Dimitri (11 page)

"No, but I've also never seen you protect
someone you love as much as Benny. I see it in your face every time
you mention her name. Don't let it blind you. Tunnel vision at a
time like this?" He shook his head. "Bad business."

Dimitri took the warning to heart. Yuri had a
way of cutting through the bullshit and this time was no different.
They shook hands and Dimitri headed for the elevators. As he
waited, his pocket vibrated again. He withdrew his phone to find
Benny's reply.

Yes
!

With a smile on his face, he stepped into the
empty elevator. For the first time in years, he felt a quiver of
hope tickling deep in his belly. Benny was finally his—and he was
never letting go.

Chapter
Six

Later that night, when I pulled into the small
parking area beside the bakery, my sides still ached from laughing
so hard. I couldn’t remember the last time I'd had that much fun
with girlfriends. Even though I'd only known Vivian and Erin a
short time, the two women had happily welcomed me into the group
and made me feel a part of it. It was a really nice feeling to
belong.

Dimitri's truck sat in its usual spot. I
flipped down my visor and checked my reflection in the mirror. I
touched up my lips and dug around in my purse for a mint that I
quickly crunched between my teeth so it would dissolve faster. My
tummy fluttered wildly as I slid out of my car and locked
it.

I hadn't even made it to the bottom step of the
metal stairs before Dimitri's door opened and he came out to greet
me. "Hi."

I smiled up at him and tried to keep my knees
from knocking together. "Hey."

His sexy grin made my heart dance. Barefoot and
in jeans, he looked so relaxed as he leaned back against his door
and waited for me. I could tell he'd run his hands through his
blond hair, leaving the ends a bit tousled. His pale blue shirt
stretched across his chest and hugged his thick, muscled arms. The
memory of what it felt like to have them wrapped around me made my
belly clench.

The second I drew close, he slid an arm around
my waist and tugged me against his chest. He cupped my face and
claimed my lips in a kiss so perfectly sensuous it made it
impossible for me to breathe. My heart stammered in my chest as his
tongue swept mine and he sucked gently on my lower lip. God, the
man could kiss!

He dragged his thumb across my mouth. "How was
your night with the girls?"

"It was nice. I think Lena and Erin had the
most fun, especially once they cracked open the second bottle of
wine from Ivan's cellar."

A frown marred his handsome face. A bit
tersely, he said, "You shouldn't drink and drive,
Benny."

I bristled at his insinuation that I'd done
something wrong. "I had one glass and that was right when I walked
in the door. It's been more than two hours."

He looked apologetic. "I could have worded that
differently. I only meant that you could have called me. I would
have been happy to pick you up." He brushed his fingers through my
loose hair. "I worry about you."

"Dimitri, I'm a big girl. I can handle
myself."

"I know you can." He grunted softly in
frustration. "I'm screwing this up. I'm trying to say that you
don’t always have to do everything on your own."

My annoyance fled. I rubbed my hand over his
hard chest. "I understand." Wanting to show him I meant it, I
added, "The next time I go out with the girls I'll really let my
hair down, okay? Then you'll be the one getting a late night call
from your plastered girlfriend asking you to come pick her up
instead of poor Ivan."

Dimitri chuckled. "I'm sure Ivan loved
that."

I smiled at the memory of Erin pawing Ivan on
her way out to his SUV. "Well considering the way Erin had Ivan's
shirt half unbuttoned by the time he got her to the parking lot,
I'm sure he did love it."

Dimitri looked shock at my description of her
lustful actions. "Erin? Really?"

I laughed. "Yes. Ivan got so flustered with her
that he finally just picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder
like a sack of potatoes. The last thing I saw before he threw her
into his vehicle was Erin smacking him on the butt. I don't think
Ivan was nearly as amused as I was."

"No, I'm sure he wasn't." Dimitri's grin
brightened his face. "Come inside."

He curled his arm around my shoulders and led
me into his apartment. I kicked off my flats before following him
into the living area. He sat down on the sofa and I started to sit
down next to him, but with one swift tug, he pulled me onto his
lap.

"Dimitri!" I tried to wiggle free but he
gripped my waist.

"Sit still," he urged and planted a ticklish
kiss on my neck. "I missed you today. Let me hold you."

How could a girl argue with that? Relaxing, I
said, "Well…okay."

He smiled indulgently but didn’t point out that
I wasn't exactly agreeing to a huge hardship. His fingers swirled
over the bare skin just above my knee. I caught his eye. There was
no mistaking that mischievous glint. His hand slid a little higher,
scooting just under the hem of my skirt.

Even though I wanted the same thing he wanted,
I decided to make him wait. I wanted to draw it out and enjoy the
anticipation a little longer. "Dimitri?"

"Yes?" He nuzzled my neck.

"What's the story behind Vivian and
Nikolai?"

Instantly, he stiffened. Surprised by his
reaction, I glanced at him. He quickly recovered and gave a
nonchalant shrug. "It's not much of a story."

I held his gaze. "I'd like to hear it. I'm not
comfortable enough with Vivian to ask yet but I feel like I'm
playing catch-up when they talk." I ran my finger over his
knuckles. "Please?"

He didn't look thrilled to do it but finally
relented. "Okay."

I pecked his cheek. "Thank you."

"You know that Vivian's mother was Russian,
right?"

"I sort of assumed that part. I heard her
speaking Russian to Ivan earlier. It was flawless." During dinner,
I'd overheard Len and Vivian clucking at one another in Spanish,
their fiery come-backs some of the funniest I'd heard in a long
time. "Her Spanish is perfect, too."

He nodded. "If it wasn't for her talent with a
brush, I think she might have studied languages. She would have
been good at it." His hand swept up and down my thigh, pushing the
fabric of my skirt higher with every movement. "Vivi's father was
in a Mexican motorcycle gang. They operate on both sides of the
border."

"Like the Hell's Angels or
something?"

"Worse," he said, his lips settling into a grim
line. "We're talking drugs, prostitution, guns and hits. Really
nasty stuff and very dangerous people, Benny. When Vivi's mother
married that man, her family turned their backs on her. They cut
her off completely."

"Ouch."

"From what I understand, her mother was always
a little…strange. It got worse after she married and had Vivian.
She had some kind of a psychotic break and tried to drown Vivi. A
neighbor heard the screaming and saved her. They put Katya away in
a mental institution for a while. That's when Vivi started living
with her father's family—but I don't think it was much better. At
that point, her father was doing time for a drug
charge."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing but I
sensed it was going to get much worse.

"Eventually, her mother got better and they let
her leave the hospital. She got Vivi back and things were good for
a while. Vivan's father got out of the pen and came home. The
trouble started again. Her parents were both nasty drunks. They
would beat the shit out of one another when they got going. Some of
the old-timers who hang around the Samovar can tell stories that
will curl your toenails. They'd go at one another with knives and
broken bottles."

I grimaced. "Jesus, that's awful."

He nodded. "By the time Vivian was ten or so,
her father had gone back into the pen. Her mother was more erratic
and dangerous. She wouldn't stay on her medication so Vivian's
grandparents, Katya's mother and father, finally stepped in and
took custody of Vivi. Her mother lost all hope and she hung herself
in a motel room across town."

I gasped at the horrific picture he painted.
"Dimitri, that's terrible."

"Vivian's grandparents shielded her from much
of the ugliness but then her father got out of prison again. He
wasn't allowed to have contact with her, but he found a way to pass
her notes in school, probably through a gang member's child.
Somehow, he convinced her to meet with him. One thing led to
another, and soon Vivi was running drugs for him."

"What?" I almost fell off Dimitri's lap.
"You're joking!"

He shook his head sadly. "I don't
think she realized what was happening. She was just a kid. A young,
stupid kid, you know? Her father would give her a backpack and a
place to meet a
cousin
. She'd take the bus, meet this supposed cousin at the mall or
wherever and trade out a backpack of drugs for one filled with
money."

"Oh my God!"

His jaw tightened. "Eventually, she got picked
up during a narcotics bust. Her father had twisted her mind so
badly she wouldn't give him up. Her grandparents were able to get
her a good lawyer so she was put on probation and into
counseling."

Enthralled by the tale he told, I began to
wonder about Nikolai's connection. "Where does Nikolai fit into
this story?"

He breathed in slowly. "Not long after Vivian
was picked up during the drug bust, Nikolai was here visiting
family. Vivi's father had gotten back in contact with her. He
convinced her to help him do one last job so he could get enough
money to take her with him. I'm sure he promised her all kinds of
things to make her do it. Somehow he got Vivian to break into a
house to help him steal. She was shot by the homeowner and fell out
a window while trying to flee. Her father left her there to bleed
to death. Nikolai was at the house next door. He heard the gunshots
and the scream and saved her life."

I sat in stunned silence as the tragedy of
Vivian's history washed over me. Something about the way Dimitri
wouldn't meet my gaze told me there was so much more to this sordid
tale but I didn't push. I trusted there was a reason I didn't need
to know everything. What he'd told me was bad enough!

"What happened to her dad?"

"As far as I know, he's still in the
pen."

"So what? After that, Nikolai felt
responsibility toward her?"

Dimitri didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to
be choosing his words carefully. "He knew her mother's family from
back in Russia so he kept in touch after he returned to Moscow. I
think the experience of finding a child bleeding to death after
being shot and falling out of a window really fucked with
him."

"It would screw up anybody."

He hummed in agreement. "When we came over here
to start over, Nikolai found out her grandmother had recently died
and her grandfather was in a home with Alzheimer's. He offered her
a job at Samovar and made sure that everyone knew she had his
protection."

"He's that powerful?"

"Yes."

I decided not to indulge my curiosity of what
men like Nikolai actually did for a living. Instead, I asked, "Is
that how you feel about me? That I need your
protection?"

"Sometimes," he admitted. "Right now, you need
me. This mess with Johnny and the real estate developer? That's not
something you should navigate on your own. You need someone like me
to lead the way and keep you out of trouble."

"I'm not helpless, Dimitri."

"I didn't say that."

"Well…"

"Hey," he whispered softly and touched my
cheek. "I think you're incredibly smart and capable, Benny. I know
how far people like Jonah Krause are willing to go to get what they
want. I also know how stupid your brother can be." The corners of
his mouth dipped. "Have you heard from him today?"

"Just a quick call around five," I said. "It
didn't go well. He told me he would be home around midnight.
Honestly, I didn't want to fight with him so I let it go. I told
him we'd talk over breakfast."

His hand dipped under my top and stroked my
naked skin. "Is that your way of telling me you aren't spending the
night?"

I shivered as his fingers branded me with their
very touch. Swallowing hard, I said, "This is my way of saying that
things happened fast last night. I think we should slow down a
little." Nervous, I added, "If that's okay."

His fingers went still. His pale blue eyes
peered into my darker ones. "Of course it's okay. Benny, you tell
me what you want and it's yours."

I got the feeling he wasn't just talking about
sex. Sometimes he said things like that and I so desperately wanted
to read into the double meaning. I wanted to believe that he felt
as strongly as I did. Last night had thrown me for a loop. I wasn't
quite sure what was happening now or where we were going. Lena's
advice came to mind.