Page 5

Dmitri

He had his fucking hands on her. The markings on her arms were bright pink. Had I stopped him from hurting her more with my arrival?

I grip the steering wheel tighter, wishing I had the prick’s throat there again.

“Dmitri.” Amelia says my name with a sweetness I’m sure she’s acquired since realizing I’m not taking her to her apartment.

“Amelia.” I clench my teeth. “Why did he grab you like that? What was his intention?”

“Christian?” She feigns confusion. “It was nothing. He was upset about Lucas?—”

“Lying to me will only make things worse. Tell me the truth.” As I pull up to a red light, I swing my gaze at her. She’s worrying her bottom lip.

“Fine. He had a harebrained idea about us getting married and contesting the will. I said no, and well, like I said, he was upset. He didn’t mean me any harm.”

I should have killed him.

“He wanted you to marry him.” It’s not a question. “You’re engaged to me.”

She sighs.

“I can’t keep going over this. I’m not marrying anyone.” She leans her head against her window. “It’s like talking to a brick wall. You just refuse to hear me.”

Before I can correct her, my phone rings with Boris’ number popping up on the screen. I take the call.

“I’m not alone,” I say as the call goes live through the car’s Bluetooth function. In Russian, I add, “She’s with me.”

Amelia pulls her own phone out and scrolls through it while Boris tells me about a problem at Velvet Tower.

“You’re busy, Dmitri. You can drop me here. I’ll catch a cab back to Christian’s and get my car,” Amelia offers with a fake sweetness meant to persuade me.

“You’ll come with me, and we’ll have our discussion after.” I pause a beat. “And you’re never going back to Christian Sendell’s home again. I don’t want you alone with him.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. He’s been a good friend for a long time.”

“He’s not now.”

“You can’t tell me who to be friends with.” She’s going to be disappointed when she realizes there’s very little in this world I can’t do. Keeping her away from that fucking prick is definitely one of the things I can and will do.

He had his hands on her. He tried to get her to marry him? I should have pulled his tongue out. Gutted him and left him to bleed out in his own fucking hallway.

“That’s just it, Dmitri. We don’t need to have any discussion. I’ve decided I’m going to contest the will. No judge is going to force me into a marriage.”

“You’re wrong about that.” I come to a stop at another red light. “Not only will a judge not rule in your favor, but he would probably perform the wedding ceremony right there for me.”

Her eyes narrow on me.

“How did my brother ever get involved with you in the first place?”

I stare at her a moment, taking in the innocent beauty. She grew the Moreau Foundation from the ground up while in college. In the last two years since graduating, she’s made the center a pivotal part of the community. She has no doubt seen some horrible things dealing with the people she helps.

But none of it compares to the world I grew up in. She may think she understands the world, but in truth, she’s an innocent babe.

“Your father.” I hit the gas, propelling us through the intersection.

“My dad?”

“I did business with him once, and I met your brother through that.”

“Dad was an Alderman. Is that how? Dad was corrupt?” She twists in her seat to ask her question.

I raise a brow. “All politicians are corrupt.”

“And Lucas?” She pauses. “You know, never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

“Your brother was a good man, Amelia. He was not like your father,” I say, but don’t push her further. There are some things she doesn’t need to know. Lucas went to great lengths to protect her. I won’t undo that now.

“You don’t think my father was a good man?” she asks, but I can hear the sarcasm lacing the words together. “He always seemed like a loving, sweet man.”

I turn to her, feeling the anger vibrating from her.

“He wasn’t a good father.”

She looks out her window. “No. He wasn’t. Or a good husband either.”

The traffic breaks and the rest of the ride is spent in silence. We make it to the club in short order.

She’s not wrong about her father. The only love that man had in him was for wealth and power. When Lucas told him he wouldn’t be going into politics, his father went off the rails with disappointment.

But Lucas wanted to be nothing like him. And while in some ways, he shared traits with the old man, he succeeded in being a better parent to Amelia than their father ever could have been.

“I won’t be long, but you’ll stay in my office,” I say as Amelia steps out of the elevator.

“Maybe I don’t want to wait in your office,” she argues as we reach my office.

“I didn’t ask what you wanted.” I open the door for her, but stop her before she walks through. “You’ve already disobeyed me once this evening; it would be a mistake to do it again.”

She eyes me with annoyance, but I don’t miss the challenge lurking there. This woman wants to run wild, but there’s something there telling me she wants to be reined in as well.

“You’re an arrogant asshole, Dmitri Dragunov,” she responds flatly. She watches me to gauge my reaction to her little verbal assault.

“I’ve been called much worse.” I lean closer to her, where I can inhale the sweetness of the perfume she wears. “But if you were wise, you’d understand the amount of trouble you’re in and would stop adding to it.”

“I’m twenty-four years old. I don’t get into trouble, Dmitri.” She raises her chin in defiance. And the blaze burns brighter in her eyes.

“Oh, but you do, moyo dikoye plamya . And I promise you won’t like it if you aren’t in my office when I get back.”

“I already don’t like it and you’re standing right in front of me.”

“Dmitri!” Boris calls to me from down the hall. I don’t have time for spoiled brats who refuse to pay attention to reality.

“Your henchmen are calling.” She folds her arms over her chest and smiles. I watch her lips, the gentle curve upward, the fullness of them and I want to kiss her again.

Not just a kiss. Possession. I want her to feel my ownership, to know there’s no getting away from me now.

She’s mine.

“Do not test me any further tonight.” I touch the tip of her nose and step out of the room. Her growl of frustration makes me smile as I head down the hall to deal with more serious matters.