Dimitri strode through the halls of the estate mansion with purpose. Crushed in his arms, Laney had no idea where they were going. Her head was spinning from the events of the last few minutes. Her heart screamed in such agony that she could only cling to the man that had exiled his brother to death and walked away rather than watch the end. He was like a Bond villain. Perhaps they were going to his bedroom so he could really finish things with her villain-style.
He flung a heavy door open and they were suddenly outside. Laney gasped in shock as cold air struck her face. Dimitri strode toward a waiting vehicle that was already turned on with the driver’s side door open. It was a large all-terrain looking SUV with heavy-tread tires. Where on Earth were they going? Clearly there was no part of his evil plot left to chance. Like a spider, he had been waiting to pounce on Boris the moment he stepped foot in Russia. And apparently Laney would become Dimitri’s bonus. How had two twins managed to turn out so different?
Dimitri pushed her through the open door and deposited her on the passenger side. She thought briefly about jumping out of the vehicle, but she knew she wouldn’t get far in a dress and heels, surrounded by men whose loyalties could go either way. Men who would have no idea what her true loyalties were. She buckled her belt (she didn’t trust crazy ass Dimitri not to get her killed in a collision) and watched as Dimitri spoke rapid-fire Russian to a man who stood in the shadows of the mansion. She could only hear every few words.
“Finish… job… dispose of any still loyal to him.” He spat the last word like it was a swear.
Laney flinched back in her seat, tears filling her eyes. Hurry, Boris! she thought frantically.
Laney knew exactly where to stab a person to kill them instantly, where to stab a person to kill them slowly and where to stab a person to not kill them at all. She had slammed the short blades into a part of Boris’ back that would hurt like a bitch but wouldn’t touch any vital organs. She had also placed them just within reach of where his massive paws were shackled. If she knew her behemoth lover, he should be armed by now and cutting a bloody swath through the dining hall. Fuck yeah, the Starks were going to win this one! (She really needed to watch less violent TV.)
God, she hoped it was true! Any other scenario was not acceptable. Boris was indestructible. He would save himself, find the men who were still loyal to him and take his properties back. It was now time for Laney to stop worrying about him and take care of herself and Jin.
Dimitri swung into the vehicle beside Laney and slammed the door shut. He turned triumphant eyes to her as he switched the lights on and pulled out of the yard. She turned her face away from his and glanced out into the darkness.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He didn’t answer for a moment while he maneuvered the vehicle onto a dirt road through a forested section of the property. Laney clutched the window frame tightly as the SUV tilted precariously and then righted itself. Dimitri was perfectly comfortable in his seat and seemed to know the path well, despite the surrounding darkness.
“Hunting lodge,” he grunted. “Wanted some privacy while my men finished clean-up on property.”
Laney had to bite her lips to keep from gagging. Dimitri was one cold son-of-a-bitch. He really didn’t have a flicker of emotion about killing his own twin brother and anyone loyal to him. Boris had cared for him his entire life. The best he had done for Boris was to avoid actively following through on the hit until Boris stepped foot in Russia to claim his inheritance. Then all holds were off.
“How do you intend to explain his death to the Bratva?” Laney asked boldly.
Dimitri finally glanced at her. She could just see his raised brow and glinting eyes in the dim interior lighting of the vehicle before he turned his gaze back to the road. “You want to be careful what you say to me, little bird,” he grunted. “My brother may have allowed freedom of tongue in his woman, but I prefer the silence I saw when I observed you in Japan.”
Laney shivered, part in fear and part in disgust. She hated the thought of him watching her while she was training and living under the thumb of the Master. Possibly seeing her with Jin. The thought made her really want to stab this one in the kidneys.
She licked her lips and forced herself to moderate her tone. “I mean no disrespect, Dimitri,” she purred his name, swallowing a gag as she did so. “I am worried for our future. What if the Bratva comes after us? They are very strict in their laws, are they not? You simply can’t kill your brother without some kind of penalty.”
“Ah, poor little bird,” Dimitri said in a pleased voice. He reached out to clasp her hand in his. She held back a shudder as he squeezed her. When he released her, she thrust her hands into the folds of her skirt and clenched them together. “It is simple. I will just take Boris’ place. No one has seen him in years, they will believe I am him. Eventually we will announce Dimitri’s death and I will be free to pursue all of Boris’ business interests as my brother.”
What. In. The. Actual. Fuck?
Laney’s jaw dropped and she quickly turned her face away so he couldn’t see her reaction. She’d realized from her first meeting with Dimitri that he was not quite right, but the fact that he thought this plan was actually going to work was beyond ridiculous. No one in their right mind would mistake the two brothers, despite their identical appearance. Boris had integrity, honesty, loyalty and trustworthiness. Even when he did stupid things like kidnap her and whisk her away to Russia. He’d never actually promised to let her go back to Japan. The man was careful with his words so he never lied to her. The loveable fucker.
Dimitri was a box full of psychotic, wrapped up in brutality and tied up with a bow of disloyalty. He wouldn’t even begin to know how to act like Boris. The first person he met that actually knew Boris would see right through his charade. She was tempted to allow him to go through with his stupid plan just to watch on the sidelines and see what would happen. She would love to see what Vladimir Sitnikov did to this guy when he first tried to pass himself off as Boris Grekov. No fucking way would that go over without seriously bloody results.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t let things go that far. She needed to get away from him, preferably unscathed. And so far, her track record of getting away from 50% of the Grekov brothers unmolested was not so good. Hopefully her odds would be better with this one. Perhaps he’d spent more time on evil plots and less time than Boris on bench-pressing and general ass-kicking. This one didn’t seem to have the same focus and determination his brother did.
They drove for another twenty minutes in relative silence. Dimitri seemed to be a man of few words, which was fine with Laney. She found when he spoke he either said something incredibly chilling or really stupid. Words weren’t his strong point. Perhaps he should take lessons with Lucy Miller? Though Laney preferred Dimitri when he wasn’t speaking. Same way he seemed to like her.
She couldn’t see much of their destination when he stopped the vehicle. She unbuckled her belt and slid from the vehicle as he cut the ignition and climbed out himself. He rounded the SUV and took her arm in a bruising grip.
“From now on, you wait for me to open doors for you. Don’t want little bird flying on her own,” he grunted and then began pulling her toward what looked like a cabin.
Laney didn’t bother dignifying his demand except to roll her eyes when he wasn’t looking. Mostly because she would normally answer that kind of stupidity with something sharp and pointy, but also because she didn’t intend on there being any “from now on.”
Dimitri pushed the door of his hunting lodge open and pulled Laney inside. The lights were already on and it was warm. Someone must have prepared it for them ahead of time. Glancing around Laney saw that even the queen-sized wood frame bed was turned down and ready for use. Totally villain-style. She wrinkled her nose, turned her back on the room and faced the villain. It wouldn’t do to turn her back on that one. He might stab it.
He was in the process of bolting the door before turning back to Laney. He looked her over, taking her in from head to foot, his eyes lingering on her hips where the empty leather sheaths emphasized the slim flare. She clenched her hands and then forced her fingers open. She took a inhaled steadily and then released it.
Easy, Laney, she told herself, this isn’t your first strike. Just treat him like any other mark. Despite his resemblance to Boris, or perhaps because of it, she badly wanted to kill this man. Perhaps that was what was making her so antsy. She needed to cultivate her usual professional calm if she were to do what needed to be done.
Dimitri’s eyes glowed with lust and possession as he approached her. She felt no answering heat as she had done with Boris. Her veins ran with ice for this man. Her heart beat in disgust and trepidation when he reached for her. He wrapped his thick fingers around her leather sheath and abruptly spun her around so her back was to him. She gasped as he brought an arm up to her chest and anchored her to him, while his other hand skittered down her back and worked on the leather. She felt it loosen and drop away from her body.
Laney shivered and almost cried out at the loss. Though she didn’t have the daggers anymore, losing the sheaths made her feel naked. He brought his other arm around her body and wrapped it around her stomach, drawing her tightly against him. She felt his arousal hard against her back as he forced her up on her toes and back hard against him. She stood stiffly in his arms.
He hunched his shoulders over her and spoke Russian in her ear. “I knew from first sight of you that we would be together.”
Laney suppressed a shudder when his beard brushed the tip of her ear. Tilting her head up, she swallowed and whispered back in Japanese, “And you are okay with having a woman whose heart belongs to another? A heart that feels nothing but hatred for you?”
He lifted his arm from her chest to take her jaw in a bruising grip. “From now on, you will speak Russian only. Forget your birth language, little bird. You belong to me now. I will negotiate your surrender with the Master. You will never leave Russia.”
Laney gritted her teeth against the pain in her jaw and stared up at her tormentor. “English was my mother’s tongue and the language of my birth, asshole,” Laney said in flawless English, knowing that he couldn’t understand her. Unlike his brother, he hadn’t learned any language other than Russian.
Dimitri growled and shoved Laney away from him. She stumbled back and, before she could recover, he backhanded her. She twisted sideways and reached out to grip a bedpost so she wouldn’t fall to the floor. The hit wasn’t hard compared to what she’d experienced in the past, but Dimitri was over a foot taller than her and had enough musculature that even a light tap could send her flying.
She pressed her hand against her flaming cheek and dropped blazing eyes to the floor as he approached so he wouldn’t see the hatred glowing in her eyes. He took her chin and lifted her face so he could inspect the damage. He pulled her hand away and made a clucking sound of contrition that made her extra want to fuck him up.
“You must learn your place and quickly,” he said softly, running his thumb over her stinging skin. She knew with a deep-seated revulsion that the evil bastard enjoyed her pain, despite his next words. “I have no wish to hurt you, little one, but I cannot have you running your mouth. In my world, women know their place.”
She forced all traces of derision from her gaze and lifted her eyes to his, pasting the most contrite look she could manage on her face. She lifted her hands and placed them on his chest, touching him voluntarily for the first time.
“I am sorry, Dimitri,” she purred in silky Russian. “I will learn to control my tongue for you as I have done for my Master in the past. You will be my new Master, won’t you? I must have a Master to give me commands or I am lost.”
He dropped his hands to her waist and jerked her roughly against his body so she could feel exactly how much her words affected him.
“Yes. Fuck, yes,” he growled, as he lifted her and dropped his head into the curve of her neck. She flinched when he bit through the material of kimono into the skin of her shoulder. She knew there would be teeth marks in her skin. She moaned in distress, but he took her moans as encouragement and continued to bite her.
“Dimitri!” she cried out and tried to push against his chest as he made his way toward her breasts. He tore open the buttons on the front of her dress, exposing the creamy skin and the silver demi cup bra with the chain halter neck. Buttons scattered over the floor around their feet, next to the bed.
“Call me Boris,” he demanded when she tried to push his hand away from her breast.
She froze and stopped struggling. Vomit rushed up her throat and she had to swallow hard so she wouldn’t throw up on him. Fucking ew! He wanted her to call him by his supposedly dead brother’s name?! She was going to be doing this guy a favour by killing him. No amount of therapy would fix what was wrong with this human.
Rage rushed through her and, unable to help herself, she reached back into her braids and pulled out a straightened hairpin. She jammed it into the softest part of his neck. It barely penetrated the skin, but enough to catch his attention. When he reared back in surprise and reached for his neck she punched him in the throat.
He dropped his arms and she immediately spun away from him.
“What the fuck, women?” he snarled, reaching for his bloodied neck and staring at her angrily.
She shrugged and asked innocently, “I thought you like your foreplay rough. Wasn't that why you were slapping me around?”
Thunder gathered on his face and he gave her a look like the foreplay was about to go nuclear. “You’re going to pay for that, little bitch.”
Oh dear, what happened to ‘little bird’? Laney held up a hand when he started for her and captured his attention by reaching down to tear the slit in her skirt open nearly to her waist. He stopped moving and stared at the swath of skin and flash of silver panty she exposed. Lust replaced anger and his plan to beat obedience into her quickly changed. This man was extremely easy to read. And distract.
“You like my earrings?” Laney purred, tilting one small ear toward him, indicating the teardrop diamond adorning her ear.
“Don’t give a fuck about jewelry,” he grunted. “Strip now, or I’ll do it for you.”
She sighed in regret and slid her hand between her thighs. His eyes followed the erotic move. “That is really too bad, because I negotiated with Boris over these earrings. I don’t usually care for jewelry, but it seemed really important to him that I have them tonight.”
“Don’t fucking care,” Dimitri snapped. “Take your fucking dress off woman.”
“I think you’ll care,” Laney said with a smile and pulled the gun from between her thighs. She flipped the safety off and pointed it steadily at Dimitri. “Say goodbye, big bird.”
He was so startled he didn’t move. Then he started babbling. “I can give you whatever you want. Money, property, safe passage back to Japan. I will make sure you are reunited with Jin immedia…”
She didn’t give him the chance to finish, she shot him between the eyes and watched dispassionately as his big body fell backwards. It landed half on the bed and then slid to the floor. She stood over him and watched as he died.
“Say her name again, asshole.”