Chapter Nine
“You what?” Anatoli’s words were so loud that Dimitri fully expected to hear one of the front windows shatter. “You just let her go?”
“What was I supposed to do?” Dimitri asked drily. “Demand that Nikolai Kabalevsky hand over his only niece because she was my escaped kidnap victim?”
Anatoli fidgeted, spinning a circle before resuming his pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace in the living room. His agitation was reaching epic levels. “You should have demanded retribution!”
“For Katya?”
“Yes!” Anatoli wagged his finger in the air. “They should pay for their brother-in-law’s disgraceful treatment of our sister!”
“You know,” Dimitri mused. “It occurred to me while I was speaking with Kabalevsky that generally speaking, when one tangles with a man related to that family he causes a war. They take their family pride and family connections very seriously.”
“Exactly!” Anatoli said triumphantly.
“Which begs the question, why can’t Boris Rustikov call on those relations when he needs something?”
Anatoli looked confused. “What?”
Dimitri rolled his eyes. His brother was a good man. He was a man who was quick to react and brutal in his responses. He was not an analytical thinker by any stretch of the imagination. “I’m saying that the Kabalevskys don’t consider Boris Rustikov to be family even though he was related to their only sister.”
“Why not?” Anatoli wondered out loud.
“I’m not certain, but I’m sure if we find that out, we’ll also discover more of the details surrounding Katya’s pregnancy,” Dimitri said grimly.
“And in the meantime we have nothing,” Anatoli shouted. “Nothing to hold over Rustikov!”
Toni came striding into the room from the direction of the back door. She moved casually, taking a seat on the sofa. She crossed her legs and lounged back against the cushions, staring at Anatoli. “Why all of the yelling? Seriously. I could hear you outside.”
Dimitri was powerless to stop the laugh that came rolling out. Anatoli was gaping at Toni as though she had grown a second head. He looked confused, and very angry. He pointed at her for several seconds before he seemed to find his words. “What are you doing here?”
“We had a deal, remember?” She waggled her fingers at him in a ridiculous mockery of a hello. “I’m not letting you off that easy.”
“Letting me off?” Anatoli looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, I told you I’d help you get back at my father. In return you guys said you’d help me find out the truth about my mother’s death. I don’t think the deal is done.”
FROM THE CORNER of her eye, Toni could see Dimitri’s smile. He didn’t look angry despite Anatoli’s drama. In fact he seemed amused by her excursion and subsequent return. She couldn’t help but think back to the conversation he’d had with her uncle. Surely he hadn’t known she was listening in? Although even if he had, it wouldn’t stop her from doing the right thing and keeping her word.
“Sorry for leaving without a word earlier,” Toni said quietly. “I had to speak with my uncle regarding a few details about my parents’ relationship.”
“What details?” Anatoli demanded.
Toni didn’t spare him a glance. She wasn’t about to answer to his pushy questions. The guy had no manners. So she looked directly at Dimitri and smiled. “My Kabalevsky relations have their own set of rules about inheritance.”
“They do?” Dimitri sounded thoughtful. He scratched his chin, gazing into the empty fireplace and looking pensive.
“Yes. Apparently it doesn’t matter if the offspring is male or female as long as it has Kabalevsky blood.” She was still trying to fit that knowledge into what she knew of Katya’s situation. “Your sister is having a boy. How long till she delivers?”
“Two months.”
“So my father would have known the sex of the child before my mother’s death,” Toni mused. “It still makes no sense, but I think my father was attempting to have another child in order to circumvent the inheritance laws and get control of my mother’s money.”
Dimitri stood up and held out his hand. “Let’s go take a walk.”
“Okay?” Toni was confused, but she wasn’t going to turn down a chance to spend some time alone with Dimitri. Not that she had any designs on him or anything. At least that was what she kept telling herself. Yet when their fingers laced together she felt a little jolt in her midsection that had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with the delicious feeling of being close to Dimitri Alkaev.
“Anatoli,” Dimitri began. “Stay in the house. Go find Ivan and do the rounds for the evening.”
“Why?”
“Because I need you to stay out of the way for awhile,” Dimitri said in a frank tone of voice. “And you consistently put your foot in your mouth when it would be better to just be quiet.” Dimitri escorted Toni toward the back door.
“Where are you going?” Anatoli called after them.
“To have yet another little chat with Katya.” Dimitri looked over his shoulder. “I’m tired of her giving me half the answers I need. So I’m just going to keep showing up and asking her different questions until I eventually guess the entire story or she gets tired and gives it to me.”
Toni saw Anatoli’s belligerent stare from the corner of her eye. It was plain to see that the younger brother wasn’t so happy with the older brother’s bossy tone of voice. Unfortunately there was nothing Anatoli could do about it. Yet.
IT WAS A beautiful evening. Dimitri almost wished he and Toni were simply out for a stroll with no other purpose. He wanted to forget about Katya’s untenable situation, the crazy question of what to do about Boris Rustikov, and he especially wanted to forget about his brother’s rising irritation. Anatoli was a ticking time bomb and Dimitri needed to find a way to diffuse him.
“So what is this really about?” Toni wanted to know. She tugged her hand free of his. “I have trouble believing you’ve brought me out here for a romantic walk. Or were you serious about chatting with Katya.”
“I was.” He reached out and snagged her hand once again. “But I’m wondering why you don’t believe me capable of a romantic walk.”
“Oh I didn’t say you’re not capable of it,” she teased. “I said I didn’t believe that was your only motive. I suppose I actually alluded to that more than said it. Or were you just trying to get me alone so we can go make out behind those trees like horny teenagers?”
He laughed. The low husky sound was pleasing to the ear. She was surprised to realize that she was willing to say something silly just to see if she could get him to laugh again. Then he tugged on her hand, breaking into a jog and practically dragging her behind him.
Toni gave up trying to resist and lengthened her stride to keep up. Once they’d cleared the top of the hill and the trees, Dimitri stopped. He pulled her deliberately into a shadowy spot between two large leafy, low hanging branches.
“Horny teenagers?” he said mockingly. “I’m not sure I ever was one of those.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps there’s always time.” It occurred to her that she was actually baiting him into kissing her. Why?
Then he slipped his arms around her and it no longer mattered what her motives were. Dimitri’s lips took hers in a long, lingering kiss. He coaxed her mouth open. When his tongue slid inside to rub against hers she moaned and leaned into his hard body. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back with abandon. Her eyes were closed and every fiber of her being was focused on this moment and this man. Right here and right now it no longer mattered what had happened to her mother. Her father’s motives were ash, and she was free.
Dimitri’s hands slid down to cup her ass. He pulled her flush against his body and she felt the hard ridge of his erection nestle in the vee of her pelvis as though it was meant to fit there. Everythign south of her navel tingled with excitement. Her core grew hot and wet. She stood on tiptoe and deepened the kiss. She pressed her own tongue to his, tangling them together as the two of them fought for dominance. This was what she wanted. To lose herself in this man and forget for a moment that there was anything in the world that could ever keep them apart.
“Ahem.”
Dimitri stepped away as though burned. He moved so quickly that Toni was left kissing air. Thankfully at the last minute he grabbed her or she would have face planted into the ground. She was about to give him hell when she realized that Katya was standing about ten feet away, staring at them.
DIMITRI COULD NOT tell if his sister was amused or angry and that was most likely due to the fact that he could not seem to get a grip on his own emotions. He was everywhere right now. His arousal was so fierce that he was certain his cock must be tenting the front of his trousers in a most embarrassing manner. Yet he was feeling fiercely protective of Toni as well. He gazed at his sister, practically daring her to say something negative about Toni, but the censure never came.
“So,” Katya said conversationally. “I guess I wasn’t the only one who decided to get some fresh air and enjoy the beautiful evening.”
“Apparently not,” Dimitri murmured. He noticed that Toni’s face had turned bright red. But something in her expression suggested it wasn’t embarrassment that had her tongue tied. He shoved it aside for now and focused on what he needed to know from Katya. “Since you’re not willing to just spill the entire story. I’ve decided I’ll just come ask you questions as I think of them.”
“All right,” Katya murmured, her gaze growing wary. “What do you want to know?”
Dimitri took a deep breath. He hated the idea that he might injure Katya’s feelings, but he needed to get some facts straight. “Did Rustikov promise to marry you?”
“No.”
“So why have a baby with you?” Dimitri demanded. “It makes no sense.”
“He wanted a son. His wife was unable to provide him with one.” Katya shrugged.
Something still bothered Dimitri about this ridiculous plan. Several things actually. “If he wanted a son, why take the chance that you might have a girl?”
Katya shrugged. “That was a chance he was willing to take.”
“And now that he’s decide he doesn’t want the baby at all?”
“You and Anatoli are the only ones having a problem with that,” she said sharply. “I don’t know why the two of you won’t accept that I have no problem with the decision that Boris Rustikov made. This is my baby. I’m excited about it.”
Dimitri shook his head. “You’re an unwed mother. It’s disgraceful.”
Toni gave a derisive snort. “What century are you living in?” she said irritably. “Honestly, if the girl wants to have a dozen children with different fathers, it doesn’t matter as long as she loves and them and can provide for them.”
“She has no man to provide for her,” Dimitri pointed out. He waved his hand at his sister. “She has no job and no money. How is she supposed to raise a child?”
Katya wasn’t speaking, but Toni wasn’t done. “I’m sorry, but doesn’t a third of the Alkaev holdings belong to her as a dowry or something? I thought that was how it worked.”
“Dowry,” Dimitri snapped. “For her husband when she marries.”
“What if I don’t want to marry?” Katya put in quietly. “Ever. Wouldn’t the dowry become mine?”
“Exactly!” Toni said eagerly. “If she wanted to stay right here on this property in that cozy little house and raise her child without a man bossing her around, why shouldn’t she?”
Dimitri had no answer for that. In fact he felt as if the two of them had ganged up on him. He held his hand out to Toni. “Let’s go back to the house.”
“No thanks.” She put her hand up, palm out. “I think I’ll find my way back without the suffocation of your male chauvinism to keep me company.”
Katya actually giggled. Her eyes were sparkling and it was the first time in ages that Dimitri had seen her looking something close to happy. Perhaps he should just cut his losses and go back to the house. For now.