Chapter 14
Dmitri
I stay in the shower longer than I need to.
After I finally shut off the water, I slowly dry off, straining my ears to try to hear any signs of life outside of the bathroom.
There’s just silence, though.
My chest feels tight as I get dressed, my mind already betraying me and second-guessing what I’ve just done. More than anything, I want Cara to stay and be mine, but we don’t live in a fairy tale world. People want to kill her. People that I might not be able to stop.
I’d die fighting for her. But I can’t protect her from a horde of angry Bratva bosses.
All I can do is free her and hope that she makes it to her father’s or somewhere safe before anyone sees her and takes matters into their own hands. I’ll keep tabs on things throughout the day and make sure there are no reports of seeing her wandering around on the streets.
She’ll figure it out. She always does.
If things go as they should, I’ll never see her again. Maybe her father will send her out of the city to protect her. I can only hope that Sean decides to be a good father for once and help his daughter out when she needs it the most.
Once I get dressed, I walk out of the bathroom and glance up and down the empty hallway. I check the living room and kitchen first, not seeing anything out of order. The foyer seems fine too until I notice something off about the dish where I keep my car keys.
One of them is missing.
“What the hell?” I murmur under my breath as I rifle through the keys that are left to see which cars they belong to. The S-Class is missing.
She took one of my cars.
I don’t feel anger. The corner of my mouth twitches instead.
Smart girl. It wouldn’t have been safe for her to roam around the streets on foot. I would’ve driven her somewhere myself if it wouldn’t draw so much attention to us and get us both killed.
But she figured it out. She always figures it out.
Eventually, my amusement dies out when a hard realization hits me.
She’s gone, and she won’t be coming back. Part of me thought she might be stubborn and refuse to leave.
“Yebat.” I sigh as I run my hand through my damp hair, remembering the way she stroked it when we were holding each other.
I’m going to miss her so much that it hurts, but at least I won’t have her blood on my hands. I got her away from me, which means that I got her away from the Bratva. They won’t go against the Irish to get her back.
She just needs to make it there alive.
I return to my room for my phone. That’s when I spot a folded-up piece of paper on the bed. My feet freeze at the sight of it.
I pick it up off the bed timidly, like it’s a bomb about to explode, and unfold it. Her familiar handwriting in black ink quickly comes into view.
With a slow exhale, I sit down on the edge of the mattress and start to read.
Dmitri,
I never got the chance to tell you all the things that I wanted you to know, even if they won’t change anything. Last night was amazing, and even if you don’t want to see me again, I still want you to know. I want you to know for certain that I did love you and would never hurt you.
I lower the page, taking a deep breath before I can keep reading.
I didn’t tell you the reason why I couldn’t refuse my father.
I didn’t volunteer to be a spy in your office.
In fact, when I tried to refuse the job, Sean threatened to marry me off to the highest bidder.
Any man with enough money or a good enough deal to make him happy.
He was prepared to trade me like property.
When I refused to try to kill you, he threatened to toss me into one of his brothels so I could do the only thing I was good for and earn back the money he spent on me in tuition and child support he gave my mother when she was desperate.
My jaw locks as I imagine the sick bastard holding that shit over Cara’s head, threatening her with that kind of life. I might’ve had an arranged marriage in the works, but I had the power to call it off, even if I’m still dealing with the consequences.
Cara would’ve had no choice. She would’ve been stuck. Helpless. Doomed. Probably for the rest of her life.
And threatening to put her in a goddamn brothel?
Sean is a worse father than I thought.
I only gave up the information about your meeting to avoid that fate. In fact, I felt so torn and stuck after betraying you that day that I decided that I was going to end things with poison I bought from one of my father’s men.
My stomach drops. All of this was happening right under my nose. She felt so trapped that, in her mind, death was easier. She didn’t want to betray me anymore, and she didn’t want her father to ruin her life.
She couldn’t see any other way out.
I drag my fingers through my hair, my heart heavy.
On the night that I was going to do it, I had put the cyanide in my wine.
I was just about to drink it when you showed up at my apartment.
You didn’t even know why you were there.
I felt like there was a reason why you saved me, that there was another option for me that I just hadn’t figured out yet.
Memories of that night flood back to my mind. Her odd behavior makes more sense now.
It would’ve been the simplest thing ever to let you drink it when you picked up the glass. My father would’ve been so pleased with me. But I didn’t care about him. I only cared about you. That’s why I threw it out so fast, out of fear of you drinking even a sip.
Shit, she’s right. I almost did drink her wine. No wonder she panicked.
She could’ve killed me a hundred times. She had every opportunity, but she didn’t take any of them.
She protected me instead.
The last thing that I want is to never see you again, but I’ll respect your wishes if that’s what you really want. Just know that I do love you. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. It just happened, and I don’t regret it.
Please keep yourself safe. Your life is your own. Do what you want, not what anyone else wants for you, Dmitri.
Yours always,
Cara
I lower the letter after I read the last few lines twice, my mind racing.
And I know I made a mistake.
I should’ve kept Cara here with me. I should’ve figured out a way to keep her safe while I planned what to do next.
What the hell was I thinking?
I stand up from the bed, prepared to rush out of the penthouse and track her down, but I stop myself before I can take a single step. If I chase her now, I risk exposing her.
Cara is capable enough to get herself home, but I need to make sure that she’ll be safe there. Not only do I have to protect her from the Bratva, I also have to protect her from the Irish.
But how do I keep her safe from my enemies? How do I get close enough to make sure no one from her own family hurts her?
As I read over the letter one more time, a reckless idea forms.
But if it works, I can protect her.
Even if she hates me for it.
I stash the letter in the nightstand drawer before grabbing another set of car keys and heading out. I need some help from an unlikely ally, but this is what the world has come to. My friends have become my enemies, and my enemies might just become my friends.
That’s the only way to survive in this world.
I rush into the antique shop, spotting Isaak in the same spot as before with some old food wrappers around his feet and another magazine in his hands. “I’ll take over, Isaak. I need you to go watch over the East Grove property.”
Isaak rises to his feet with a confused look on his face. “Denis mentioned to me that he’s no longer guarding your place. You said that he didn’t have to worry about Cara escaping anymore.”
Damn Denis and his mouth. How can I trust any of my men when they gossip more than high school girls?
“I haven’t announced it yet,” I tell him. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to anyone. I need to tell the Council myself.”
Isaak looks surprised, but he nods. “Yes, sir. What are you going to do with him?”
I glance through the doorway at Brendan, who has his head hung, looking rough once more. I’ve got just the thing to perk him up. “I’m going to take care of him too. I just need a little more information first.”
The side of Isaak’s mouth turns up. “Are you sure you don’t want any help? At least to move the bodies? Don’t want them stinking up the place.”
“I’ll call when I’m ready for help. Just keep it quiet for now,” I assure him.
Isaak nods. “Sounds good. I’ll have my phone on me.”
I sigh in relief once he walks away. He’d better keep his mouth shut.
Brendan lifts his head once I step into the room, his eyes widening as he tries to lean away from me. “You finally come to kill me too?”
“Keep it down,” I scold him as I reach into my back pocket.
“No! No!” Brendan cries out as he starts thrashing around in his chair, nearly knocking it over.
I slam my hand down on his shoulder, pinning the chair legs back down to the floor. “I said keep it down! Do you want me to kill you?”
Brendan’s breathing sounds labored, his clothes damp from blood and sweat. “No… don’t…please…”
I pull an oxy out of my pocket and shove it into his mouth. “Take this and relax.”
Brendan tenses in surprise at first, but he quickly swallows the pill. “Why are you giving me this? What else do you want from me?”
“No more questions,” I reply as I take a pocketknife out of my other pocket.
“No! Wait!” Brendan cries out as he cowers, his eyes squeezing shut as he waits to be cut.
Instead, I cut the rope holding his wrists to the chair arms.
Brendan pops open one eye, shock written all over his face. “What are you doing? Is this a trick?”
“I don’t have time for tricks,” I tell him as I cut through the ropes around his ankles before taking a step back and pointing the knife at him. “Cara’s alive. I let her go, and now I need your help,” I admit.
“She’s alive? No shit?” Brendan frowns as he slowly rises from the chair. “What could I possibly do?”
There’s no turning back now.
“Set up a meeting with O’Malley.”