Page 22 of Savage Little War

“Everyone! Listen up!” Dmitri’s voice rises above all the rest as he stands from the couch, breaking away from a conversation that he had been having with one of the Bratva men. “I’ve got a few things I need to say.”

I watch Dmitri closely as he moves toward the center point of where everyone is gathered, hanging on to his every word.

Dmitri’s eyes sweep over the scattered crowd filling his penthouse. A small grin crosses his face as he nods. “It’s good to see you all here. I know we haven’t always been on good terms with each other, but I’m glad we moved past our differences and became united under one goal: destroying Ferro and his men.”

Shouts and cheers of agreement echo throughout the large space.

“I don’t know when the next strike will come,” he says, eyes sweeping the room. “But I know this: we end it. Together. We’re stronger. Smarter. Hungrier. And when we find Ferro, there won’t be enough left of him to bury.”

I smile as more people cheer. He’s in his element right now.

“I’m grateful for the alliance that we have with the Irish,” Dmitri says as he turns toward my father and me. He nods to Sean. “And I’d like to honor that today.”

My father nods back.

I shoot them both a confused look when Dmitri holds his hand out to me. Nervous fluttering fills my stomach as I walk over to Dmitri and take his hand, my face heating up from all the eyes on me right now.

Dmitri pulls me close until we’re facing each other. “Cara, you are the most unexpected surprise of my life. An Irish spy in my office.”

My cheeks burn hotter as I hear chuckles around us.

“But you’re also the best thing to ever happen to me,” Dmitri says as his voice softens, his gaze holding mine. “I was living the life they chose for me… and calling it mine. When you came along, you showed me that I could have more. You showed me that I could have exactly what I’ve always wanted. You.”

Emotion tugs on my heart, making my eyes threaten to water.

Dmitri kisses my knuckles before lowering himself down to one knee in front of me, making me gasp in surprise. Holy shit. Is he…

“Being without you for those weeks showed me that I don’t want to live this life if I’m not next to you. You’re the reason I keep fighting. I love you more than you will ever know, and I want you by my side forever.”

Tears well up in my eyes as I watch him pull out a ring box from his suit jacket and flip open the top, revealing a sparkly solitaire diamond inside with a sleek silver band. The most beautiful ring I’ve ever laid eyes on.

“Will you marry me, milaya?” Dmitri asks me, his eyes full of love and hope.

There’s the man I fell in love with. The man who carried me out of that basement and told me he loved me. The man who would die for me, kill for me, and fight for me.

“Yes,” I tell him as I smile, one tear falling from my eye and running down my cheek.

Applause and whoops sound around us as Dmitri slides the ring onto my finger, even managing to do so with my hands shaking so much. He rises to his feet and cups my face, his lips crashing against mine.

“No more secrets,” Dmitri murmurs against my ear after he kisses me.

My stomach drops.

“Pass around the champagne!” Sean calls out.

I draw back from Dmitri. “My father knew about this?”

Dmitri smiles and strokes my cheek. “Before I realized that you went missing, I went to your father and told him that I wanted to marry you. I didn’t care that we were rivals. I didn’t care that it would piss everyone else off. I just wanted you to be mine.”

I can’t even find any words to say. All I can do is kiss him again as flutes of champagne are passed around the room. Only when one is placed in my hand do I remember once more that Dmitri still doesn’t know that I’m pregnant.

Guilt churns in my stomach as Dmitri lifts his glass in the air with everyone else.

“To Cara and Dmitri,” Sean says.

Everyone toasts before sipping on their drinks.

I watch Dmitri drink nearly half of his, while I lift the flute, let the rim touch my lips, and swallow nothing.