Chapter 62 Dimitri
DIMITRI
Frustration rattled through my bones as I hung up the phone, barely resisting the urge to hurl it over the safe house’s porch rail.
I stared at the wooded area with unseeing eyes.
Even though I was outside, it felt like the walls of the universe were caving in.
I let out a groan, tugging angrily at the strands of my hair.
Aleksei just called, telling me once again that he didn’t have the Souleater’s location or even a single viable lead.
Now my hacker, the man who had brokered the countless black market sales of rare gems and had been instrumental in helping me overthrow my father, was asking for my wife’s help. Again.
My wife, who had slept tucked against my chest the past two nights and was mere weeks away from giving birth. She needed to be shielded from all of this. Eliminating the Souleater was my responsibility, and she had already risked too much. Aleksei would just have to figure out another way.
Except…I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on with Sienna.
I should be relieved she hadn’t asked for any updates about the Souleater…
right? The past couple of days together had given me the opportunity to really watch my wife—in person this time, not just through the house’s security system.
Nothing was obviously wrong, but Sienna was good at wearing a mask.
At that disastrous dinner in New York, I’d assumed her mask was a form of manipulation, but Sienna was quite possibly the least manipulative person I knew.
My lips quirked. She was my little prankster.
But my little prankster was hiding something.
I slipped back inside. She was sitting on the couch, laptop balanced on her belly, a furrowed line between her brows while she mouthed something under her breath.
“What are you up to?” I kept my voice gentle as I sat down beside her, close enough for our legs to press together.
“I’ve been neglecting my village.”
Her incompetent CozyScape shop owner, Mary Margaret, was mixing up new ice cream flavors.
“How’s C0zyBrODeezNuts doing?”
“He’s barely played the past few days. I’m closing the scoring gap between us.”
She let out a string of curses when Mary Margaret added half a jar of olives to passionfruit gelato.
I raised an eyebrow. “Wow, baby. Were you a sailor in another life?”
That almost brought a smile to her lips.
I cupped the back of her neck, lightly digging in my fingers to massage the tension. “I just spoke to Aleksei.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“I told him I knew you were the Hedgehog. He said he couldn’t tell me who you were because you made all sorts of threats against him.”
The corner of her lips tipped up. “Tattletale. I barely even threatened him. No one smart goes against the Hedgehog willingly.”
I chuckled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “My dangerous hacker.”
She let out a frustrated screech when Mary Margaret added soy sauce to the new chocolate lava ice cream.
I nudged her side. “Hey, maybe that’s good.” Sienna’s glare was powerful enough to shoot laser beams. I held my hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. Just trying to be encouraging.”
“That’s the issue! Mary Margaret doesn’t need any encouragement!” She groaned and flopped back against the couch. “I’ll never beat C0zyBrODeezNuts.”
“You’ll get him, baby. I have no doubts.” I caressed her jaw, leaning in for a kiss. When I pulled away, I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “Aleksei also told me something else. He said he texted you yesterday, asking if you could help him find the Souleater, and you said no.”
Even though my voice was gentle, Sienna tensed. “I didn’t think you would want me to continue hacking.”
I blinked. That was not what I’d expected her to say. “So…if I asked you to stop hacking, you would?”
She shrugged.
I, in fact, did not want Sienna to continue hacking, but what the fuck?
Aleksei had told me about some of the legendary things the Hedgehog had done, including taking down mob bosses, billionaires, and anyone involved in sex trafficking, even if they were powerful government officials.
The number of corrupt, evil men around the world who would give anything to stop my wife terrified me.
But in no fucking universe would Sienna ever agree to stop doing something dangerous because a man asked her to.
“What’s going on, malyshka?” I ran my thumb along her jaw. “Talk to me. Please.”
Her brown eyes flashed to mine. “Wow, you said please.”
“Yes. Please.”
Her lower lip trembled. She clenched her jaw and avoided my gaze, but I saw the tears she kept at bay. “I should never have gone to the shipping yard.”
I fought my instinct to wrap her in my arms and comfort her. She needed to get this out, so I waited.
“I risked our daughter’s safety,” she whispered.
“What if I had gotten hurt? She would have been hurt, too.” Tears spilled down her cheek.
My thumb brushed them away while I fought conflicted feelings.
I hated that she’d been there, couldn’t stop hearing those gunshots, fear pounding in my chest that I wouldn’t get to her in time.
“Why did you do it?” I asked.
“All I could think of were the things he had done to those boys.” She clutched my hand, squeezing hard. “What he did to you. I wanted to create a safer world for our baby, but I didn’t think it through. I’m too impulsive. What if I’m a terrible mom?”
This time, I didn’t fight my urge to pull her close. I arranged her sideways on my lap, keeping a firm arm around her back, the other holding her stomach while her shoulders shook with sobs.
“Shh. Take a deep breath for me. You’re going to make yourself sick.
” I cupped her face. “There is no doubt in my mind that you are going to be an amazing mom. I mean, you already are to your son.” I gestured to Vovk who napped at her feet.
He’d been lazing around ever since I fed him his gourmet grocery store steaks.
She gave me a half-hearted, watery smile. “How are you so sure? What if my judgement can’t be trusted?”
“You’re being too hard on yourself. I wish you hadn’t gone to the shipping yard because the thought of you getting hurt fucking kills me.
But I understand why you did it, and you kept yourself safe.
” I ran my fingers through her hair. “We’ve both made our fair share of bad decisions the past few months, but going forward, we can make them together, right? ”
She bit her lip against a grin. “We can make bad decisions together?”
“What? No, I mean…fuck, now I’m confused. What I know is that you are brilliant and kind and while I might not have a fucking clue how to be a father, if Matteo Rossi can do it, I can do it. And better.”
She laughed, and it was the best sound in the world. “Mafia men are ridiculous.”
“Good thing I lead the Bratva, then.”
She rested her head on my shoulder. “You think I should help Aleksei?”
I trailed my fingers up and down her arm. “No.”
“Wait, what?” She scrunched her nose in confusion.
I let out a long sigh, stroking her cheek. “I don’t want you to be involved in any of this shit, but I think you want to help Aleksei. And I know you’re our best chance at finding the Souleater.”
Her cheeks tinged pink.
Movement on her laptop screen caught my eye. I let out a bark of laughter when I saw Mary Margaret dancing on the ice cream shop tables. “I’m not sure she’s really cut out to run a business.”
Sienna groaned. “It’s hopeless.”
“Don’t give up,” I said, quickly kissing her cheek. I leaned closer to the computer. “Can I try something?”
Her eyebrows knitted together. “Um, sure?”
I clicked through Mary Margaret’s personality settings, saving my adjustments before returning to the game.
Sienna watched, jaw dropped, as Mary Margaret mixed up three new ice cream flavors—strawberry balsamic with goat cheese, passionfruit gelato swirled with chocolate hazelnut, and hot honey peaches ‘n cream.
“What the actual fuck? I’m not the only one who has a double life, apparently.”
My smile was smug as fuck. “I read on a gaming forum that you have to increase a character’s autonomy, creativity, and taste profiles at the same time to get unique food combinations that are still edible.”
“Am I being punked? Since when do you play CozyScape?”
“I wanted to see why you liked it so much.”
She looked deeply into my eyes, slowly dragging her fingers along my jaw before pulling me in for a kiss.
I groaned and immediately deepened it, losing myself in her sweetness and the heat of her mouth.
Her fingers twisted in my shirt. I palmed her ass, my hard-on pressing against her thigh.
I wanted to sink inside her, to feel her come around my cock, but I hadn’t earned that right.
We broke apart, breathless.
“So…” Her lips were featherlight along my jaw. “Let me see your town.”
I laughed. “As long as you don’t judge it too harshly.”