AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dimitri isn’t paying attention, however. His one hand reaches up to comb through my hair. His touch is gentle, sweet. More than I deserve.
“You look different,” he mutters. “It looks… good. Beautiful.”
My cheeks flood with heat. I carefully brush his hand away. “I need to go—”
“Stay.”
Anguish lances through my chest at the honesty of his request. I almost give in. It’s tempting. If only we could go back to the way things were.
“You need to get out of here,” I insist. “Before the police catch you.”
“Why did you help me?” Dimitri asks before I have the chance to turn and leave. “Up on the roof. Why did you help? You didn’t have to.”
I exhale slowly. “Because I…” I hesitate, then barrel through. “Because I don’t want to see you get hurt. I realize that now. You’re not the enemy,heis.”
Dimitri watches me like a hawk, the muscles in his jaw ticking. The air around us crackles, so thick with tension it’s almost suffocating. He’s close enough to kiss, close enough to hold. I want to give in to my urges, but this is neither the time nor place. Outside, the police sirens grow louder and louder until they finally cut off. They’re outside, likely already canvassing the surrounding area. If Dimitri and I stay here much longer, we’ll both be caught.
“At least give me your number,” he says.
“Why?”
“So I know you’re…” He gulps. “So I know you’re safe.”
The seconds are counting down. I need to get out of here.
“I already know your number,” I reason, pushing past him. “I’ll text you.”
I leave before he has a chance to protest. I’m sure Dimitri’s more than capable of getting out of the area undetected. Right now, I need to think about my baby’s safety. By the time I get outside, a large crowd of curious bystanders has congregated on the sidewalk. I pull up the hood of my jacket and easily blend in, escaping from view.
Chapter 32
Dimitri
“This is certainly an interesting turn of events,” Mikhail says, rubbing his chin.
“She saved us,” I state firmly. “Had it not been for her warning shot, the Levitskys would have taken us by surprise.”
“But she lied to you before. Planned to murder you in your own home.”
I grit my teeth. “You don’t need to give me the fucking play by play, Misha. I was there. But no, I don’t think she’s a threat anymore. If anything, she might be an asset.”
“How so?”
“She obviously knows where to expect Levitsky’s men.”
“And you don’t think she’s a threat anymore?”
A heavy exhaustion weighs on my mind. Do I think she’s a threat? Shewas, but now I’m not so certain. Seeing her again after all this time sparked something in me I long thought extinguished. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw her. She looks so different now—a good different—but I can still sense her regret underneath it all.
“She’s not a threat,” I confirm.
Mikhail leans back in his office chair, silent for a long moment while he no doubt weighs the pros and cons. I, too, have already spent the better part of the day trying to determine if it’s a good idea to bring Natalya onto our team. She’s betrayed me once before. What are the chances she’d do it again?
I shake my head as I think everything over. She had a clear shot. If she wanted me dead, she could have tranquilized me and left me defenseless. In fact, Natalya wouldn’t have had to do anything at all and allowed the Levitskys to completely overwhelm us.
You’re not the enemy, he is.
“She’s on our side,” I tell my brother confidently. “The enemy of our enemy is our friend, after all. There’s no harm in having another ally on our side. She’s worked with Levitsky. Maybe she can give us some insight into how he runs things.”
