Chapter Eight
Sofia woke before dawn. For a few moments, she lay motionless beneath the blankets, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her heart kicked painfully against her ribs before reason caught up with panic. She dreamt of the attack again, even though it happened two days ago.
She could still hear the gunfire echoing through the halls, recall the assassin’s hands around Dimitri’s throat. The recoil of her handgun. The look on Dimitri’s face after she’d pulled the trigger.
Slowly, she released a breath and rubbed a hand over her eyes. Sleep had become a luxury since the attack. Every creak of the house seemed louder, and every unexpected noise had her reaching for the gun hidden beneath her pillow.
A sharp knock sounded at her bedroom door. She sat upright immediately.
“Come in,” Sofia said.
One of the household staff entered, her expression polite but slightly nervous.
“Mrs. Volkov, your father called this morning. Mr. Volkov thought you’d want to know immediately,” she said.
Sofia blinked. “My father?”
“Yes. He requested to speak with you.”
The woman excused herself a moment later, leaving Sofia alone with her thoughts. Sofia wasn’t surprised he had called.
News of the attack would have reached the Marino family within hours. Men like Emilio Marino always knew when blood was spilled.
Whether he’d called because she was his daughter or because she was now one of the most important political assets in his organization was another question entirely. Sofia already suspected the answer. Still, a small part of her couldn’t stop wondering.
Sofia called her father back. His secretary answered and informed her he was busy. She also told Sofia that Emilio was expecting her at the Marino estate two days from today. Sofia ended the call and got ready for the day. After a shower and change of clothes, she looked for Dimitri.
She found him in his office. Morning light spilled through the tall windows behind him, highlighting the dark wood and leather.
He stood near the window with a tablet in one hand, reading through reports with the same intense concentration he seemed to bring to everything. His bruises were fading, she noted. Unfortunately, that did very little to make him less distracting. Dimitri glanced up when she entered.
“My father called,” Sofia began.
“He wants to see you?” Dimitri asked. She wasn’t surprised he already knew. The staff had probably informed him.
Sofia crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway.
“He wants to inspect his investment,” she said with a shrug.
Dimitri smiled. “That’s a cynical way to describe your father.”
“It’s also accurate,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact.
For a moment, amusement flickered across his expression before disappearing.
“He wants you to visit the Marino estate?” Dimitri guessed.
“That’s right,” she replied.
Sofia waited, expecting an argument, or Dimitri to bring up security concerns. Hell, part of her expected him to immediately refuse, given the attack happened two days ago. Instead Dimitri simply nodded.
“Very well,” Dimitri said.
She frowned. “That’s it?” Sofia couldn’t help but ask.
His gaze returned to the report in his hands.
“That’s it. Please assure him we are taking matters into our own hands, and that you’re safe in my hands.”
My hands. Not our hands. The distinction immediately caught Sofia’s attention.
A few weeks ago, Dimitri would have phrased it differently. More formal or distant perhaps. Something about Volkov security or family protection. Lately, however, things had changed.
Ever since that night, they’d crossed a line neither of them had been able to uncross.
Dimitri was still Dimitri. He was controlled, and frustratingly private.
Dimitri remained the kind of man who buried emotions beneath layers of discipline and responsibility, but she was beginning to notice small differences.
The way he always seemed to know when she’d left the estate, or how his attention immediately sharpened whenever another man lingered too long in conversation with her. He’d become strangely possessive of her.
The realization should have annoyed her more than it did, but other times she caught herself secretly enjoying it. Which was far more concerning.
Sofia wasn’t na?ve enough to mistake possessiveness for love. Men in their world claimed territory in the form of businesses, houses, and people all the time. Yet with Dimitri, it felt different.
There was less ownership and more concern, as though some instinct inside him had quietly decided she belonged under his protection whether she wanted it or not. The thought should have sent her running in the opposite direction. Instead, it merely left her unsettled.
If she was being honest, Dimitri wasn’t the only one changing. She found herself looking for him in crowded rooms, listening for his footsteps in the hallway, and wondering when he’d return whenever business pulled him away from the estate.
Dangerous habits and thoughts. Sofia pushed them firmly aside before they could grow roots. Whatever was happening between them, she wasn’t ready to examine it too closely. Especially not when it involved feelings she wasn’t quite prepared to name.
“Fine,” she found herself grumbling in the present.
“Fine.”
Silence settled briefly between them. Sofia took that as her cue to leave.
“One condition,” Dimitri suddenly said. “I’d like to come with you. When’s the meeting?”
“Two days from now,” she paused, thinking. “You have a meeting with an important investor on that day.”
Dimitri looked displeased by the reminder. “Fine,” he said rather grudgingly. “Will you call me when you arrive?”
The request surprised her, because it didn’t sound like a command. There was genuine concern in his eyes. He was worried for her. The realization lodged somewhere unexpectedly deep.
“I can do that,” she said quietly.
Dimitri nodded once.
Neither acknowledged how much that small exchange suddenly felt like something neither of them had expected to find in this marriage.
****
Two days later, Sofia was finally going to see her father.
Dimitri once again insisted on accompanying her. Sofia reminded him once more that that his meeting with the important investor had already been arranged weeks in advance. She also told him it was important enough that he could not afford to cancel.
The morning arrived gray and cold. Sofia descended the front steps of the estate shortly after breakfast. A black sedan waited in the driveway. Several security vehicles sat nearby. The driver stood beside the car, ready and profession.
Everything appeared normal, then Sofia noticed Dimitri. He was standing near the front gate, wearing an impeccable dark grey suit, hands in his coat pockets. He was waiting for her. Her pulse did something strange. She chose to ignore it.
“What are you doing out here?” Sofia couldn’t help but ask.
Dimitri looked up. “Seeing my wife off.”
She glanced toward the car, then back at him. His expression remained unreadable. Something felt different, Sofia couldn’t quite identify what. The closer she got, the more obvious it became.
Dimitri looked tense, although it wasn’t obvious to anyone else, but she could tell from the slight rigidity in his shoulders, the sharpness in his gaze, and the way he kept scanning the property.
Concern. The realization surprised her. Before she could comment, Dimitri stepped forward, then stopped directly in front of her.
For a moment neither spoke. The cold wind stirred between them.
Sofia opened her mouth, then immediately forgot what she’d intended to say, because Dimitri reached for her.
He settled his hand against her jaw, his touch warm and possessive. The intense look in his eyes stole her breath, because she could almost see that all the control and restraint he was proud of, was gone.
“Dimitri...” Sofia ventured.
He kissed her urgently and hungrily. Sofia grabbed the front of his jacket automatically with equal passion. Her heart immediately forgot how to function. By the time he pulled back, she was breathing harder, and so was he. Neither seemed particularly happy about it.
Dimitri rested his forehead briefly against hers.
“Be careful.” The words came out rough. A command disguised as concern.
Sofia stared at him, momentarily speechless. Then she recovered enough to say, “I intend to.”
Dimitri looked unconvinced. Unfortunately for him, she wasn’t interested in being wrapped in bubble wrap and hidden in a vault, even if he occasionally acted like that might be a reasonable solution. Eventually she climbed into the waiting sedan. As the gates opened behind them, she glanced back.
Dimitri was still standing there, watching, and her heart was still racing from the kiss.
****
The Marino estate appeared exactly as Sofia remembered. Massive iron gates guarded the entrance, and armed men patrolled the grounds. The sprawling mansion sat at the center of the property.
Home, or the closest thing she’d ever had to one. As the car rolled up the driveway, Sofia felt a strange mixture of familiarity and distance.
She had spent her entire life here, yet returning now felt oddly different. Maybe because she no longer belonged entirely to the Marino family, or because part of her life now existed elsewhere. The thought surprised her. After texting Dimitri she had arrived, she exited the car.
Several guards stationed near the front entrance recognized her immediately.
“Miss Sofia.”
“Good to see you, Miss Sofia.”
Their greetings were respectful, even warm.
Sofia offered small nods as she climbed the steps.
Most of these men had watched her grow up.
Some had taught her basic firearms safety when she was barely tall enough to hold a pistol properly.
Others had quietly slipped her extra dessert when she was a child.
For the first time since arriving, some of the tension in her shoulders eased. A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
“There she is.”