Page 72 of Ensnared

Dominic schooled his features making sure to hide his surprise as he put away his gun. "Boss?"

Dimitri's voice cut through the silence, thick with emotion. "I thought you were dead."

Now it all made sense. "I tried-"

Dimitri stepped forward and Dominic resisted the urge to step back. The blond man's eyes were like a black storm over the deep blue sea as he glared at him. "For a month," he rasped in a low pained voice, "a fucking month, I mourned for her."

Dominic kept his tone calm, hoping it would rub off on the man. "It was Vladimir's orders." Dimitri said nothing, his dark eyes unwavering. Dominic continued. "You don't think I tried calling and texting?" Despite his direct orders, he had still tried. "I even tried Andrey and some of the other guys back at the casino. Each time it wouldn't go through. I even took Petr's phone and tried, that's when my phone rang and I was on a call with Vladimir's son who explained I was not to try making contact again. I was to lay low and wait for contact."

Finally, Dimitri looked away, unpinning Dominic from the spot. "That son of a bitch," he grumbled under his breath.

Sensing the need to murder him was gone, Dominic relaxed and asked a question of his own. "The Armenians?"

Dimitri cast him a chilling look that spoke volumes in its icy silence.

Needing to break the tension, Dominic stepped away from the railing and pointed down to the beach. "She's down there."

For the first time, Dimitri's expression softened as he looked toward the beach. Eve was out walking along the wet sand wrapped in a blanket letting her feet drag along the sand where the edge of the waves barely touched her feet. He watched Dimitri take the stairs down to her. Back toward the cliffs, Dominic caught another familiar figure looking out to Ricky who was staring out watchfully toward his sister. It was Andrey.

Dominic let out a deep breath before calling out to the speaker on the porch. "Play "All By Myself" by Celine Dion."

Chapter 38

Attheedgewherethe forest cliffside met the ocean, Eve stood, gazing at a fallen tree, a massive ruin stripped of its evergreen splendor, now just a weathered carcass. Eve watched as the rhythmic waves partially filled the barren log before receding once again. That's how she felt inside. Hollow and dry, drained of all her life. Her heart ached with every beat as if there was something vitally missing inside.

Looking down at the foam at her feet, she caught a glint of the ring on her finger. The pain in her chest increased. The images of that night haunted her, replaying themselves in her mind without permission.

Over the waves, she heard the shots again. Loud popping cracks that tore everything apart. Eve closed her eyes as the images played out. She watched from across the yard and through the tall living room windows as Dimitri fell to the floor. And just like that he was gone.

Opening her eyes again, she turned into the salty wind letting it dry her tears. Eve never thought she could cry this much, but the tears just wouldn't stop. The urge to scream was always at the edge of her throat sitting there like a knot threatening to choke her. She felt his absence in everything she did. She needed his smile. She needed that mischievous little glint that shone in his eyes when he spotted her across the room. She needed to feel his hand wrapping around her in bed and pulling her close when he came home late. Eve held a hand to her chest; she could hardly breathe without him. How was she supposed to go on?

The wind whipped at her ponytail and she thought of her brother putting her hair up for her earlier. Despite not knowing if Andrey was okay, he had been her rock. He held her each and every time she cried, doing his best to console her. Even Dominic, despite his patience wearing thin, showed understanding in his somber gaze amidst the onslaught of her grief.

Eve's brow furrowed as she glared into the distance, thinking of Dominic's unwavering certainty of Dimitri's survival. He told her time and time again a man like Dimitri wouldn't die so easily and that he was definitely alive. How could he possibly be alive? If he were, wouldn't he be here with her, especially now? With her heart heavier than ever, she stared at the endless ocean as the hollowness inside spread a little further. In that moment, she acknowledged the dark truth she had been avoiding for weeks, that without Dimitri, nothing would ever matter again.

Something crunched behind her and she turned expecting to see Ricky's worried face but it wasn't. Eve just blinked and stared at the man before her. Oh God, she was losing it, she thought as tears pooled in her eyes. Standing there with his fists clenched at his sides and golden hair ruffled by the wind was Dimitri.

Eve opened her mouth but nothing came out.

Stepping forward until he was right in front of her, he stared at her with wide eyes full of violent need. "I thought you were dead," he whispered. "I heard the shot; I saw you fall in the yard. I felt my world end." Eve shook her head not understanding what he was saying, forcing herself to get past her shock and listen to his words as he continued. "I had every intention of following you," he vowed, his hands coming up to clasp her shoulders. "Death would not have stopped me."

What? He thought she was dead?! The meaning of the rest of his words finally sank in and Eve shook her head, a desperate little sound escaping her lips as she pressed herself to him. She wanted to tell him that she was the one who thought he was dead but she didn't. He said he would have followed her in death. The thought of losing him again because of a misunderstanding was too much to bear.

Eve closed her eyes and held him tightly to her. "Shh, please don't say that. I'm right here. I've been here, waiting for you."

Dimitri continued, not hearing her, his arms wrapping around her tightly, molding her to his body. There was madness in his eyes as he stared down at her. "I told you before that you could never escape me, I would always find you, even in death."

Eve's heart swelled painfully. She grabbed his face with both hands and brought him down to her until their lips met. "I love you."

Their lips met with a desperation so fierce it stole her strength. Dimitri's arms tightened around her, holding her up as his tongue stroked hers. With each caress, she felt the hot coiling need for him deep inside filling the hollow parts of her.

Pulling back, Dimitri framed her face with his hands, drinking her in, committing her to memory as if he was carving her image even deeper into his soul and for the first time everything slipped into place. Eve understood now this deranged man had meant every word he ever said to her from the very beginning. He truly wanted her and no other. He truly saw her for who she was and loved every inch of it. There was no ploy, no limit to his need for her, she was well and truly ensnared by this man.

His voice was heavy and warm and his eyes were bright with promise. "You don't know the beginning of my love for you, but I promise you will."

Fin