Chapter 24
Cara
A rare rain pounds the city as I stand in my living room, gripping my phone and staring through the glass.
I want to enjoy it and try to relax for once, especially since it’s finally the weekend, but I can’t. Not yet. I have a phone call to make.
With a soft sigh, I slowly roll my neck to try to stretch my tired muscles, my entire body feeling heavy.
I don’t sleep much anymore. When I do, my dreams are wild and vivid. It’s like my mind can’t ever fully shut off, leaving me exhausted and restless.
Is this what it’s going to be like for the rest of my life?
When this mission is over, I don’t even think Sean will be happy for more than a day. In fact, if a good enough deal comes along, he’ll probably still try to force me to marry some old asshole.
My life may never be my own, and the thought of that makes it hard to breathe. I want to escape, but how far would I have to go to ensure he can’t find me? How would it be possible to leave the country without any money saved up?
I tear my eyes away from the gray haze that the rain has cast over Las Vegas and glance down at my phone, knowing that I shouldn’t waste any more time.
I tap on my father’s contact and hit the call button, my stomach twisting as the phone rings in my ear.
“Am I going to be happy or disappointed again?” Sean asks me the moment he picks up.
His words make my throat tighten. I think that I have pretty good news, but I already know that it won’t be good enough for him.
“I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Dmitri postponed setting a date for the wedding,” I say to him as I pace in front of the window.
Sean doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, making me wonder what he’s thinking. Finally, he says, “Postponed isn’t canceled.”
I hang my head in defeat. At least one of the benefits of this mission is that I haven’t been able to see him in weeks because it might blow my cover.
Hardly anyone knows that Sean O’Malley has a daughter since his name wasn’t listed on my birth certificate.
I didn’t even know until my mother grew desperate enough for money that she reached out to him when I was a teenager.
She basically sold me out to him, even knowing the kind of man he was.
In exchange for the money she desperately needed, he insisted I had to spend time with him.
“I know it’s not the same, but I’ve driven the wedge between him and Annika even deeper. The fact that he postponed means that him canceling the whole thing is a real possibility now,” I explain to him.
“I don’t care about possibilities! I care about results, yeah? And you’re not showing me any.” he snaps. “Are you even taking this seriously?”
My face burns with anger as I tighten my grip on the phone. I have busted my ass during this mission, risked my life, and I’ve made progress. I just don’t feel like going into the details of those results with my father.
“I’m taking this seriously,” I assure him. “You don’t realize all the work that I’ve put into this. Dmitri would rather be with me than with her. I just need to tip him over the edge and make him commit to leaving her.”
“I could’ve sent in a dolled-up whore and she would’ve got the job done faster,” Sean grunts, his voice full of disappointment and impatience, making me wince at the word whore.
My hand starts to shake next to my head, my vision turning hazy for a second as my rage deepens. “You’re wrong,” I say before I can stop myself.
Sean inhales sharply. “What did you say?”
“I said you’re wrong. You don’t know Dmitri the way I do, or all the walls he has up. No one else could do this but me,” I tell him through gritted teeth, my anger spilling over.
“It has been weeks, and all you’ve got to show for it is a delay in sending out the fecking invitations!” Sean replies in a cold tone. “Maybe I should just handle it myself.”
His words make my blood run cold. I know he isn’t bluffing. He will spill blood if it gets him what he wants.
“No! I’ve got this!”
“I’m running out of patience with you, Cara,” Sean growls.
“Soon,” I promise as I move closer to the window, the rain still coming down. Thunder rumbles in the near distance.
“I’ll tell you this, dear. If he doesn’t call off the alliance soon, this will have to come to a bloody end, yeah?” he warns me.
More than ever, I think he’s behind the shooting, behind the bullets that missed me by centimeters. Why wouldn’t he just admit it to me?
Is he worried that I would let the information slip and have Dmitri find out? I guess he trusts me about as much as I trust him.
“It won’t have to come to that,” I tell him, fighting to keep my voice steady.
“You shouldn’t be so opposed to bloodshed,” Sean scolds me. “It’s how our world works. But maybe you were never meant to be a part of it.”
His words echo in my head over and over again, overtaking all my other thoughts. Maybe he’s right.
Maybe I wasn’t meant to be part of my father’s world. I’ve always felt like an outsider.
I’ve tried so hard to make him proud, thinking that I have to prove myself to him, that I owe him.
What if I was wrong, and there’s something better out there for me, even if I have to do it alone?
But how the hell could I manage that?
My car is ancient and I don’t have enough money right now for a bus ticket. I would need a ton of cash in order to disappear somewhere that Sean can’t find me.
“I’ll get it done,” I reply before ending the call, feeling numb for a few seconds.
Then, the panic and anger hit me full force, tearing me apart as I struggle to figure out my next step. If I fail this mission, I should run because my father will force me into an arranged marriage.
If I succeed, I should still run because I know I’ll be better off far away from him.
A reckless idea cuts through the noise in my head, making me pause. Something I blurted out in anger during my argument with Dmitri. It’s crazy and goes against my original plan, but I need to be flexible if I’m going to outsmart everyone else.
Besides, drastic times call for drastic measures. And this…this would be better than my father ending Dmitri’s life.
I open my messages with him, my thumbs flying over the keyboard.
Can I come see you?
His response comes under a minute later.
I’ll send a car for you. 20 minutes.
As promised, I spot a black SUV pull off to the side of the street in front of my apartment building about twenty minutes later as I stand under the awning over the entrance.
The driver, Arman, gets out and opens a black umbrella. He strides over to me and holds the umbrella over my head as he walks me back to the car. “Good afternoon, Ms. Reynolds.”
I give him a small smile before getting into the backseat, my heart continuing to pound as I think about what’s coming. What I’m agreeing to will change everything, but I need to do something crazy to get what I want.
That seems to work for Dmitri.
I watch the rainfall through the window as the driver takes me to a much nicer part of the city, away from the casinos and tourists.
The driver guides me to the front entrance with the umbrella over my head. “Take the elevator to the top floor. Emil will escort you the rest of the way.”
I nod to him before stepping inside the pristine, brightly lit lobby.
I head to the elevator and hit the button for the penthouse, chewing on my bottom lip as I watch the digital red number etch up higher and higher.
The elevator dings before the doors slide open, revealing a small foyer where Emil is waiting outside of a door.
“Ms. Reynolds,” Emil greets me as I stride toward him.
I offer him a polite smile before passing by him once he opens the door to Dmitri’s penthouse.
My eyes immediately widen at how huge and nice it is.
His windows are enormous, with a view of the brightly lit strip off in the distance as the rain tumbles down.
The space is clean and tidy with nice artwork on the walls and little room accents here and there.
Dmitri steps out of a room to my right, crossing through the large open living room space to reach me. For once, he’s not in a nice suit or office attire. Just a pair of black lounge pants and a casual white t-shirt. “Is everything okay, Cara?”
He actually sounds concerned. My heart briefly flutters as I convince myself to nod.
“I wanted to talk to you about the offer you made me the other day,” I tell him. My palms begin to sweat the moment those words leave my mouth.
There’s no going back now.
Dmitri’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Really? I thought you made it clear you didn’t want to be my ‘paid-by-the-hour whore.’”
I give him a nod. “I don’t. I didn’t. But…I thought about it some more, and I’ve changed my mind. I’ll agree to multiple encounters, if the price is right. The payments can be considered bonuses on top of the work that I’m already paid to do. And I would prefer to be paid in cash.”
His expression shifts. Not surprised. Calculating.
“Multiple encounters?” he asks, and I nod my agreement. We’ll start out slow and work our way up instead of going all in on one night.
“Only at the office, after everyone leaves for the night and it’s just us.” In the office where we’re much more likely to get caught.
Dmitri’s blue eyes darken to nearly black. “I can agree to those terms.”
I hold my hand out to him, wanting to make this as business official as possible without dealing with a contract. “Then, I accept your offer, and all that’s left is agreement on the payments.”
Dmitri chuckles a little as he shakes my hand. “I’m glad you changed your mind. I promise that you won’t regret it.”
When he starts to pull me closer, I place my other hand on his chest to stop him. “We can start discussing the details on Monday. It’s still the weekend.”
Dmitri doesn’t even look frustrated. He just grins and nods. “Of course. All on your terms, Cara.”
Excitement flutters in my chest as our hands break apart. I don’t know exactly how this will all work, but the money will buy me freedom. Not just from my father, but from who he decided I should be.
“That’s all I wanted to talk to you about. I just thought we should do it in person, and I was too impatient to wait until Monday,” I tell him as I glance toward the door, figuring I should leave to let him enjoy the rest of his weekend.
Dmitri gently takes my arm and shakes his head. “Don’t go just yet. It’s still storming out.”
“I don’t want to impose,” I say, warmth blooming under his soft touch.
Dmitri laughs, and the sound catches me off guard. It’s deep and smooth and coaxes a smile onto my face. He almost never laughs like that.
“You’ve saved me from boredom. I hate when it rains,” Dmitri replies as he motions for me to follow him toward the kitchen. “I just had some food delivered. Eat with me.”
I can’t think of a reason to say no, so I let him lead the way, a smile lingering on my face.
I thought Dmitri would be the way for me to finally prove myself to my father, but I think I had it all wrong.
He’s the key to getting the hell away from him once and for all.