Chapter 31
Cara
My body feels heavy and sore when I wake up the next morning, surrounded by Dmitri—his sheets, his scent, his heat.
I slowly blink open my eyes, having to squint at first against the light spilling through his bedroom windows. It takes a moment for my brain to catch up with everything that happened yesterday and last night, and when it does, it leaves me reeling.
I didn’t just nudge him into calling off the marriage.
I got paid $100,000 for the best night of my life.
I turn my head to see Dmitri sleeping on his stomach next to me, his cheek nestled against his pillow. I suddenly feel guilty for what I’ve done to him, with him. I don’t regret it, though. I only wish I didn’t have to lie to him.
My pulse quickens as I peer at him, studying the details of his face. I’ve never seen him look so relaxed.
And after what he shared with me last night, I understand why he always seems to keep himself at a distance. His father was an asshole like mine. Maybe worse. Sean’s punishments were usually a backhand. Dmitri’s sounded like survival.
I didn’t expect him to offer me something that personal.
But I probably would’ve shared more about myself with him if I could. I feel like he would understand more than anyone else.
Dmitri suddenly stirs, like my thoughts are loud enough for him to hear. He slowly opens one eye, the side of his mouth curling up at the sight of me.
Is he really that happy to see me? Why does that make my heart race so fast?
“Were you watching me sleep?” he mumbles, sounding amused.
“I was thinking. You just happened to be there,” I reply, sounding too defensive to be believable. My face burns as he laughs and lifts his head.
“I should send my men home,” he murmurs, “and let you guard me.”
I roll my eyes at him, despite the fluttering in my chest. “Are you always so funny this early in the morning?”
Dmitri responds by suddenly rolling on top of me, easily pinning my hands on either sides of my head. “You know, I let you get away with a lot.”
“Is it because of my irresistible charm?” I tease him.
Dmitri smirks. “Might be part of it. Don’t let it get to your head, though.”
I feign a concerned look. “Why? Are you going to punish me?”
His gaze immediately darkens, and I become more aware of how good it feels to be pinned down by him. He tightens his grip on my wrists, drawing my eyes to the way his muscles contract and flex.
“Maybe I should,” he says.
Heated excitement stirs within me as he leans down to kiss me, my eyes already fluttering shut in eagerness. The third-round last night was supposed to be the last time, but maybe one more won’t hurt. Not when Dmitri likes to ensure that I’m soaking wet before filling me.
Before our lips can touch, though, a loud knock slams through the penthouse.
Dmitri lifts his head, looking confused and annoyed. “This better be important.”
I watch him draw away from me and pull on a pair of black jogging pants before heading out of the bedroom, leaving me alone and naked in his bed. I scramble for clothes, digging around in the overnight bag that I packed, pulling out a pair of jeans and a cute top before I go see what’s going on.
“What is it, Emil?” Dmitri’s voice sounds from the foyer.
“Sir, there’s been an attack.”
My eyes widen as I freeze. What did he say?
“An attack? What are you talking about?” Dmitri questions him. “All of you, come in. What the hell happened?”
I finish getting ready in a hurry, my heart slamming against my ribs.
Curious about this overnight attack, I step out of his bedroom and head down the hallway, stopping in the entranceway as a few of Dmitri’s men pour into his penthouse with alarmed looks on their faces.
I swallow hard at the sight of blood streaking Isaak’s face from a cut above his eyebrow.
“Some of our guys were preparing a shipment at the westside warehouse,” Mark reports to him. “Isaak was with them.”
Isaak grimaces as he holds his left side. “Things were going fine. Gabe and I were watching the men load up the trucks to head out this morning for delivery. We were all outside when we heard the gunshots.”
My stomach twists as I glance at Dmitri, seeing the mixture of concern and anger on his face. This can’t be good, but who would attack like that?
The Suyunovs?
“Two armored vans pulled up on the road behind the warehouse. They shot out of them at us. At least six men,” Isaak explains. “We were so caught off guard that all we could do was run for cover. Before we could get our shit together, they took off.”
Dmitri shakes his head in disbelief. “How the hell did anyone know that shipment was going out this morning? We’ve had this planned and under wraps for weeks now!”
“There’s something else,” Emil speaks up with a frown on his face.
Dmitri glances between the three of them, his shoulders tensing. “What? What is it?”
“It’s Gabe,” Mark says in a quiet voice. “He was hit in the chest.”
My stomach drops, shock radiating through me. No way. There’s no possible way.
“I tried to help him,” Isaak says as he lowers his eyes. “But there was too much blood. I couldn’t stop it in time.”
“We lost Gabe?” Dmitri says, voice flat, disbelieving.
Isaak nods with a heavy exhale of defeat.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” His voice cracks on the last word. Turning around, he sends a nearby table lamp to the ground where it shatters into pieces.
I flinch at the sudden move, my fight-or-flight reflexes sharpening as I watch him closely.
“Who the fuck did this?” Dmitri snaps as he paces around his living room, looking like he’s ready to kill them with his bare hands. “The same people who fired on us at the gala?”
“I suspected the Suyunovs at first,” Mark admits. “But Isaak is certain that he knows who it was.”
Dmitri stops pacing and turns to face Isaak. “Who?”
Isaak raises his eyes and nods. “I heard the shooters shouting at us. Saying this is the beginning of the end for the Ivanovs. That we’ll all be dead by the time they’re done with us. I recognized their accents. It was the Irish.”
My blood runs ice cold. My father did this.
“Fucking Sean O’Malley and his crew of degenerates,” Dmitri says with a disgusted scowl as he steps over the ceramic shards on the floor. “That doesn’t surprise me. They’ve been suspiciously quiet lately.”
I stay as still as a statue as Dmitri rages on, my anxiety spiking whenever one of his men glances in my direction. If he ever manages to connect me with my father, I’m as good as dead. I can hear the hatred he has for him in his voice. And I can’t even blame him.
My father has done awful things, and it looks like killing one of Dmitri’s men, one who protected me, who I was fond of, is one of them.
This attack was so pointless! The alliance was over…
“Fuck!” Dmitri bites out as he rakes his fingers through his hair. “Gabe was a good man. For him to die like this…to the goddamn Irish of all people…it’s fucking bullshit!”
“What do you want us to do, sir?” Isaak asks him.
Dmitri shakes his head. “Call a meeting. I’ll need to talk to the rest of the family. We can’t let this go unpunished, but we’re already dealing with enough heat from the Suyunovs. We’ll need to be prepared for another attack.”
Nervousness churns in my stomach as I realize just how tense and dire things are right now for Dmitri. He’s surrounded by enemies on all sides.
I can only imagine what that’ll do to a person over time.
“Maybe we should discuss this somewhere else,” Emil comments as he glances over at me pointedly.
Dmitri follows his gaze before waving his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about Cara. We need to figure out how the Irish found out about the shipment going out today.”
“It’s concerning,” Mark agrees. “Maybe they’ve been staking out the place and waiting for a shipment to happen.”
“Doesn’t make any sense. It’s too risky for them,” Isaak replies. “They knew that we would be there at that time.”
“The only thing I can think of is that there’s a mole,” Dmitri states, prompting the others to nod in agreement.
Oh, shit. They’re going to start looking inward.
Which means they could find out about me, and that can’t happen. But what in the world can I say to steer them away from me without looking suspicious?
“I need some time to think and talk to the rest of the family. Let’s have an official meeting with the others tomorrow,” Dmitri tells them as he nods to the front door.
“Yes, sir.”
I stay quiet as I watch them filter out of the apartment, my heart shooting into my throat when Emil casts another brief look at me over his shoulder before leaving.
Once they’re gone, I step into the living room, slowly making my way toward Dmitri as he pinches the bridge of his nose in agitation. “I’ll leave too. I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “Gabe…”
Dmitri gives me a curt nod. “Probably for the best. I need to sort this out. As if everything hadn’t already gone to hell.”
“Okay,” I say quietly before turning and heading back toward the bedroom to grab my things.
“Wait.” Dmitri sighs, making me pause at the entrance of the hallway. “I’ll take you back home. I need to get out of here.”
My eyebrows lift in surprise, but I nod and go to the bedroom to grab my things. We leave his penthouse with the bag full of money and go to a nearby parking garage where multiple black SUVs and other nice cars are parked on a private floor.
Dmitri opens the passenger side door of a Lexus sedan for me, then gets in on the driver’s side, remaining silent as he starts the car and drives out of the parking garage.
Unease settles on my chest as I glance at him, seeing the quiet fury on his face.
If my father started this war, there won’t be a safe place left for me in this city.