"Just do what they want." He sounds exhausted. "Please…"
The line goes dead, and I sit there on the sidewalk with my phone pressed against my ear and tears streaming down my face. People walk past me without stopping. I'm just another woman having a breakdown in public, which is nothing unusual in this city.
I'm stuck. I have nowhere to run or hide from these people. Dimitri was right. The only place I'm safe is with him where he can protect me from the people trying to kill me, but obviously, that doesn't extend to the people I love.
Dimitri is a powerful man, but I'm not sure even he can protect my mother. I have to tell him what happened to Arseniy andI have to find out what I can do to make sure my family isn't hunted down over this.
I force myself to stand up, though my legs feel like they might give out, and I head back toward the casino. If I run now, I'm just cementing my fate and taking innocent people with me. It's not like I’m going to "turn myself in" to whoever this is—Dimitri called them Kozlovs. But running won't solve the problem either.
I’m stuck in my head feeling trapped by the situation, and by the time I reach the employee entrance, I'm moving on autopilot. I feel hollow and the tears won't stop coming. Lazar is standing outside the door looking furious. He spots me the second I turn the corner and strides toward me with his hand already reaching for my arm.
"Where the hell did you go?" He grabs me hard and yanks me toward the door. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"I just needed air," I mumble. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" He starts dragging me back into the building. "The boss is gonna kill me when he finds out I lost you."
"Don't tell him." I try to pull my arm free, but his grip tightens. "Please," I whimper, but Lazar might as well be superglued to me. He has no intention of letting me break physical contact with him, and after being shadowed all day, this is even worse.
We take the elevator up to the penthouse and Lazar uses his key card to unlock the door. He shoves me inside with more force than necessary, and I stumble before catching myself on the couch, wincing and scowling.
"Ass," I grumble.
"Stay here." He points at me like I'm a disobedient dog. "And don't even think about trying to leave again."
The door slams behind him and I hear the lock click into place. Then I sink onto the couch and lie down, using the arm rest as a pillow. Dimitri will be pissed when I tell him what I did, but I'm finally starting to see how dangerous this is and why I should listen to him.
I don’t trust him, but I can admit he knows more about this than me.
Now if I can ask for his help, maybe he'll help protect my family too. I haven't even spoken to Arseniy in months, which means these people have done their research and no matter what I try to do, I'm screwed.
I only hope it's not so bad at this point that Dimitri's hands are tied too.
19
DIMITRI
I'm exhausted and frustrated as I pull up at the casino and park. It's been a long day and I'm starving right now. After dealing with Petrov and reporting back to Yuri, I could use a stiff drink, a hot shower, and a good fuck.
Gleb straightens up when I step off the elevator, and I can tell immediately that something's happened. He's twitchy and bug-eyed, and he licks his lips at least a dozen times as I approach.
"She tried to leave," he blurts. "She got past Lazar in the employee area…" It's good that my men fear me, but this level of nervousness is a bit ridiculous.
"But she's here?" I ask, nodding at the door as he punches in the passcode for me.
"Yeah… She was gone maybe twenty minutes and came back on her own, I guess. You'll have to ask Lazar."
I figured something like this would happen, though I really thought she'd be more afraid. Maybe that's why she came back. "When did it happen?"
"About two hours ago." Gleb shifts his weight. "She came back pretty shaken up—been crying since she got here."
"Thank you," I grumble as I pass by him and shut the door after me.
The living room is dark except for the light coming from the bedroom down the hallway, and I find Tatiana curled up on the couch with a blanket pulled over her and her phone on the floor beside her. She doesn't look up when I walk in.
"So you had an adventure today, huh?" I'm angry with her, but shouting won't do anything. I've already proven that. This woman responds to a gentle touch, which challenges me to my core because I'm not good at gentle. I'm good at forceful.
"They got to my cousin," she says numbly, and it sounds hollow, like she's talking into the air and not particularly to me. "They beat him almost to death. And now they're watching my mother. I can't leave. I can't go anywhere. You were right."
