Chapter 1

TORI

T he cab ride to Phoebe’s seems to take forever, even though it passes by in a blur. I didn’t even think about warning her, and I left my mobile phone at Dmitry’s. The last thing I need is him messaging me, or worse, tracking me.

I pay the driver and drag my bag from the cab, staring up at the building I once called home. It seems like so long ago, when in reality it wasn’t at all.

I head up the steps to the main entrance and press Phoebe’s buzzer. She answers, and my body sags in relief. “Phoeb’s, it’s me,” I mutter, and she unlocks the door, allowing me in.

I head up to her place, staring at my old flat door as I pass, shuddering at the memory of when I was last in there.

Phoebe’s already at the door waiting with concern etched on her face. “Jesus, what the hell happened?” she asks, taking my bag. “You’ve lost weight.” I burst into tears, and she immediately drops the bag and wraps me in her arms. “What happened?”

“So much,” I sob, “I don’t even know where to begin.” She guides me to the sofa and pulls a fluffy blanket from the back, wrapping it around me. I snuggle into it and wipe my eyes. “Everything is such a mess.”

“I saw Dmitry. He was supposed to update me. He said you’d been put into a mental hospital. I told him it was bullshit.”

I offer a small smile. “You didn’t think I was crazy?”

She smirks. “A little, but not enough to be sectioned.”

“It was Vivian and his father all along. They took me to a house, and I think they wanted me dead.” I sob again, and she stares wide-eyed. “And then Dmitry found me and took me home . . .” I sob harder. “Only that’s not my home. I don’t have a home. I don’t have anyone.”

“You have me,” she says, taking my hand and gently stroking it. “I know about Marcus.”

I inhale sharply and my mind races to think up excuses. “What?”

“Dmitry gave me his file. It had all kinds of criminal charges. Fuck, Tori, why didn’t you tell me?”

I wipe my eyes, even though it’s pointless and the tears keep falling. “I tried. He made it hard to trust people, and if he saw me getting close, he’d worm his way in, just like he did with us. You wouldn’t hear a bad word about him.”

She looks away, her face full of guilt. “I’m so sorry.”

“Since Marcus arrived here, everything’s gone wrong,” I tell her. “I should have moved on the second he showed up.”

She tucks some of my hair behind my ear and smiles. “I’m glad he’s done a runner. I hope he never comes back. Fuck him, and fuck Dmitry.”

“He isn’t,” I whisper. “Coming back, that is.”

“Really?”

I nod, taking a deep breath before adding, “He’s dead, Phoebe.”

She gasps, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide. “Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me? How did he die? When did he?”

Pictures of Marcus flit through my head, causing the sick feeling to return. I stare down at my hands, picturing the sticky blood, and I subconsciously wipe them down my joggers. “Don’t ask me questions, just know he’s gone and he can’t hurt anyone else.”

She stares for a long moment before giving a nod. “And what about Dmitry?”

“I can’t be with him. Things are too crazy when we’re together and I’m done with it. I can’t take any risks now.”

Phoebe stands and moves to the window, staring out at the night sky. “Fuck, Tori. When did shit get so messy?”

“It’s a lot to take in,” I agree.

She arches a brow. “Have you told Dmitry you’re here?” I shake my head, and she bites on her lower lip. “Do you think I should call him?”

I frown, my heartbeat slamming hard in my chest again. “No. Why would you do that?”

She sits beside me, gently taking my hand in hers. “The last I heard, Tori, you’d hurt yourself,” she says sadly, and I automatically pull my hand free and tug down the sleeves of my shirt. “And then you were getting help in the hospital. Now, you’re here telling me Marcus is dead but not to ask questions and that Dmitry’s ex and his father tried to kill you.”

I inhale sharply, her words battering my already delicate heart. “You think I’m crazy?” I whisper.

“No,” she rushes to tell me, “of course not. But it’s all just so . . . far-fetched.”

“It happened,” I snap, pushing to stand and dropping the blanket. “Call him if you don’t believe me. Ask him where I’ve been.”

“Did the hospital discharge you?” she asks, changing tactics. “Are you still on meds?”

“No,” I snap, beginning to pace. “Jesus, Phoebe. There was no hospital. It was all a lie to get me to some house in the middle of nowhere so they could break me and Dmitry up.”

Her frown deepens, and I know I’m sounding crazier by the minute. “And I stopped taking the meds when I found out . . .” I pause, wondering how this will sound. “I’m pregnant.”

Her eyes almost bug out of her head. I groan, sitting back down. “I know this all sounds mad, Phoebe, trust me. Every time I speak, I want to laugh at how crazy it all is. But think about it. You researched Dmitry, right?” She nods. “And his dad is Russian, yes?” She nods again. “Both are powerful. They have a huge reach.”

She smirks. “Next, you’ll be telling me he’s in the Russian mafia.” She laughs. When I don’t join her, her smile fades. “Okay, now you sound crazy, Tori. What the fuck are you telling me?”

“That’s why Vladimir doesn’t want us to be together. It’s why he pushed for Vivian to marry his son. She’s the daughter of some criminal and they want to join the families together.”

“This is just getting weirder by the minute,” she mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Did you know who he was when you pursued him?”

“No, of course not.” I smile. “But I doubt it would have put me off.”

She scoffs, smirking too. “Probably not. Look, Tori, I believe you, I do, but you must hear how it all sounds.”

I nod. “Go and see him, ask him for yourself.”

“What the hell are you going to do now?”

I shrug. “I don’t have a plan. Lay low for a while, I guess.”

“Is Dmitry’s dad likely to come here?”

I shake my head. “But I can leave if you’re worried.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’ll regret turning up here,” she says firmly, and I smile. “But I do need to speak to Dmitry and give him a piece of my mind. Does he know about the baby?” I give a nod, and she sighs. “Okay. Stay here. Lock the doors and don’t answer for anyone. You’re not alone, Tori. We’ll sort this out.”

DMITRY

Marshall sits in silence beside me. I can’t shake the image of her leaving me. She looked so empty and broken. Fuck. I scrub my hand over my five o’clock shadow and groan.

“She’ll be with Phoebe,” Marshall eventually says. “Where else could she go?”

“I can’t go in there and force her back,” I say. “She’s already on the edge.”

“But out there, she’s at risk.”

I stand, moving over to the drinks cabinet and snatching the whiskey decanter up. “Don’t you think I know that?”

“We still need to protect her, even if it’s from afar.”

I take a swig straight from the crystal decanter and slam it back down. “She’ll spot you a mile off, and I don’t trust anyone else with her.” He smiles, and I narrow my eyes. “Don’t take that as a compliment, I just don’t have many men I can trust after what Nik did.”

Marshall stands, taking two glasses from the drinks cabinet and pouring us each a small measure of whiskey. “I’ll speak to Phoebe.”

“And say what exactly?”

“The truth. That Tori is possibly in danger, and until we can sort that out, I’ll be nearby.”

“She’s too protective of Tori,” I dismiss. “She’ll never allow us near her once she knows the truth.” My mobile buzzes and I pull it from my pocket, realising it’s the gate alert. I pull up the screen and see Phoebe sitting in her car. “Speak of the devil,” I mutter, releasing the gates. “She’s here.”

I greet her at the door, and she looks less than impressed as she marches up the steps. “Thanks for the update,” she snaps, pushing past me and heading inside. Marshall is in the hall, and she glares at him. “You, office, now,” she adds, leading the way.

We exchange a raised brow, and Marshall smirks.

Once inside, she spins on us, placing her hand on her hip. “What the fuck has been going on?”

“Is she okay?” I ask.

“Not really, Dmitry,” she snaps, “but then I’m guessing you knew that already.”

“She shouldn’t be left on her own,” I say.

Phoebe scoffs. “Because of your crazy ex or your power-hungry father?”

“She told you about them,” I mutter.

“So, it’s true?” she asks.

“Unfortunately.”

She turns her anger on Marshall. “And where the hell were you? Aren’t you meant to protect her?”

“It’s not on him,” I cut in.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she snaps angrily.

“I wasn’t on duty that night,” Marshall tells her.

“You pushed her to comply with the hospital admission,” she says accusingly. “How do I know you’re not in on all this?”

I whip my head in his direction, not realising he’d persuaded her to go, and he holds up his hands. “Hey, I was trying to stop her looking crazier by kicking off. I promised her I’d get her out the second I’ found evidence.”

“You shouldn’t have needed it,” she says, now glaring back at me. “And you should have listened to him.”

“Going over all the ways I fucked up isn’t helping,” I snap, finally losing my patience. “She needs to be here with me, so I can protect her.”

“Like you did before?” she asks, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

“The way I see it,” Marshall cuts in before I lose my shit completely, “is we all want the same thing, for Tori to be happy and safe. We can’t protect her when she’s with you.”

“I am not forcing her back here,” says Phoebe, folding her arms over her chest. “Why don’t you get rid of the threat?” I stiffen, wondering what Victoria told Phoebe exactly. “Oh, don’t pretend we don’t know who you are,” she adds, rolling her eyes. “I’ve heard the rumours, and I can only assume Marcus is no longer here because of you.”

Marshall steps forward, and I see anger burning in his eyes. “You need to watch your mouth,” he warns, and Phoebe visibly swallows. “Now, are you going to help us protect Tori or not?” She gives a slight nod, suddenly looking less confident. “Then lose the attitude and show some fucking respect.”

I move behind my desk and take a seat. “You two should show more of that,” I say, pointing between the pair. They both turn to face me. “That chemistry you have could be the reason Tori allows Marshall to hang around.”

Marshall scoffs, and Phoebe blushes. There’s no fooling me. I’m an expert at spotting chemistry, and the way she backed down just then tells me she’s into my overbearing right-hand man.

“That could work,” agrees Marshall, not denying my accusation. “If she thinks we have a thing, maybe she won’t be so pissed to have me around?”

“She’d never believe I’d fall for you,” says Phoebe indignantly. “Besides, you want me to just drop it on her? She wouldn’t believe it.”

“So, start slow,” I say. “Take Marshall back with you now and tell her he just wants to check on her. You two can flirt a little.” I sigh heavily. “Honestly, I don’t care how you get him in there, just do it.”

“She does have a lot of unanswered questions,” says Phoebe thoughtfully, and I hate the fact she won’t come to me for the answers. “She might allow you in if you were willing to answer them?”

Marshall looks at me for permission, and I nod. “Give her whatever she wants, and then take them both to my place,” I say, sliding the address over to Marshall. He frowns, probably wondering why he doesn’t know about it. “Nobody knows about it,” I confirm without his question. “They’ll be safe there.”

“I doubt she’ll want to go anywhere owned by you,” says Phoebe.

“Then convince her,” I snap. “Tell her it’s your place, Marshall. Tell her I don’t know about it, if it makes her feel better.” I hate that she’d want to hide from me. “I’ve also transferred some money into her account,” I add.

“You’ve paid her off?” snaps Phoebe. “Like hush money?”

I smirk. “You’ve been watching too many films, Phoebe. She’s carrying my child, it’s the least I can do to make sure she’s cared for.”

“She’s stubborn. You know she’ll not touch it.”

“And how the fuck will she live?” I shout, finally losing my cool. Phoebe presses her lips together in a fine line. “She has no job, and she can’t get one now she’s pregnant. So, do me a favour and save your negative bullshit for someone else.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she says sarcastically. “Did you want me to praise you, Dmitry? Tell you how great you’re being towards her? You’ll put a roof over her head, give her an abundance of cash, and your conscience is clear?”

I stand, forcing my chair to fall back against the wall. “You’re pushing me too far,” I warn. “I get why you’re pissed with me, but there is only so much of your attitude I’ll take.”

“You can’t exactly kill me, can you?” she asks with a smirk. “What will that do to Tori?”

I move around the desk so quickly, she doesn’t have time to react. She backs up to the wall, and I catch Marshall stiffening as I push my face to hers. “I could just kill you, Phoebe, then go and get Victoria and drag her back here kicking and screaming, locking her up until she sees sense.”

She forces a smile. “I think you’re underestimating how much she hates you, Dmitry.”

Her words twist my already painful heart. “I think you’re underestimating how much I give a fuck. I know Victoria, and all I really need to do is tie her up and fuck her into submission. Trust me, it works.”

“So, why isn’t she already here?” she whispers, arching a brow.

“Enough,” barks Marshall. “Phoebe, let’s go before you get yourself killed.”