Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Katherine
I hugged his pillow and buried my face into it, taking a deep breath. His scent soothed me, and I let out a soft sigh as I filled my lungs with it.
This is stupid!
Since Dimitry had left the room, he’d been avoiding me. I didn’t see him at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and he hadn’t returned to the bedroom at night. I couldn’t understand his behavior. But him treating me like this, ignoring and avoiding me … it hurt.
Funny how I’d never gave a fuck when Ivan had done the same.
This was so frustrating. I should be grateful he was staying away from me. Damn him! I had no idea why or how he messed with my head so much.
I caressed the pillow, taking another deep breath, and as I closed my eyes, I could feel his touch on my skin, making my entire body tingle.
Fuck this. He can’t avoid me forever! I’m not a toy he can throw away whenever he wants!
I jumped off the bed and sauntered out of the bedroom. He had to be somewhere in the villa. If I had to, I’d go room to room until I found him. And then…
Then what?
I had no idea. But I needed to see him.
“Are you going somewhere, Katherine?”
The voice made me flinch. I turned around to face the man who had spoken. He was jacked and strong, so I assumed he was one of Dimitry’s guards. Had Dimitry ordered him to follow me? What, was he scared I’d try to escape again?
Well, maybe I should do that.
Fuck, I should be using the fact that he was avoiding me to work on my plan to get out of here, not to search for him. And yet, here I was, in the middle of the night, wearing only my nightdress, roaming the hallways and looking for him.
At least the man seemed to appreciate the view, judging by the way his eyes traveled over my body. He swallowed hard, shook his head, and finally focused his attention on my face.
“I’m looking for Dimitry,” I said.
“He’s not here. He went to talk to your husband.”
My stomach clenched.
What?
Ivan accepted a meeting? That was unexpected. Maybe Dad had talked some sense into him and kicked his ass into action. And Dimitry … he was ready to get rid of me. I should be happy about this. It meant I’d be free soon.
So why wasn’t I?
Because I’d probably never see him again.
That thought should have thrilled me, but instead, it hurt. I hugged myself, but the coldness spread through me anyway. Why couldn’t I be happy about this? I should be.
“Do you know when he’ll be back?” I asked.
The man shrugged.
“No idea. Your husband requested the meeting on his territory, at some old warehouse. He should be back by morning, though.”
Old warehouse?
I knew only one place like that. It was an abandoned storage facility, but Ivan always refused to go anywhere near it. The place was stocked with enough firepower to level half a city. My husband was too much of a coward to risk being near an explosion. He’d never call for a meeting there. Unless…
He’s not going to be there.
“Call Dimitry! Please, call him and tell him not to go. It’s a trap!”
“What?”
“Please!”
The fear in my voice and the panic on my face must have been convincing enough because the guard ordered me back to the bedroom before running down the hallway.
My heart pounded wildly as I obeyed. I closed the door to my room — my room? Since when had I started thinking of it that way? — and leaned against it. The realization of what I’d just done hit me like a cold shower.
I shouldn’t have…
Ivan’s plan might actually have worked. He would’ve killed Dimitry. I wanted to believe I’d done this to save myself. After all, if Dimitry’s men learned their boss was dead, they’d have killed me too. Or worse.
But that thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.
I did it for him.
Why? How the hell had he become so important to me?
My heart thumped in my ears as I crawled back onto the bed and hugged his pillow again. God, I hoped they stopped Dimitry in time. I curled into a ball and squeezed the pillow tighter. I wanted him to be safe. I wanted him back.
I needed him.
What am I doing? Feeling? Thinking? I can no longer understand myself … God, am I falling in love with him?