because she was scared,” Juno cuts in. “But she’s here now, and you should listen to her statement. She can point you to your killer. That’s good news.”

“It is good news. But you see, Evelyn?—”

“Evie,” I insist.

“Evie. I’m having trouble believing your story. Some man just happens to save you from the deranged killer we’ve been searching for for months now. Granted, you fit the type our killer likes, but your story is so far-fetched. I don’t believe it. You’re omitting information. I can tell. What aren’t you telling me, Evie?”

My heart is beating fast, and my palms are sweaty and my panic rises. For once, I actually kind of want Dimitri to spank me again. It helped focus my mind last time. Even though I found it uncouth and inappropriate.

“A man named Dimitri Ivanov saved her,” Juno says.

I gasp and give her a sharp look.

Juno shrugs. “What? We should tell the police everything. They should know about him, Evelyn.”

But I didn’t want to bring Dimitri into this. I just want Dima caught.

Detective Johnson looks at me harder. “Dimitri Ivanov? You know Dimitri Ivanov?”

“They’re married.”

“Juno,” I hiss.

“He should have all the information, Evelyn.”

“You’re married,” Johnson states in a tone that indicates he doesn’t believe me one bit.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is I know who the serial killer is who’s been killing woman who look like me for the past year. I can take you to the house he took me to.”

“Just give me the address, and I’ll look into it.”

“Um … I don’t remember the exact address, but I remember what the house looked like. I remember where it is. I can take you to it.”

“That won’t be necessary, Evie. Now, is there anything you can tell me about Dimitri Ivanov?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, is there anything you can tell me. His whereabouts. Any suspicious activity. We’ve been trying to catch him for a while, but nothing ever sticks. Having something on him would make it possible to bring him in.”

“He kidnapped her,” Juno offers. “If Evelyn pressed charges, would that be enough? ”

“It would be a start. We could use that to get a warrant on him. Do you want to press charges?”

“Of course, she does,” Juno says, not even letting me speak. “He kidnapped her.”

They both turn to me, and I realize I have nothing to say. This detective clearly doesn’t believe me about Dima. How he can completely dismiss my experience without any proof is ridiculous. But it’s obvious I’m not going to get anywhere with him.

All he’s interested in is bringing Dimitri down.

And I don’t want that.

I just want to be free of his dark, dangerous life. That doesn’t mean I want him to get in trouble. Coming here was a mistake.

“No,” I say. “I won’t press charges. I’m leaving.”

“I didn’t say you could go,” Johnson says.

“Are you arresting me?”

“No.”

“Then I’m free to go.” I hurry out of the police station as Juno apologizes to the detective then quickly follows me.

“What were you thinking?” she snaps. “This was your one chance to bring Dimitri down for what he did to you.”

“But I don’t want that. I just want Dima found and arrested. If the police don’t believe me, then I need to get proof of what he did to me.”

“What kind of proof?”

I need to go back to that house and take pictures. Then the police won’t ignore what I went through.

I know it’s dangerous. I should just return to Dimitri. But now that I’m out, I feel my freedom again, and I don’t want to lose that. I’m a lover of books, which means I love a mystery.

I’m going on my own adventure, and I’m going to find Dima and bring him in.

“Evelyn?”

“I’m going back to Dima’s house. I’m only telling you for insurance reasons. In case he’s there and something goes wrong.” But I don’t think he’ll be there. Dimitri hasn’t been able to find Dima since he went into the wind, which means he hasn’t been back to the house he took me to.

“Evelyn, this is crazy.”

“No. What’s crazy is all these men thinking they can do whatever they want to me. I’m going to bring Dima to the cops.” It’s my new mission. No more living in my books. It’s time to live in the real world.

DIMITRI

I’m nursing my drink at an upscale bar when Irina steps into my sight.

“Dimitri? I didn’t know you were here.”

I just finished collecting money the owner owed me and decided to stay for a drink.

My eyes rake over Irina. She’s just as hot as I remember, but I don’t feel the spark of desire for her as I did when we first met. Now, all I can think about is Evie. What kind of pussy has she turned me into? Honestly, I’m not angry about it.

“Irina. Nice to see you again.”

“Heard you got married. Shame it wasn’t me.”

“I know. Now, I’ll never get to experience your oral skills.”

Her smile is wicked. “Is your wife good? I hope for your sake, she is.”

“I don’t know. We haven’t fucked yet.”

“Wow. Dimitri Ivanov, going almost a whole week without fucking a woman. What has this world turned to?”

It startles me that she’s right. Every woman I’ve ever set my sights on has ended up in my bed by the end of the night. I’m a great charmer. But with Evie, it’s been days, and we’ve only shared a small kiss on our wedding day. Fuck, she really is changing me.

“Well,” Irina continues, “if you ever need to let off some steam, you know where to find me.” She walks away. Now, that’s a woman who knows how to let shit go. Tatiana could learn a thing or two from her.

I finish my drink and head back home.

Only to find Katya alone in the house .

“Where’s Evie?” I demand.

I can tell in her eyes she wants to lie to me, but then she sighs. “She’s gone.”

“Again?”

“She left. With Juno. She texted me. I think she’s gone back home.”

“This is her home.”

“Is it?”

I don’t even respond. I just leave and head straight for Juno’s house.

After banging on her door, Juno finally answers. “Dimitri.”

“You don’t seem surprised to see me.”

“I figured you would show yourself eventually.”

I barge on it. “Where’s Evie? Evie!”

“She’s not here.” She fiddles her hands together and can’t meet my eyes.

“Then where the fuck is she?”

“At Dima’s house.”

For a moment, I don’t think I’ve heard her right. “At … Dima’s house? The man who’s trying to kill her? The man I want to protect her from?”

“I presume so. I don’t actually know.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Juno,” I mutter and walk right back out of the house. “Why didn’t you stop her?”

“Because I can’t control her like you can.”

I shoot her a glare as I get into my car. Dima has been in hiding ever since I saved Evie. But if he’s been keeping an eye on her, and he finds her alone, he’ll kill her.

And I have to do everything in my power to keep that from happening.

EVIE

Dima’s house looks exactly as a I remember.

A ramshackle of a place. Peeling paint. Yellow grass on the lawn .

The metal of the fence creaks as I open the gate and walk onto the porch. I have my phone ready to take pictures and a small knife I took from Juno’s house before coming here. It’s not a lot, but hopefully, it’ll help in case Dima makes himself known.

I knock on the door, but no one answers. With trembling fingers, I try the knob, and the door opens right up. I know this is insanely stupid. But I have to put Dima behind bars, and if Dimitri won’t do it, then the task is up to me.

If Dima is gone, then Dimitri has no excuse to keep me married to him. In fact, it’ll be safer for me if he divorces me. Abram won’t want to kill me if I’m not an obstacle to Tatiana.

The smell hits me right in the nose as I enter, just like last time. And also, like last time, it reeks of death.

My steps are light as I walk into the house. Everything is quiet. Quickly, I head down to the basement and find the table Dima wanted to kill me on. Everything is there. The scalpels and the scissors and the knives. The straps on the table.

And the bloodstains on the floor and walls.

I snap pictures of it all, being careful not to touch anything. Detective Johnson won’t be able to deny any of this once he sees it. He’ll have to believe me then.

I finish taking my pictures and hurry back upstairs. Nothing and no one stops me as I leave. I make sure to take a picture of the outside of the house, with the address clearly written on it. No more excuses, detective.

For once, I feel truly brave and proud of myself. I’m going to catch this killer. Once he’s gone, I can return to my safe life within books, and Dimitri will be a thing of the past.

I stop. Do I really want Dimitri to just be a memory?

And will he actually let me go?

That’s a problem for another day.

I turn to leave, stopping when I see someone in my way.

It’s Dima himself.

“So, you were actually stupid enough to return to my home.” He holds out his hand. “I’ll be needing your phone now. I saw you taking pictures.”

“You’ve been watching me,” I whisper, horrified at the thought.

“Of course, I’ve been watching you. I’ve only had one chance to kill a girl and send her to you, but trust me, there will be more. Even after you’re gone. There will always be more.”

“No. Not if I call the police.”

“You won’t have time.” Then he lunges for me.

And I’m ready for him.

I lash out with my knife and land a large gash across his face. Dima winces and backs away. “You bitch.”

“Need I remind you that you tried to kill me?”

“The rules don’t apply to me.”

“I’m getting really tired of men saying that.”

Dima tries attacking me again, but I slash the knife across his hand. He manages to grab it from me and tosses it to the ground.

We’re at a standstill.

Then I turn away and run.

There’s no way I can fight off Dima, but maybe I can outrun him and get help. No one will be able to deny him chasing me. The police will have to look into him.

I run with everything inside me. I keep telling myself not to stop. Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop.

Then I see something that sends instant relief through me.

Dimitri drives up in his car and gets out, his gun drawn. At the sight of him, I stop and turn around.

Dima takes off running in the other direction as Dimitri fires at him. He misses as Dima rounds a corner and disappears from view.

“Go after him,” I gasp out, hands on my knees.

Dimitri doesn’t listen to me. Instead, he walks right over and stands before me. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking you weren’t doing anything. I was taking matters into my own hands.”

“You could’ve been killed!”

“Good thing you saved me again, I guess. ”

“Are you angry with me?”

“Dimitri,” I sigh. “I just want to feel safe. I just want my old life back.”

“You’re mine now, Evie. Your old life is gone. It’s time you learn that.”

“You know, I could’ve told the police about you.”

He tenses. “What?”

“I went to the police and told them about Dima. Juno gave them your name, but I didn’t tell them anything about you. I could have. I chose not to.”

“Why not?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I just know I don’t want to see you behind bars. But that doesn’t mean I want to be your prisoner. You’ve taken my agency, Dimitri, and I want it back.”

“I don’t even know what that word means,” he admits.

For some reason, that makes me smile.

“Come on,” he says softly. “Let me take you home. Let me make this right with you.” He holds out his hand.

I want to resist him.

But I find myself taking his hand. “This doesn’t mean we’re good.”

“Oh, I know. I’m going to spank you for leaving and putting yourself in danger.”

His words send a flutter straight to my core.

I’m not sure if he’s just teasing me or telling the truth, and that’s what makes Dimitri scary.

But it’s also what makes him thrilling.