56. Dmitri
56
DMITRI
I sit in the leather chair in my office and pour a glass of whisky while Elanee is preoccupied with her family. I was social for the first hour, but it quickly became tiresome and I excused myself under the pretense of needing rest. This was partly true, but it gave me time to address something I’d been avoiding.
I pull out the thick envelope sealed with The Lion’s emblem from the top drawer of my desk. I lean back into the chair as I slide the letter opener across it.
When I was in the hospital, a solicitor arrived on behalf of my father. It was a relief that during that time, Elanee had gone home to clean up, and Layla was with me instead. I didn’t want even the mention of his name around her ever again.
I begin to read the first page, a summary of his belongings. Rage boils in my blood as I read all the things he’d left behind, including the premise that whoever was to successfully murder him was entitled to everything and no member of the Bratva was to come after them. He was a sick fucker until the very end. All he wanted was a worthy opponent.
I almost split it in two as I read his conditions and gulp down the harsh whisky. Had this been what he was after all this time? Is this why he challenged so many people? To try and find someone who could beat him? To continuously fuel his narcissistic demeanor that he was a reigning champion.
I wanted nothing from him. Would accept nothing from him. Nor would I believe or even consider that I was something special to him.
The memory of him gurgling on his own blood comes to mind. I’m proud, he’d said.
The page tears, and there’s not much I can do to purge this rage. Even in the grave, he was fucking with me. But instead of fixating on it, I decide to let go of any meaning behind his words or actions.
I look back to the room Elanee is laughing in with her family. I’d let the past destroy us once; I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
The reality was also that he’d been sent here on a job from the Bratva, and he failed. Luca advised there had been no suspicion of retaliation since. If anything, taking out The Lion has only solidified the Armani’s position in New York.
I flick through the other pages and pause on the hand-written letter.
A lump lodges in my throat as I begin to read the letter that’s addressed to my mother: My beautiful Wife.
I outright almost rip it into two. How fucking dare he write her a letter. But I continue to read.
I don’t have many regrets in life, only that my lifestyle was too harsh for your innocent nature. I did love you as best as I could, which is why I set you free.
Never once did I stop thinking of you.
Never once did I remove our wedding ring.
But I respected your wish not to see you until the end.
Even now, wherever I end up—most likely hell.
I’ll be thinking of you.
Forever yours,
Your Lion.
I throw back the rest of the whisky, doing everything I can to remain in place so I don’t have an explosive reaction in front of Elanee’s family. It’s the only thing stopping me from doing so.
I stand and stare at the letter and the annunciation of my ‘new inheritance’. I throw them into the fire and watch the crescent burn. Be fucked that I was ever handing that letter over to my mother.
Even from the grave, the narcissistic prick was trying to toy with us. But it ends here with me.
I pull out my phone and call my mother. She answers on the third ring.
“Baby! How are you healing? Is everything okay?” she asks worriedly. Like everyone else, she was told it was an attempted robbery gone wrong. My grandfather didn’t believe it at all. Always an insightful prick. All he’d asked me was if it was over.
And I told him yes.
I watched the relief wash over him as I sat in my hospital bed. And then, surprisingly—he thanked me before advising he’d take over until I’d healed from the wound and then the operation.
“Everything’s fine, Mom,” I say as I watch Elanee.
I play back and forth with the idea as to whether I should tell my mother about The Lion’s demise. I hadn’t even told her about the tumor yet because I was concerned as to how she would take the news.
Somehow, that felt minuscule compared to what we’d been through. If I could slay our demons, I was certain I could fight this asshole of a thing in my head.
“I have something to tell you,” I say somberly.
I can hear her breathing on the other side of the phone. I don’t know how to tell her. After reading his letter, I wanted to tell her I’d chased away her demons. That he was no longer haunting her. That as I watch that letter go up in flames—we were set free.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” she whispers.
I’m surprised that she knows. Maybe it’s the tone I’d taken. Only now will he ever get this moment. This will be the last time his name leaves our lips.
“The Lion’s dead,” I confirm.
She chokes on a sob, and my jaw tics because I can’t take on her pain for her. It might spiral her into another episode, but after this… for the rest of her life, she won’t be living in fear. Or maybe she still will. But I hope it’s enough to heal even a small part of her.
I look back over to Elanee as she begins to escort her family to the door as they say their goodbyes.
“I never meant for you to fight this on your own,” My mother says, and I am surprised. Maybe she thinks the bullet wasn’t an attempted robbery at all. My mother might’ve been frail, but she wasn’t stupid.
“You protected us both by fleeing him and bringing us back home. It was my role to finish it,” I say. “For all of us.”
She quietly sobs on the phone, and I hear Katniss beside her, most likely consolidating her. I’m grateful she’s there when I’m not.
“Will you be visiting soon?” my mother asks as Elanee approaches me.
My face softens. “Yes, and this time, I have someone for you to meet. As promised.”
My mother rattles out a shaky breath as Elanee presses her hand to my face, mouthing ‘Is everything okay?’
“I look forward to seeing you both. Make sure you get plenty of rest,” she says.
“I will. I love you, Mom, and I’ll talk to you soon,” I say before hanging up.
“Your mother?” Elanee asks. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah.” I place my phone on the desk. I respect Elanee wanting to keep this from her parents. She’s most likely also doing it to protect their opinion of me since he was technically my father by blood. Not that I think her father has a very strong opinion of me because of my former playboy reputation.
“I thought I told you no drinking,” she lectures as she grabs the empty glass out of my hand. My lip curves into a smile.
It seems ironic with the amount of women I’ve slept with, and there was only ever one who left a lasting impression. Only one who I wanted to become mine.
“Sit,” I order her.
“Dmitri, I told you we’re not having sex right now,” she says, putting a hand on her hip.
“I won’t repeat myself.”
She goes to argue, but I raise an attentive eyebrow. She crosses her arms over her chest, and I walk around the side of the table and open the top drawer.
I’d bought this before I met with my father, even before he’d flown into town. The thought of ever losing her again was unfathomable, and everything I owned, I wanted her to have. So it only made sense that I made sure every other fucker knew that.
Matchmaker or not, this little brat who never believed in love was about to become mine in not only body but status as well.
I pull out the black box and wince in pain as I drop to one knee.
“Dmitri,” she says, going to catch me, but I ignore her and place the box on her knee. Her mouth snaps shut.
“What is this? What are you—”
“Are you sure this won’t get me laid?” I ask with a mischievous grin. “Open it.”
She seems conflicted. “That’s not funny. What? You just have a bunch of jewels in your drawer for when you have girls stay over and—”
She opens it, and her jaw drops. Her eyebrows furrow together as she stares at it mesmerized.
“I don’t ever bring anyone here, Elanee. This home was only ever meant for you. And any other ones you want us to buy. Will you make sure to keep me in line by becoming my wife, Elanee Lane?”
Tears spill over her eyes and down her cheeks, and all she seems to be able to say is, “You stupid prick.”
I chuckle as her hand goes to her mouth. “Dmitri, I don’t deserve this.” More tears follow ,and I bring her forehead down to mine, staring at her so she has nowhere else to look.
“I don’t deserve you . But be fucked if I’m letting you go twice,” I say. “You promised we’d heal together.”
Tears spill as she sobs. “But there are so many things happening, and you still have your operation coming up, and what if– what if…”
“And what if you give me hell like you always have,” I say matter of fact as I pull the ring out of the box. “We’re both fighters, Elanee. I’ll make it through the surgery, and we’ll start building our future together like we promised. However, you want it to look,” I say as I slide the ring onto her finger. She chokes on sobs, and I bring my lips to hers.
I devour her, thinking of all the times, even in college, I wanted to brand her exactly like this. I move my hand over her knee and feather my fingers up her inner thigh as I slide her short PJ pants to the side. As promised, she wasn’t wearing any panties.
“Dmitri, you can’t be serious,” she says, but when I insert the first finger, her body stiffens and she bites her bottom lip.
“I’ve only ever been serious about you, Elanee,” I say as I wrap my hand around her throat to keep her in place so I can bury myself into her pussy. The moment I have a taste, my cock hardens, mainly due to the small whimper she makes as I begin to devour her. I slip off her pants and am fucking ravaging her.
“Dmitri, that’s not fair,” she whimpers. But I don’t care. Unfair was how long she’d been holding out on me. It was unfair was it taking all this time and so many obstacles to get here. To the place, we were always meant to be.
I glide the other hand around her throat and down her breasts, pinching a pierced nipple as she cries out in pleasurable pain. I begin to suck on her clit and insert another finger as I pound into her sweet pussy.
“You haven’t even—” She’s breathless. “Given me time to appreciate the ring.”
“Appreciate it later,” I growl as I lick and taste, pushing her over the edge.
Her legs begin to tremble, and I know she’s about to explode all over my mouth.
She convulses in the chair and breaks apart around my tongue. Pride fills me as I lazily lick up every drop.
When I look up at her, she’s staring at me with a hooded gaze, her breathing shallow. “You’re still healing,” she says, trying to be the voice of reason, but she bites her bottom lip as she stares at my cock hungrily. “But maybe if I’m on top? I can… help you.”
My eyebrows flick up, bemused by her humble request. “You want to be in charge?” I ask her pointedly.
She nods feverishly, and I take her hand with the ring on it and kiss her knuckle. She’s out of her fucking mind if she thinks I’ll be able to keep my hands off of her. But it’s cute, nonetheless.
“Sure. I’ll lay on my back like a good boy,” I suggest as I stand, hiding the wince.
“Okay, that could work,” she says in a hot fluster as she stares at my cock through my pants. I wrap my hand around her throat and press her against the bookshelf. Every kiss and breath is mine.
This woman is mine.
She pushes my pants down and her hand reaches for my cock, and I groan at her feather-light touch.
We were never even going to make it to the bedroom.
I throw her knee over my hip and line my cock up with her pussy.
“Dmitri, you’re healing.”
“And we have the rest of our life to rest. But right now, what I need is that sweet little cunt of yours to remember who it belongs to,” I say as I slam into her. She gasps, her eyes bulging as her pussy takes time to stretch over my size.
I pull out and then slam back in. Every time I do, pain erupts, but it would never be enough to stop me from claiming my woman.
She moans as she begins to roll her hips over my cock, her eyes rolling into the back of her head in pure bliss.
I let the little vixen milk me in every way that pleases her because I have no intention of letting her leave this apartment anytime soon.