Fuck.Dmitri didn’t lie.He didn’t have to, because most of the time he held all the cards.It was a simple matter of playing the right ones to ensure the people around him acted accordingly.He’d told Keira that her brother was fine because he’d assumed it was the truth.If he was wrong, she’d accuse him of lying to her.
He grabbed the phone and dialed from memory.Come on, you Irish bastard.Pick up.The phone clicked over, and then Aiden was on the line.“You two-faced piece of shit.You must have bolted the second you left that warehouse to collect Keira.”
Dmitri exhaled slowly.Aiden was alive.He hadn’t lied to Keira, unwittingly or not.He hated that he’d doubted himself, even for a moment, and that irritation had him sniping at the other man.“You did promise that she and I would be married.Were you going to break your word, Aiden?”
He ignored that.“Andyoupromised her a choice.”
“She had a choice.She chose me.”Under duress and with a healthy dose of manipulation, but Dmitri had never promised to play fair.He wanted Keira, and so he ensured that he acquired her.End of story.It was done, and Aiden damn well knew it.
“I want to talk to her.”
“That’s not an option.She’s resting.”More likely, she was drinking herself into oblivion.He’d recognized that wild look in her eyes when she walked away from him.It was the same one he’d seen the few times they’d interacted at the raves she always seemed to be at.
But if he didn’t throw Aiden a bone, the man would undoubtedly do something ill advised.“She’ll call you tomorrow.I’m sure Charlie needs time to recover, and you’ll be wanting to focus on that.”
“Don’t tell me what I should or should not be focusing on.Charlie wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place if you took care of your own territory.Don’t think I’ll forgetthat.”
This was getting them nowhere.He shouldn’t have calledin the first place, should have waited for Aiden to contact him, but Dmitri at least had the answer he’d needed.“Your opinion is noted.Have a nice day, O’Malley.”
“Romanov.”
He sighed.“Da?”
“You do a single damn thing to damage my sister, and you won’t like what happens next.”
The threat wasn’t unexpected, but it was wearisome all the same.Dmitri tsked.“She’s mine now.I think, of the two of us, I’ll be taking better care of her.”He hung up before Aiden could say something truly regrettable.
He’s promised to do what he could to keep the peace, after all.
Dmitri sat back and checked the time.Too soon to try to talk to Keira.She’d retreated after their interaction in the car, and he needed space to figure out how best to approach her going forward.They had to find a way to work with each other, and that wasn’t going to happen if she shut him out every time he said something she didn’t like.It was obvious that he’d injured her pride over the course of their interactions to date, but Dmitri didn’t possess a time machine to go back and change that.Even if he could, he wouldn’t.He’d made the only move available in the moment.Losing his head over Keira O’Malley when she was a complete wild card and beyond his control wasnotan option.
Losing his head at all wasn’t an option.
I won’t.I might want her, but that changes nothing.I’m still completely in control of the situation.
CHAPTER THREE
Dmitri’s wife was drunk.Again.
He stood in the doorway watching Keira sway around the kitchen island, a bottle in her hand.This is a problem.He’d known she liked to drink, but he’d foolishly assumed she had it under control.There was nothing controlled about the woman in front of him.
She went up on her tiptoes and opened the alcohol cabinet.She set her bottle on the counter with athunkand grabbed two more, humming under her breath.He couldn’t even enjoy the sight of her here, in his home, because of everything wrong with this picture.Not only was his wife drunk in his kitchen, sourcing more alcohol, but she still wore the same pajamas she’d come into his home with two days ago, and had her hair pulled back into a messy bun that was more bird’s nest than chic.
He’d given her space to settle in, thinking it would be enough.
Dmitri had underestimated Keira once again.
He cleared his throat and she spun unsteadily to face him.Twin red spots appeared on her pale cheeks, but he couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or the alcohol.Dmitri crossed his arms over his chest.“What, exactly, are you doing?”
“You have eyes, Russian.You tell me.”She swiped the open bottle and took a long pull, her gaze never leaving his face.Daring him to do something.
Goddamn it.
“You’re sober, starting now.”
She laughed.“Go fuck yourself.If you think I can survive a marriage to you sober, you’re insane.”
“You’ll have to survive.You don’t have another option.”He stalked toward her.“Put the bottle down.”
