Dmitriy looked straight ahead and gritted his teeth.Silence fell between them, and she looked at him and waited, knowing he was making a decision.They truly didn’t have a choice.
If Gambino was in control, it would only be a matter of time before they came looking for them, unless they assumed they were dead.She didn’t want to work or live with those odds.
“You’re right, we can’t leave, but if we do this, we do it my way,” Dmitriy said.
To that, she smiled at him and felt a little happier with herself, but it also meant there was a chance she would not make it to Christmas.
Chapter Eight
“What is this place?”Anastasia asked.
Dmitriy made his way toward the light switch and immediately brought the small house into illumination.He was not going to let them go in without coming up with a plan.“It’s another safe house.”
“I don’t understand.I thought we were going to get Nikolai.”
“We are, but I’m not going to do anything to put you at risk.”
“This is ...is this because I’m a woman?”she asked.
He rolled his eyes and turned toward her.“Have you ever killed a man?Have you ever been able to shoot a gun without a single provocation?How many men and women have you killed?”he asked.He just fired those questions at her.“What is your training?Can you take an attack?”
“You know I can’t,” she said.
“Exactly.You want me to take you into a potential war zone without any experience.”He reached out and cupped her face.“I never go without a plan, and if I do, it’s because I know the odds.I’m not going to put you in danger.It has nothing to do with your sex.”
And with that, he took possession of her lips and stepped back, putting the lock into place.
He hadn’t exactly worked on this safe house.It was a crumbling pile of ruins, but it had everything they needed—shelter, a place to rest, food, and the means to come up with a plan that didn’t mean certain death.Making his way to the kitchen, he went to the fridge.
He had a habit of stockpiling food, especially the kind with long shelf lifes.There were a lot of vacuum-packed meats and cheeses, ready for the time when he used the safe house.
This place didn’t have a lot of food, as he tended to use it as a last resort.Pulling out some meats, he went to the cupboards, grabbed a few cans of food, and quickly threw everything into a saucepan, bringing it to a boil as he grabbed a couple of bowls.
He let the water in the pipe run for a few minutes before he washed everything.
“You’re cooking food.”
