Chapter 15
Halle
“You got home late last night,” Kristine said as soon as she walked into the kitchen where I was still in a chair with my legs curled under me, happy as could be in my pajamas. Thankfully, it was early enough I had a little while before waking Emily.
Time alone I’d needed.
Which had meant I hadn’t slept a wink last night. How could anyone after what I’d been through? “I hope I didn’t wake you.” I shifted the third cup of coffee back and forth from hand to hand, which was a nervous habit.
What had shocked me was that I hadn’t been approached by a single police officer.
Not one. They hadn’t even bothered to come into the hotel.
I’d waited for almost an hour until I realized I just didn’t want to be a part of Alexsey’s world.
I couldn’t risk it. While I had no clue who’d tried to kill the handsome Russian, they’d meant business.
Dark suits.
Dark SUVs.
Assault rifles.
I’d captured it all, storing it like a tiny nightmare that would dig at me time and time again.
My sister eyed me carefully while heading to the coffeemaker. She knew my nervous tics better than anyone. At least she needed coffee as badly as I still did. That alone kept her from peppering me with questions.
That lasted all of the time it took to pour a cup, grab the cream, and add some to her mug before her grilling began. “You didn’t wake me. I was kind of hoping you would. You know, with voices of passion, especially his.”
She knew I wouldn’t bring a man into my home and my bed.
Not with Emily in the house. “It wasn’t that kind of date.
” No, it was wild and amazing. I’d never felt so free or uninhibited in my life.
My lips were still swollen from the amazing kisses.
My pussy hadn’t stopped throbbing, the scent of him covering every inch of my body since I’d yet to take a shower.
And my bottom. Forgot about it. Every time I moved, I was reminded of just how dominating he’d been.
Then he’d had to go and almost get himself killed.
With me along as collateral damage.
The moment I shifted, I winced and of course, Kristine caught it.
“Are you okay?” There was far too much amusement in her voice. “Did you have a rough night in a good way?”
When I was slow on answering, she moved toward the table, sliding into the seat near me. “Don’t go there.”
“Oh, you did. Was he awesome in bed? Was his cock huge?”
“Shush!” I threw a look over my shoulder to ensure Emily wasn’t standing in the doorway. It was amazing what her little ears picked up when I didn’t want her to. “You’re terrible.”
“You need to tell me everything.”
“We had a good time. That’s all I’m going to tell you.” I took another sip of coffee, noticing she was staring over the rim of hers. That made me laugh. “Okay, fine. He was nothing like I thought he’d be.”
“In a good way?”
“In a good way. However…” I placed my mug on the table, trying to get thoughts of him from my mind, which was turning out to be impossible. “When we left the hotel—”
“He took you to a hotel?” she interrupted, even feigning horror in her gasp.
I stuck out my tongue. “Yes, he did. Okay? When I told him I needed to go home, and he was happy to drive me, he was attacked in the parking lot. Well, we were.”
“Wha… What? Attacked. What do you mean by attacked? Like as in someone tried to rob you?”
“No, as in someone tried to kill him.”
Kristine’s mouth hung wide open. “You are kidding me.”
“Do I look like I’m kidding you? Two vehicles came out of nowhere. The people inside just started shooting.”
My sister’s face went completely white. “My God. That’s… terrible. Did he tell you who tried to kill him?”
“We didn’t get into the subject. I’m certain he has a few enemies.”
She nodded. “He is Bratva.”
“Exactly. Which is why I shouldn’t have gone on the date in the first place.”
“Did he bring you home? What did he say? How did he act? Was he hurt? Oh, my God. Are you hurt?”
“Calm down. He protected me.” I had to admit his chivalry had surprised me.
The fact he’d instantly thrown himself down on me had been…
almost romantic. In his kind of way. I rubbed my eyes, hating how exhausted I felt, but mostly emotionally.
My body was wired for sound, the adrenaline rush still going strong. “He wasn’t hurt. I grabbed an Uber.”
“Why? What a shithead.”
“No, I left without telling him. I just… I didn’t want to be there any longer. There were police and forensics, lots of people. They came crawling out of nowhere.”
“Forensics. For the bullets.”
“No, for the dead bodies.”
She gulped visibly. “But you said he was okay.”
“Yeah. He killed two of them.”
“Oh. Why not. Pretty cool.”
I swatted her on the arm. “I got the feeling they wouldn’t have stopped if he hadn’t. I need more coffee just to get through this day.” When I rose to my feet, not only did I feel wobbly, but my butt hurt with every step.
“That’s just crazy. Why don’t you call in sick?”
“Are you kidding me? Not a chance. You know how the guys are at the firehouse. They’d never let me live it down.”
“What did you tell the police?”
My stomach lurched as another hint of fear crawled in. There was no reason for me to feel anything but numb. “That’s just it. They didn’t come find me to ask any questions.”
“Because he didn’t want you to tell them he’d killed these… men.”
I hadn’t really thought about it that way, but my sister was right. “Maybe so. It’s over. I’m fine. Life goes on.”
Very slowly I moved toward the fridge, pulling out the cream, realizing she’d turned on the morning news.
“Are you going to see him again? If that’s the first date, imagine the second. And third. Imagine if you got married.”
I all but spit out the first sip, coughing even though I managed to swallow. “That’s… not going… to happen.”
She shrugged. “Sex and murder. You broke the ice. You never know.”
“In breaking news, late last night in the parking lot of Dreamscape, a popular boutique resort and BDSM club, Alexsey Dmitriyev, the chief operating officer of Dmitriyev Enterprises was nearly gunned down by unknown assassins. As seen here, he was enjoying an evening with a yet unidentified woman, the assassination attempt shocking both guests and employees of the popular hotel.”
While the reporter kept going, his words were dulled into nothing but a light buzzing in my ears.
And why? Because I was staring at the pictures of me standing with Alexsey leaving the restaurant with his hand on the small of my back.
Another one inside his car when he’d leaned over and had taken my face into his huge hand.
Outside the hotel. Inside near the elevator.
With his hands all over me. His head lowered, kissing me.
And there was no doubt of the identity of the woman in the photograph.
At least if you knew her.
“Oh. My. God.” Kristine’s voice finally slipped through the tinny sounds.
I lifted my head, realizing she’d stood. Suddenly, she lunged forward, grabbing the mug of coffee in my hand before it slipped through my fingers.
Oh, this was bad.
So very bad.
The moment I walked into the firehouse, I was reminded that as of right now, I had a scarlet letter on my chest. Of course, I was single, Alexsey was single. We were adults. Technically, we could see each other, do anything together, and it was nobody’s business but ours.
Yet their male eyes had something else to say.
Locker doors were slammed, a couple of the men turning away in obvious disrespect. What pissed me off even more than their disloyal behavior was that not one of them asked if I’d been hurt.
Not Jeff or Camden. Not even Mark.
That also hurt. I didn’t deserve to be treated badly because I’d been a victim.
I headed toward my locker, spinning the dial while feeling the heat of their stares. Yes, the reporter had gone on to mention that the family was considered Bratva, but had added that the members of the regime were seen as upstanding citizens.
What had been just as damning as the fact I’d been on a date with him was that the reporter had mentioned two assailants had died on scene. No, there’d been no mention of how they’d died, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.
When they started whispering amongst themselves, I’d had enough. Maybe it was the extra coffee or lack of sleep. Perhaps my anger was just below the surface since I’d almost been killed the night before, but I lost it.
“Alright. That’s enough. I’m still your captain. If you have something to say to me then you fucking say it.”
As expected, the boys were quiet, but a couple dared to snicker. They had no idea that poking the bear wasn’t in their best interest.
I usually wouldn’t make an example of one of my men, but since my privacy had been stripped from me, I felt like ripping a new one.
I chose Steve, who was by far the biggest asshole in the group. When I shoved him against the set of lockers, everyone was surprised.
“Whoa,” Jeff said.
“Don’t whoa me.” I glared at Steve. “Do you have something to say, Steve?” The tension in the firehouse could be cut with a knife. “Do you?”
He snorted, his eyes full of venom. He’d been gunning for me since I’d been promoted to captain, a promotion he believed he deserved.
“I want you all to hear this and we’re never going to talk about it again. I am entitled to a life. Now, I have no clue what the hell went down last night, nor did I realize we were being photographed, but I am allowed to enjoy myself. What I do is none of your business. Period.”
I could swear to God my brash statement echoed in the space.
When he fisted his hands, acting like he was going to throw a punch, I did nothing more than look down at one of them. “Do it, Steve. Go right ahead and do it. Then I’ll be able to finally punch your ticket out of here.”
His entire body was tense. So was everyone else. Including me. But I refused to back down. My glare was a hell of a lot harsher than his.