“Alisa,” he said, a harsh demand in his voice.
“I started a new regiment with my microdosing,” I said, my legs quivering harder.
With a curse, he scooped me up into his arms bridal style. I was too relieved to not have to stand anymore to be embarrassed. I luxuriated into the warmth of his muscular body, enjoying the small reprieve.
“What do you need?” he asked.
A massage. A warm bath. Honestly,anything warmsounded incredible. In his arms, I started fantasizing about all of that until he gently shook me back to attention.
“Just find me a cab.” My teeth chattered as I spoke.
A tattooed man emerged from the end of the alley. My body froze when I remembered the dead man lying near my feet. Shit, I was not in any state to deal with this-
“Dmitri,” the man said. His brow furrowed when he noticed me lying in Dmitri’s arms.
If I had the energy, I would’ve made a half-hearted attempt for Dmitri to set me down. Instead, I just nuzzled into his steely warmth and security.
Dmitri stepped towards him. Anxiety coursed through me as I realized he was about to hand me off to one of his men when I was too weak to walk.
“Don’t leave me alone,” I said, flushing as soon as the words left my chilly lips.
Dmitri whispered into my ear, his voice rough, "I didn't realize you were so needy outside of my bed as well.”
His warm breath clashed against my freezing skin. Despite the thick makeup, I could feel my skin turning the color of a tomato. His eyes darkened as he took it in.
The tattooed man’s throat cleared, and when Dmitri looked at him, his expression was completely blank.
“Ilya, handle the cleanup,” Dmitri said, already striding out of the alleyway.
A cab was idling near us, and I hated the way my heart clenched as we strode towards it. But once his feet hit the sidewalk, he turned left towards a very familiar car.
Chapter thirty-eight
Dmitri
When I turned the car’s heater on, a soft sigh slipped out of Alisa’s mouth. I clenched the steering wheel to keep myself from giving her something to actually moan about.
But I didn’t touch women who had drugs in their system, and she looked five minutes away from passing out.
“What’s your address?” I said.
Alisa slumped against the window as I pulled out of the spot.
“You could’ve just got me a cab,” she muttered, staring out at the snow lazing down from the sky.
“Address,” I said, my tone harshening when she scratched at the painful-looking rash.
Reluctantly, she told me her address, and I plugged it into my GPS like I didn’t already have it memorized. Like I hadn’t followed her to the door of her crappy apartment building so many times while she remained none the wiser.
Something pressed against my chest as I realized that in her current state, tonight would’ve been the perfect opportunity foran enemy mobster to tail her home. What could’ve happened if I hadn’t been with her?
Alisa was weak. Barely able to stand, let alone fight someone off. Like a baby fucking deer.
I clenched my jaw and sped down the West Side Highway.
“Well… thanks for taking me,” she said when I parked in front of her dilapidated apartment.
I’d never seen the inside of her apartment since she kept the shades down at all times, but I presumed it held an incredible interior.
