Page 63

Abby

“ O kay.” Dimitry throws himself down on the daybed next to me, drink in hand, and gives me the crooked smile I love. “Talk, Skip.”

Dao has cleared away the remains of another delicious meal.

Leon, Dimitry, and I are sitting on opposite sides of a carved wooden coffee table.

Leon, with his customary elegance, sits with one leg neatly folded over the other in a low cushioned wood chair.

Dimitry stretches his legs out and crosses his ankles, propping his feet on a round cushioned footrest built for the purpose.

His arm lies possessively along the back of the daybed, his thumb and fingers lightly caressing the nape of my neck.

Even that touch makes me shiver.

If I thought sex with Dimitry was mind-blowing before I left Spain, since our reunion, it’s been something else entirely. He’s like a magnet I move around, an energy field I just want to be close to. His every touch is electrifying, his closeness intoxicating.

Which makes what I’m about to do even more terrifying.

“I need to tell you about the man we’re going after.” I turn to meet Dimitry’s eyes. “Because that will help you understand why I’m going into that compound with you.”

His hand on my neck stills, and his eyes narrow.

“You’re not going anywhere near that compound, Skip.” His voice is low, controlled—and extremely final.

“Yes, Dimitry, I am.” I match his tone evenly. Our eyes meet in a hard standoff that I am the first to break, because until he understands my reasons, he’ll never understand my determination. “Let me explain.”

I lean forward. “The only name I have for this man is Jacey. No last name, no details. And although I can describe him to you, I can’t show you a photograph—because I don’t have one.”

He frowns. “I thought you told Rodrigo that you would give him a photo—”

“I told him that, yes.” I lift a shoulder.

“I lied. It was the only way I could think of to get out of that compound. The only photograph of Jacey I ever had was on the tablet Juan Cardenas gave me, and I destroyed that as soon as I sent him the information I promised to. Believe me, I didn’t want to carry that picture around one second longer than I had to.

My only goal was to get out of Colombia, to relative safety.

Once I was certain I wasn’t being followed, I sent Juan the photo and the name, then broke the tablet and the SIM card inside it to a thousand pieces. ”

I shudder, trying not to think of how terrified I was back then.

“And the money?” Dimitry asks.

I shrug. “That part was true enough. I hid it in Colombia, somewhere nobody will ever find it. But Rodrigo doesn’t care about the money.

He makes more cash in a week than what’s in that bag.

It’s never been about the money for him.

It’s a reputation thing, always was. Nico and I stole from Rodrigo, and we got away with it.

In his world, that is simply unacceptable.

” I meet Dimitry’s eyes. “Just like it is in yours,” I say quietly.

He doesn’t try to argue. He knows I’m right.

“When we were on the river,” I say, “and you told me your plan, it gave me an idea. Will you listen to it?”

Dimitry withdraws his hand from the nape of my neck and reaches for his cigarettes, face grim. “Not if it includes anything about you walking into that fucking compound again, I won’t.”

Dammit. I wasn’t expecting him to be enthusiastic about my ideas, but nor did I expect outright rejection, especially given the afternoon we’ve just had.

“Dimitry,” Leon interrupts calmly. “Let’s maybe listen first, before diving in with the hard line, da? ”

Dimitry glares at the older man like he might just hit him across the room. Leon, to his credit, stares straight back at him like Dimitry would have a fight on his hands if he did.

I sit on the daybed and hope like hell it doesn’t kick off.

Finally, Dimitry’s eyes narrow. “I’ll listen,” he says tightly.

“But if your idea involves anything that will put you in danger, Abby, then I reserve the right to draw that fucking hard line the minute you’re finished speaking.

” He pins Leon with a stare that would make most men run a mile in the opposite direction.

“And while I’m grateful for your help, friend, interfere in this and we’re done. Clear?”

Leon nods, his mouth twitching slightly. “Crystal,” he says lightly.

He’s a difficult man to dislike. In an odd way, he reminds me of Mak, who Dimitry’s introduced me to a few times now.

They both share a good dose of charm, a certain elegance, and a faint air of amusement that implies they find the world around them perpetually entertaining.

Then, every so often, you get a glimpse beneath the suave demeanor and realize they’re both as deadly as hell .

Which isn’t a bad thing, given what we’re about to walk into.

“You said that so far nobody knows you exist.” I look at Dimitry. “You’re right, of course. They don’t—or not yet, at least.”

I take a deep breath. Here we go.

“And if Rodrigo and I return to the compound together, you will keep that advantage. For as long as you need to be able to plan this properly.”

The silence that follows is tense enough to strain a fucking fence.

I don’t dare look at Dimitry.

I don’t need to.

I can almost physically feel his effort to rein in whatever furious tirade is running through his head.

Eventually, he says just one word.

“No.”

It’s no less than I expected, but the flat negative feels more definitive than a tirade.

Dimitry crushes out his cigarette. “You said you needed to make some inquiries.” He addresses Leon coldly, not even looking at me. “How did you go with that?”

You have to be fucking kidding me.

Leon’s eyes shift between me and Dimitry. He doesn’t bother trying to answer, which, given how pissed off I am, is a wise choice.

“That’s it?” I glare at Dimitry. “You’re not even going to hear me out? I thought we agreed we were in this together.”

“We’re not discussing this, Abby.” He still isn’t looking at me. “Jacey has every reason to kill you, and not a single one to let you live. Those are not odds I’m prepared to even contemplate.”

“Erm.” Leon clears his throat as he stands, though the bastard still looks slightly amused. “I’ll leave the two of you to discuss this among yourselves.” Without waiting for an answer, he heads into the house, closing the door diplomatically behind him.

“You’re wrong, Dimitry. You don’t know him like I do, which is why we are going to discuss this.

” I fold my arms, glaring at his averted face.

“Last night, when you told me your plan, do you know what my first instinct was? No,” I go on, when he starts to speak, “it wasn’t actually a question.

My first instinct was to meet with this Leon friend of yours myself, then find a way to convince him that I was right and go back into the compound behind your back. ”

That gets his attention.

Dimitry swings around, his face dark as thunder. “You were going to do fucking what? ”

“I thought of doing that because I knew you’d react like this.” I don’t back down. “Be angry and argue with me about it. But you didn’t even give me that amount of credit. You just said no and moved on like I’d accept your word as law.”

“Because it’s a fucking ridiculous idea!

” His control is clearly hanging by a thin thread.

“We’ve just managed to escape a variety of extremely ruthless criminals, who, if you’ve managed to forget, also beat you so badly that you’re still black and blue.

We got you out of that compound, Abby. The last thing I’m about to do is put you back into the damned place. ”

“I got myself out of that compound, Dimitry.”

He couldn’t look more taken aback than if I’d slapped him.

“I’m not denying that you burst into that hotel room at exactly the right time.

Another twelve hours, and I’d have had a lot of trouble convincing Rodrigo to still trust me.

But by then, I’d have thought of a way out of that, just like I found a way out of a compound most people don’t ever leave alive. ”

Dimitry stares at me, his face unreadable.

“You forget,” I say quietly, “this isn’t my first rodeo, any more than it is yours.

I survived two years inside El Buen Pastor in Bogotá before I managed to bargain my way out of it.

And after that, I succeeded in dodging Jacey for several years.

Not to mention the entire Cardenas cartel.

You’re treating me like I’m one of Roman’s kids, someone who needs to be rescued and kept safe.

But the truth is that I made the mistakes that resulted in us being in this situation, Dimitry.

What I’m asking for now is the chance to help fix those mistakes. ”

When he doesn’t immediately answer, I go on.

“Jacey could have killed me the moment I came into the compound, but he didn’t.

He certainly could have killed me after he’d let Rodrigo have his fun the first time.

The fact that he didn’t means I have some value to him, most likely to keep Rodrigo Cardenas on his side.

Jacey is a man who looks for weakness he can exploit.

Rodrigo’s obsession with me, as he sees it, is one hell of a weakness.

So long as he believes I’m Rodrigo’s drug of choice, he’ll keep me alive so he can control the supply. ”

“That’s drawing a long fucking bow, Abby.” Dimitry’s voice is tight, his face unyielding. “And it still doesn’t explain why you want to go into that place again.”

“There are people inside those walls that I care about.”

And their faces haunt my every waking moment.

“People whose stories I know and won’t ever forget. Innocent people who deserve to be in that compound far less than I did. I’m not sure I can just walk away and forget them. I don’t want to do that.”

“What the fuck do you want me to say?” He stares at me, his face still hard. “That I think this is a good idea? Because I fucking don’t.”

“You haven’t even listened to my idea!” I throw my hands up in exasperation. “All you heard was the part about me going back in, and you lost it—”

“Because that’s the only fucking part that matters!

” Dimitry roars, finally exploding the last of his control.

“I’m not interested in any idea that comes after that.

I’m one man, Abby. One. There’s a lot I can do.

I can get into places most people wouldn’t dare even try.

I can kill a hell of a lot of people before anyone knows I’m there.

And with your help, I can probably find this Jacey prick and knock him off once and for all.

As for the Cardenas cartel?” He throws an impatient hand into the air.

“Alexei Petrovsky did business with the Cardenas cartel in Miami for years, when he was working for the Orlovs. I’m sure he’s still got the contacts to set up a meet.

If what you say is true, Rodrigo is probably already on the run from this Jacey, so if I manage to knock that bastard off, the Cardenas cartel should be more than happy to make a deal. ”

“ Probably .” I glare at him. “ Should. Are you listening to yourself, Dimitry? Are those the kind of odds you’d normally accept when you’re planning a mission?

Because I can tell you right now, Jacey is the kind of bastard that takes probably and should and feeds them to the fucking piranhas.

If you’d been listening to me at all, you’d understand that. ”

I put my head in my hands, desperately trying to find the words to make him understand.

“If we act now, if I walk back into that place with bruises all over my face, cowed and beaten and begging never to be sent away with Rodrigo again, we still have a chance. But every minute we hesitate is one minute closer to Jacey suspecting he’s at risk.

And Jacey doesn’t tolerate risk, Dimitry. He just eliminates it.”

The silence that follows crackles with tension, but at least the edge is off my anger now. I’ve said what I have to say, or at least, I’ve said the hard part.

Now it’s up to Dimitry.

I take a very large slug of wine. The way I’m going since I got out of that damned compound, I’ll be a raging alcoholic by the time this is over.

Right now, I can think of far worse outcomes .

Dimitry stands abruptly and walks over to the pool, staring out across the valley to the moonlit bay in the distance, his hands on his hips. I don’t try to interrupt his thoughts.

Despite my torrent of words, I do understand why this is so hard for him. I know the man he is, the way he sees the world. I understand that even the thought of sending me into danger is complete anathema to everything he stands for.

But I also need him to understand that if he doesn’t, we’re all dead. Or on the run, forever looking over our shoulders and fearing for those we love.

The silence goes on for a long time. Then his broad shoulders lift in a deep inhale and slowly drop again.

When he turns around, the tension is still visible in the grim set of his mouth, the hard lines of his face. “I’ll listen to your ideas,” he says tightly. “But I can’t promise you I will agree to them. Okay?”

I nod. “Fair enough.” I know it’s the best he can do at the moment.

I tilt my head toward the door. “Shall we ask Leon to come back?”

“In a minute.” Dimitry stares at me through narrowed eyes. “You said earlier that you were planning to talk to Leon yourself and convince him to let you go in there without me. What changed your mind?”

I laugh softly. “First, Darya. Then Leon.”

He looks at me, clearly waiting.

“Darya said she’d have to tell Roman she’d spoken to me.

She said she couldn’t keep something like that from him, that it wouldn’t be fair.

It made me think back to when she ran from Roman, the night the girls were kidnapped.

Of the time wasted, the hurt caused, by the misunderstandings between them, and how much they’ve grown since then.

“Leon advised me to be completely honest with you. He said that whatever guilt I feel about involving you in this is nothing to the regret I’d endure if I sent you into that place without what you needed to succeed.

And Dimitry.” I reach out and close my hand around his.

“This is what you need to succeed,” I say quietly. “I need you to believe that. Please.”

For a moment his hand lies dormant in mine. Then, finally, his fingers close around my own.

“Go on then,” he says with a ghost of his old smile, though the tension remains writ large on his face. “I’ll tell Leon to come and join us.”