Chapter Twenty-Three
D mitri’s man drove them down to the Mandarin Oriental, and he didn’t say a word the entire drive. Not that Carrigan expected him to. What did he have to say? He’d won. He’d gotten everything he’d wanted, and he’d put her father in a position of being grateful to him. It really was brilliant.
Not that she was ever going to say so.
She climbed out of the backseat before the man had a chance to open the door, and looked around the parking garage. “How long will we be here?”
“Tonight. I have some remaining business to take care of in Boston before we return to New York.” Dmitri offered his elbow, and she forced herself to take it.
She might resent the hell out of him, but she knew when to hedge her bets.
She was marrying him, whether she liked it or not.
Getting them started on the right foot—as much as possible—might mean more freedom for her down the road.
I hate this. I hate that I can’t choose a man for myself. I hate everything .
Her fingers itched for her phone, and the thing she wanted most in the world was to hear James’s raspy voice over the line telling her that it was okay and he’d be at her side in no time. It would never happen again. God, that hurt.
Dmitri led them up through a set of elevators to one of the absurdly large suites.
Everything about it was opulent and expensive, all with a vaguely Asian theme that didn’t quite commit to any specific culture.
She made a beeline for the kitchen, finding a bottle of vodka stashed in one of the cabinets.
Why wasn’t she surprised? She poured a healthy splash into a tumbler and then poured some more.
Alcohol wouldn’t do anything to change her circumstances, but it’d numb her to some of the sharper aspects of it for tonight, at least. If that was the best she could do, then she was going to happily do it.
If I hadn’t gone and fallen for James, would I be so upset about marrying Dmitri?
She didn’t know. That was part of the problem. She’d never been on board with this whole marrying-a-stranger plan, but at least she understood the Russian. He was a cold bastard, but she could be cold, too.
Or so she’d thought.
She glanced up as the glass touched her lips to find Dmitri watching her. “What?”
“Nothing at all. Help yourself.” It irked her that he had her over a barrel in every way that counted, and all the while he’d never once lost his polish and poise during the whole process.
My fault . Knowing that didn’t help her mood a damn bit, but there it was.
She’d made her bed and now it was time to lie in it.
It didn’t matter if she’d been forced into a corner by circumstances beyond her control.
She tightened her grip on the glass, trying to remind herself why this was all necessary.
To keep James safe . She’d screwed up last night and let her heart get the better of her head.
Dmitri didn’t seem like the kind of man to be forgiving, but if he was going to make an exception this time, she had to do whatever it took to make sure that happened.
No matter how much she hated the thought of playing subservient wifey to him.
He motioned around the room. “Feel free to make yourself at home. I have a few business calls to make. Afterward, we’ll order a meal and have a conversation.”
Peachy . She forced a tight smile. “I look forward to it.” How much vodka could she drink before he got done with his calls? Enough to muffle the soul-searing pain demanding she go running back into James’s arms? Somehow, she doubted it. There wasn’t enough alcohol in the world.
But that wouldn’t stop her from trying.
Is he going to expect me in his bed tonight? She couldn’t play the blushing virgin waiting for her wedding night. He’d already more than proven that he’d done his research when it came to her—not to mention that she’d put this entire thing in jeopardy for one more time with James.
I didn’t even get to say good-bye .
She took another healthy gulp of the vodka.
Dmitri wasn’t ugly or gross, but the mere thought of his hands on her body made her stomach lurch.
I don’t know if I can do this . If she hadn’t had a taste of how good things could be with James, she’d probably be able to fake it with Dmitri.
Or, more likely, she wouldn’t have had to fake it at all.
He seemed like the kind of man who knew his way around a woman’s body.
Before she’d experienced how good it could be when her heart was involved, that would have been enough for her.
She wasn’t sure it still was.
“Perfect.” Dmitri pulled his phone out of his pocket. “My men won’t come into the room, but they are stationed at the doors. I don’t have to tell you not to do something ill advised.”
It wasn’t a question, so she didn’t deign to answer it.
His threat to James kept her in place, and he damn well knew it.
“Don’t worry about me. The most damage I’ll do while you’re busy is to your vodka.
” Maybe a little distance from him would let her get her game face back into place.
She was in the middle of a death spiral, and that was unacceptable.
This was a man who would capitalize on any weakness, and she’d more than given him enough ammunition in the last hour.
It was time to get back onto the playing field.
Carrigan braced herself, smiled, and touched his arm, letting her hand linger there even though she was dangerously close to having the vodka she’d drunk make a reappearance. “I want to thank you.”
“Oh?”
“You didn’t have to show mercy.” She made herself move closer. “I’m very, very grateful that you did.”
His expression didn’t so much as twitch.
“Good.” He turned and walked away, cutting an imposing figure in his perfectly fitted suit.
Though he hadn’t technically agreed to anything, he was a smart man, and a smart man would know it was more important to secure her obedience and loyalty early on, rather than exact petty revenge to assuage his pride.
She hoped.
She downed another gulp of the vodka, relishing the burn because of the future oblivion it promised. She looked around the room, taking in the understated elegance. Sitting here in the kitchen like a lush, just waiting for Dmitri to wander back in and pay attention to her… No, thanks.
After topping off her vodka, she wandered around the living room.
Everything was top of the line and completely soulless.
She would have traded it in a hot second for the faded, lived-in feel of James’s beach place.
She rubbed her chest. How was it possible to miss someone so much when she’d been with them a day before?
Carrigan sipped her vodka, going slower now that she’d started to feel its effects.
Getting drunk was a dumb decision. The last thing she needed was to break down in front of Dmitri in an alcohol-infused sob session.
He already had too much power over her. She refused to hand him any more weapons.
Needing to combat the fuzziness threatening, she crossed the living room and muscled open one of the large windows overlooking Back Bay.
Instantly, she got a face full of icy wind.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the cold sink into her, driving away her buzz.
Better. Much better. She wouldn’t be able to stand here too long, but it was exactly what she’d needed.
I need a plan in place to deal with him. I’ve spent too much time letting my emotions get the better of me and giving the advantage to everyone else. It ends now.
It didn’t take long for shivers to start racking her body, but she wrapped her arms around herself, not willing to close the window just yet .
“Yes, yes, I know.”
Carrigan frowned. What the hell? She angled to look out the window, trying to figure out what she was hearing.
It didn’t take long to recognize Dmitri’s voice.
Apparently the window in the master bedroom was cracked open as well.
There was no reason his business calls should interest her, but she needed every piece of information she could get when it came to this man.
One never knew when the opportunity would arise where it could be used for leverage.
She stepped out of her heels, picked them up, and padded closer to the window. His voice was partially muffled, growing louder and quieter. He must be pacing. She didn’t dare peek to confirm.
Inside, he kept speaking. “Are you threatening me ?” He muttered something in what sounded like Russian. “Listen to me, you little der’mo . You agreed to this and you took your payment. That means I own you. Though I’m starting to think I overpaid.”
She grinned despite the cold sinking into her bones. Apparently the perfectly temperate Dmitri could get frazzled.
“No, things haven’t changed. If anything, it’s even more vital now to follow through on this.
” A pause, and then his voice dropped until she had to strain to make out the words.
“Don’t misunderstand me, Michael. If James Halloran doesn’t die tonight, you will go in his place, and I will take personal satisfaction in drawing out your last breaths until you’re begging for the mercy of the afterlife. ”
Carrigan clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. That murdering backstabbing bastard . She reached blindly for the wall, the world turning slow circles around her. All she’d done, all she’d sacrificed, and James was still in Dmitri’ s crosshairs.
From the sound it of, he had been even before she agreed to marry the Russian.
He kept speaking, oblivious to her world falling apart around her. “And that is if Ricky doesn’t get to you first. You know what happens if you fail me. Don’t.”