Laney frowned broodingly toward Dimitri. They were sitting at the massive dining room table, eating an elaborate, many-course meal. It was only the three of them sitting at the table, though there were men standing at each entrance of the dining room. Footmen? Laney didn’t know enough about fine dining to know what they were called, but if she had to describe Dimitri’s choice of staff, she was calling them grim-reaper-looking-thug-enforcer-footmen. All four of them came pretty close to the Grekov brothers in height and breadth, and all were tattooed and muscular, as though when not hanging out in dining rooms they enjoyed spending their days at tattoo parlours and gyms. And oddly, all four looked as though they were about to attend a funeral. They looked grim and uncomfortable.
If Laney hadn’t been assured this was a formal dining occasion she would be pretty sure this was some kind of setup. She glanced sideways across the table at Boris, but he continued to eat as though completely unaware of the thick tension permeating the room. Laney really wanted to kick him and demand he wake up and smell the lack of brotherly love. Dimitri also chewed his food as though careless of the hostility in the room, though his eyes rarely left Laney. They crawled all over her face and breasts as though she were the meal and not the food in front of him. It made Laney’s once healthy appetite nearly disappear completely.
Dimitri sat at the head of the table with Laney to his left and Boris to his right. Laney and Boris sat directly across each other, not even within reaching distance. A fact that made Laney decidedly uncomfortable. She didn’t know what was planned, but it was obvious something was up.
Laney didn’t watch much TV. Honestly, who had time with Claudia’s bodyguarding schedule, but Laney was an obsessive fan of Game of Thrones. Never missed an episode. She would bet money that this was so going the way of the Red Wedding. But with fewer guests. She glanced furtively toward the “footmen” and sighed, fingering her dinner knife. It wasn’t very sharp, but it could take out an eye if it had to. She sure wasn’t planning on going out the way Lady Catelyn did if she could help it.
“Moy brat,” Boris drawled, setting his cutlery down and drawing Dimitri’s hooded gaze from Laney’s face. “I have had a chance to go through the books and speak to the accountant you have provided. He is not the man I hired to oversee my financials. What is the explanation for this?”
Laney’s eyes flickered between the two brothers as tension in the room ratcheted up. They were identical in looks. Even their tattoos were very similar, yet different enough that a casual observer could tell them apart quickly enough. The tattoos on their knuckles and forearms were the same, but the two bands around Boris’ wrists, denoting his incarcerations were missing from Dimitri’s swarthy skin. Oddly, Dimitri’s hair and beard were trimmed in exactly the same way as Boris’, which seemed deliberate.
Laney felt a seething resentment from Dimitri toward Boris, yet he seemed to model himself after his older twin. She didn’t understand. There was something there that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Dimitri reached out and took a negligent drink from his wine before answering Boris’ question. “He wasn’t working out. I had to retire him.”
Laney held her breath as she felt the fury rush through Boris from across the table. They both knew what ‘retirement’ meant.
“You fucking retired my man without talking to me?” Boris growled. “That man had been loyal to me for years, he was family. Almost fucking blood! This should not have been a decision you made without speaking to me. The books are a mess. They will take weeks to decipher.”
Dimitri’s dark eyes flashed in annoyance and he defended himself in a heated voice. “You trusted me to run this estate on my own while you cavort in America with your friends. I had to make decisions. Orlov was dirty and I retired him. There have been others on your payroll that have tried to cheat the estate while you were away. I will give you list if you require such things of me.”
Boris sat back in his chair and watched his brother as though beginning to see him more clearly. It had been years since they spent any real time together. They had never gotten along. Dimitri had always been a little psychotic, taking crazy chances and expecting the world to bow down at his feet. Keeping Dimitri out of trouble had always been his duty. Their father had died in their early twenties, leaving Boris everything. A few years later, the insanely high price on his head had driven Boris out of Russia and forced Dimitri to grow up.
Or so Boris had thought. Apparently, it had given Dimitri a chance to run amok on Boris’ lands and try to run his estate and his people in a brutal manner. He had started to suspect not all of his orders were being followed as rumours filtered back to America. Some of his Russian businesses were failing and some of the people under his brother’s protection were disappearing. It had been worth his life to return and restore order. To reclaim his throne.
Dimitri tossed back his wine angrily and slammed the glass against the table. “Is this why you came back, despite the danger? To check up on me? As though I am a child that cannot take orders from his father.”
Laney sat stiffly watching the exchange. She was beginning to understand why Boris furnished her with weapons before this meal and a bra with a chain that covered her heart. He wanted to protect her in a home that should be his, but that he couldn’t be certain of.
“If you are retiring my people with impunity, then yes, you need checking on brother,” Boris growled, his tone turning serious and deadly. “I have given you my trust and free reign long enough. I come back to my home to find things not as they should be. Loyalties are not where they should be.” He turned his head to the men standing over his shoulder, his eyes flashing malevolently.
Dimitri smashed his fist into the table, knocking over his wine glass and causing it to smash into his plate and break. Laney jerked back and would have stood up, but his hand flew out and captured her wrist in a strong grip. He pressed his thumb into the bones between her wrist, feeling the delicate pulse beneath her skin. He turned his head slowly toward her, dark eyes capturing hers.
“Are you going somewhere, little bird?” he asked, his tone switching so quickly from defensive to threatening that Laney’s heart skipped a beat. Even when she fought with Boris she always knew on a deeper level that he wouldn't hurt her. She felt nothing but lust and psychotic tendencies flowing off of this twin.
“Let go of my arm,” she seethed from between gritted teeth.
He released her arm at the same time as Boris leapt to his feet with a growl of rage. “Take your fucking hands off her!” he snarled.
As always, Laney was stunned by how quickly Boris was able to move despite his size. She wondered if he practiced. Dimitri sat back in his chair and watched Boris with amusement. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a package of cigarettes and lit one. Raising an eyebrow, he offered the pack. Ignoring the offering, Boris continued to stand with his arms crossed in front of him.
“This attitude of indolent amusement is going to wear thin, Dimitri. You will answer my questions. And you will hand over control of the estate and business immediately.”
Dimitri laughed, took a draw of his cigarette and then pushed away from the table. Standing, he circled behind Laney before she had a chance to maneuver herself into a better position. She would have stood as well, but Dimitri stood too close to her chair. She lifted her eyes to Boris and realized right away that he knew he was being set up. He had probably known from the start. Maybe before he even set foot in Russia. His eyes held a helpless rage she’d never seen before. He had always been so strong and sure of himself.
The four enforcers surrounded him. Laney sat stiff as a board as Dimitri stepped up against the back of her chair and leaned over, bringing his cheek flush against hers. Laney jerked her face away from him, but he brought his hand down on her opposite shoulder, biting his fingers deep under the bone of her shoulder blade. Laney flinched and sat still until he eased his grip.
“Blyad!” Boris snarled, lunging toward the table, intent on tearing Laney out of Dimitri’s cruel grip. One of the men standing behind him, stepped forward with an electric prod and thrust it into the middle of Boris’ back until the giant man went crashing to his knees with a bellow.