Her Russian Protector 2 Dimitri

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tense and ready to strike. The door opened and it was Dimitri who stepped inside the
apartment.
I relaxed at the sight of his handsome face but my stomach pitched wildly at the
sight of so much dried blood on his hands and clothing. "Oh my God."
His tired gaze met mine. "He's okay, Benny. The doctor patched him up nicely. He's
resting at a safe place. You don't need to worry. I've taken care of it."
Kostya spoke softly to Dimitri, the Russian words rushing from his lips so fast they
sounded blurred to me. Dimitri listened and finally nodded. He started to strip out of his
clothing. My eyes widened at the realization he was going to get naked right there but I
remembered what Kostya had said about no loose ends.
"Let me get you some clothes."
Dimitri shook his head. "I'll shower first."
"Okay." I noticed his gaze lingering on the food we'd been eating. "Are you hungry?
I can fix something?"
Totally naked now, he ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. "I'm more tired
than hungry but thank you for offering, sweetheart."
Kostya wasted no time in cleaning up the entryway. He rolled everything up inside
the paper square and secured it with tape before dumping the whole mess of soiled items
into a bigger heavy-duty trash bag. The smaller bags we'd filled while cleaning went into
that one.
Armed with his cleaning supplies, he headed for the bedroom. Apparently, Kostya
was going to be very thorough tonight. When the shower shut off, I started to tidy up the
kitchen. I could barely hear the two men talking. Every now and then, I'd hear the
unmistakable squeak and whoosh of the smelly cleaning solvent Kostya kept in that
bottle.
When Dimitri finally emerged, he wore only pajama bottoms. He took the dish
scrubbing brush from my hand and shook his head. "It can wait. Let's go to sleep."
"But Kostya "
"Knows what he's doing," Dimitri gently interjected. "He's almost finished in there.
He'll do my truck and leave." He pressed a concerned kiss to my forehead. "We need to
talk."
With a nod of understanding, I grasped Dimitri's strong hand. We made our way to
the bedroom, passing Kostya in the hallway. The serious look on the other man's face told
me his night was just beginning. Making him a hot meal seemed like the very least I
could do for him.
When we were safely ensconced in Dimitri's bedroom and the front door had been
closed and locked, I asked, "How much do we owe Kostya?"
"Nothing." Dimitri slid onto his bed and tugged me down with him. The glimmer of
moonlight coming through the wide slats of the wooden blinds painted his skin with
bluish stripes. "This is a personal favor."
"It's a huge favor, Dimitri."
"I know." He slid his arms around me and cradled me against him. I pressed my ear
to his chest and closed my eyes. The sound of his heartbeat eased the tension gripping my
gut. With a rough sigh, Dimitri said, "The police will be here soon. I'm not telling you the
details of what happened tonight. I want you to be able to be as truthful as possible with
the police."
My head throbbed as anxiety took hold. "What am I supposed to tell them about
Johnny being here tonight? Kostya made it sound like I m supposed to pretend I didn't
see him."
"You didn't see him tonight. You haven't seen him since your fight. He took your car
and he left. End of story."
"I don't like lying, Dimitri. It's not right. The police aren't the enemy."
"No, they're not. The people who shot your brother? They're the enemy and they
don't play by the rules. Your world view is colored by right and wrong, black and white,
but that is not the real world, Benny. The real world is shades of grey and sometimes, to
survive and protect the people we love, we have to lie our asses off. Do you understand?"
"Yes." I snuggled closer as a chill of fear coursed through me.
Dimitri must have sensed my fear because he caressed my arms and kissed my
cheek. "You're safe with me, Benny. I'll never let anyone hurt you."
"I know you'll protect me."
"But you're worried about Johnny?"
"Yes."
"Listen to me, I can't promise you that I'll find an elegant solution to this mess, but
I'll do whatever it takes to keep him alive."
I shivered at the stark reality Dimitri presented. My eyes burned as tears began to
well up and spill onto my cheeks. I tried to cry silently but I sniffed a bit too loudly and
Dimitri stiffened.
In the darkness, his rough fingertips stroked my wet face. He rolled me onto my
back and gazed down at me, his face only just visible in the moonlight. "Lyubimaya moya."
He kissed me lovingly. "Don't cry."
"I'm s-sorry." I felt like such a child as I wept but I couldn't make it stop. The fear
and the pain and the uncertainty clawed at my heart. "I'm losing the bakery. I'm losing
my brother. I'm losing everything, Dimitri."
After the awful turn our wonderful night had taken, I wasn t taking any chances. I
slid my arms around him and held on tight. He shifted onto his back again and dragged
me onto him. His fingers threaded through my hair and his hand swept up and down my
back.
"Not everything," he whispered lovingly and kissed me. "You'll never lose me."
I silently prayed that was true.
Chapter Thirteen
A loud, insistent knock ripped me from the deep sleep I'd been enjoying. For a split-
second, I didn't know where I was. The feel of Dimitri's big hand sliding up my arm
brought back the night's best and worst memories.
"Easy, Benny," he urged. "It's only the police."
I rubbed my face and cleared my throat. "How can you tell?"
He laughed. "That's a knock they teach at the academy." He squeezed my thigh. "I'll
go deal with this. You should probably get up and make yourself presentable. They won't
want to wait long."
The pinkish orange hue of early morning sunlight colored the room. Dimitri didn't
even bother grabbing a shirt. He left the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and
answered the incredibly loud knocks. My belly trembled with nerves but I forced myself
out bed.
In the bathroom, I quickly ran through my morning routine. My hair was a wild
mess but I managed to tame it into a low, sloppy bun. For the first time, I noticed the
light scratches on my neck and the unmistakable love bites Dimitri had given me. I
probably should have been embarrassed by the evidence of our lust-filled night but no
longer cared who saw them. We were two adults. We loved one another. End of story.
Dimitri tapped on the door. "Sweetheart, when you're ready, there are two
detectives here to see you."
I opened the door and stared up at him. "I don't know if I can do this."
He gripped my hand and kissed my cheek. "You can."
Dimitri practically dragged me out of the bedroom. My stomach somersaulted as I
trailed after him into the living area. I felt sure I would puke until I saw a familiar face.
"Santos?"
Detective Eric Santos stood just inside the door. He smiled at me. "Hey, Benny, it's
been awhile."
"Yes, it has." I felt Dimitri's fingers tighten around mine. I glanced over at him but
he wore that unemotional mask so I couldn't tell if he was jealous or curious about my
history with the detective.
"Your girlfriend and I grew up a few doors apart," Santos explained. "I used to work
downstairs in the bakery during high school and while I was at the academy." He looked
a little sad. "I hear you're selling."
"Oh? Where'd you hear that?"
He shrugged. "People talk."
"At the moment, the plan is to relocate. We'll see how it plays out."
"Miss Burkhart," the other detective interrupted, "we've been here over a minute
and you haven't asked us why we're here. Any reason for that?"
I managed to school my expression and muscle down the panic fluttering in my
belly. "Detective& ?"
"Carson."
"Well, Detective Carson, I have a young brother who thinks he's a gangster. When
two police officers show up at my boyfriend's door this early in the morning, I just sort of
assume he's done something really stupid."
"Where is he, Benny?" Santos arched an eyebrow. "We need to talk to him." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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