3. Dimitri

3

DIMITRI

It’s been a week since I pretended to be Zara’s boyfriend and I can’t seem to shake the haunted look in her eyes from my mind. It plagues my dreams, turning them into nightmares.

Something about the situation with her new boss doesn’t sit well with me.

I’ve known countless men like Giovanni, and they’re ruthless. They prey on girls like Zara, using their power and wealth to cover up their tracks.

I have influence at Spencer & Meyers . They’ve worked for my family for years and if I tell them to fire the bastard, they will, but there’s no way that it wouldn’t get back to Zara. I know she’s worked hard to get to where she is, and I don’t want to risk jeopardizing her position at the company. So, I’ll keep quiet.

For now.

My phone pings with a message from my older brother, Alexei, asking me to meet him at our family home in Forest Hills.

I don’t really have the time to drive out to Queen’s, but when Alexei says something is urgent, I have no choice but to make the trip.

But it does mean I get to sneak in a few cuddles with my new nephew before I’m due back in the city this evening.

The drive out there is second nature. I’ve done it so many times, I barely register what my hands are doing as I sit behind the wheel.

Our family mansion was bought by my parents just after my youngest brother, Danil, was born on the premise that we needed more space now that there were four kids running rampant.

When they died, Alexei and I discussed selling the property. It holds a lot of memories for us, ones that were becoming too painful to face now that our parents were gone, but Danil was adamant he wanted to keep the house.

He was barely sixteen when our parents were murdered, and the life that he knew was torn to shreds. It was the only place he ever felt close to them, so we kept it.

It had barely been used in the nine years since their death, with the four of us brothers only escaping out to Forest Hills if we ever needed to lay low for a while.

Our line of work often means targets are put on our backs, and as much as I’d prefer to put a bullet in the head of every single fucker who dared look at my family the wrong way, we sometimes have to pick and choose our fights.

So, Alexei would order us out of the city for a few days, and we would retreat to our home in Forest Hills.

That was until Alexei decided to take up permanent residence at the estate with his new wife, Bianca Bellucci, the daughter of our once rival, Emilio Bellucci. Their arranged marriage joined our two families and bought Emilio our protection from Mario Gilanto in exchange for information that ultimately helped us take down the Gilanto mafia.

I must say, I didn’t have high expectations for their marriage, considering the circumstances that brought them together. But it turned out to be the perfect match in the end, with my eldest brother becoming smitten with his new wife almost immediately.

So, the two of them decided to settle into married life outside of the city at our old family home where they’re now raising their five-month-old son, Leonid. Little Leo.

I can’t say I’m not jealous of what my brother has. Married life and fatherhood suits him well.

I’m curious to know what Alexei is so insistent on talking to me about in person. I tried pushing him to just spit it out over the phone, but he refused. So, I know whatever it is can’t be good.

By the time I’m pulling up to the front gates, my body is a ball of nervous energy, and my jaw aches from grinding my teeth together. I’m desperate for a drink to take the edge off before I sit down for this meeting with my brother.

What makes matters worse is the sight of Zara’s baby blue Volkswagen Beetle parked outside the front of the house.

My stomach twists.

Has something happened with Giovanni?

Abandoning my car in the drive, I sprint up the front steps, my heart hammering in my chest. I quickly scan my fingerprint to unlock the front door and head inside, almost running straight into Bianca.

“Whoa! Slow down.” She laughs. “What’s the hurry?”

“Zara’s here.” I glance around the empty foyer.

Bianca frowns, her blue eyes narrowing as she looks at me. She flicks her long, brown hair over her shoulder and crosses her arms over her chest. “Yeah, so?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Dimitri. She wanted to see the baby.” She frowns. “Why?”

At that moment, Zara and Alexei stroll out of the kitchen, a squirming Leo in my brother’s arms.

I blink at the sight of Zara.

She looks exhausted, with dark purple shadows lining her green eyes, and her shoulders are hunched over, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Gone is the strong, confident girl I’ve come to know, and in her place is a ghost.

Zara’s eyes meet mine, and she stops in her tracks. “What are you doing here?”

“Can I talk to you?” I ignore her question.

She glances anxiously at Bianca. “B and I were just about to take Leo for a walk before his nap.”

“It will only take a second.”

I can feel Bianca watching us closely, but I don’t care. I need to know if she’s truly all right, because I can’t shake the feeling that she was downplaying the situation with her boss.

“You can talk later,” Alexei states. “Dimitri, my office.”

“Can’t it wait?—”

“Now.”

I glance once more at Zara, but she’s refusing to look at me.

Every instinct in my body is screaming at me to go to her, to demand she tell me the truth, but the look Alexei is giving me tells me that he would have no problem taking me by the collar and dragging me up the stairs like he did when we were kids.

“Fine.” I huff out a breath.

My brother hands the baby off to Bianca, and we both make our way up the stairs to his office on the top floor of the house in silence.

Once the door is closed and locked behind us, I brace myself for whatever bomb my brother is about to drop.

‘You’re not going to like what I have to say.” Alexei sinks down into one of the leather armchairs, crossing an ankle over a knee.

“I never like what you have to say.” I shrug. “At least let me have a drink in my hand before you tell me whatever it is that has you so on edge.”

Alexei stays quiet, so I head over to the bar cart in the corner and pour us both a finger of vodka.

“Spit it out, then, brat .” I place the crystal glass in his hand and take a seat in the armchair opposite.

Alexei swirls the clear liquid around in the glass, and I watch as the muscle in his jaw flexes.

Shit, what has got my brother so wound up?

“Did you know Massimo Conti has a daughter?” he asks, keeping his eyes down.

“As in the mafia Don?” I frown. “No, I didn’t know.”

“Well, he does.”

“Well, thanks for the info, brat , but you could have just put that in a text.” I chuckle, taking a sip of my drink.

“I’m not done.”

I lean back in my chair, throwing an arm over the back as I look at my older brother.

His usual immaculate dark hair is ruffled, as if he’s run his hands through it multiple times, and his dark blue shirt is crumpled and rolled up at the sleeves.

“What’s going on, Alexei? You look like you didn’t get any sleep last night, and not in a good way.”

“I heard a rumor that Massimo is planning on asking you to marry his daughter, Lucia, in order to diffuse the escalating war between our two families.”

I can’t stop the laugh that escapes me as my brother’s words sink in. “You’re joking.”

Alexei sighs. “I wish I was.”

“What made him think I was interested in marriage? That’s the last fucking thing I want, Alexei.” I down the rest of my drink.

“Saying no will only make things worse. You have to think in the best interest of the family, Dimitri.”

“I always think in the best interest of the family. For once, can’t I just let this one go? Palm her off to Mikhail, or fuck, even Danil! Why does it have to be me?”

“They’re too young.”

“Bullshit.”

“Massimo asked for you specifically, Dimitri.”

“Why?”

“Likely because I’m already taken.”

“So, I get your hand-me-down bride? Fucking great.”

“I don’t enjoy putting this on you.”

“Then don’t.” I slam my empty glass down on the table between us.

“We all have to make sacrifices, Dimitri. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of marrying Bianca, but it was in the best interest of our family to join up with the Bellucci’s.”

“It worked out well for you and Bianca. You were lucky.”

“The same could happen with you and Lucia.”

“I can’t think about this right now.” I get to my feet.

“You can’t run from this, Dimitri.”

“I’m not fucking running. I have other shit I need to deal with. Can’t you give me a few days to at least get my head around the idea? ”

“I’m not sure we have a few days.”

I knew whatever it was that Alexei wanted to discuss would be bad, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

“We’ll discuss this tomorrow.” My voice shakes as I ball my hands into fists, fighting the urge to punch a hole in the wall.

Alexei nods once, dismissing me.

I storm out of the office, slamming the door behind me.

How can Alexei do this to me?

I’m well aware that my family isn’t on the best terms with the Conti’s, but is marriage really the only answer?

There has to be a way out of this. And I have to find it fast.

I have to be careful not to insult the Don of a rival mafia family by rejecting his proposal because it could result in an all-out war. I can’t risk my family like that. Which means I’m going to need a hell of a good reason not to marry his spoiled princess of a daughter.

I head down the final flight of stairs and across the foyer toward the kitchen to grab something to eat and a coffee for the drive back to the city.

It’s going to be a long night as I try to sort through my options, so I don’t see sleep in my future anytime soon.

The door is half open, and Bianca’s voice echoes through, causing me to halt in my tracks. “Is he still bothering you?”

There’s silence for a moment, and my body tenses up as I realize what they’re discussing.

“Zara,” Bianca presses.

“Sort of…”

I grind my teeth together, fighting the urge to storm into the kitchen and demand Zara let me take care of the bastard who doesn’t seem to take no for an answer .

“I thought the whole ‘pretending Dimitri is your boyfriend’ worked?”

“It did for like a day, but you’ve not met the guy, B. When he wants something, he stops at nothing to get it.”

“Zara, you shouldn’t have to put up with this. Can’t you talk to HR?”

“And say what? He’s technically not crossed any lines.”

“Yet,” I mutter under my breath.

Bianca sounds almost sad. “Maybe it’s time you start looking for another job.”

“I can’t give him the satisfaction.”

“I hate seeing you like this,” Bianca whispers, her voice cracking. “You need to quit, Zara. You can’t be around this guy all day, every day, worried that he might do something.”

“I can’t quit,” Zara states. “I’ve worked too hard to get where I am, and I’m not going to let some asshole ruin my career. I won’t give him the satisfaction.”

“No one would think any less of you for walking away?—”

“ I would. Besides, I’m not even sure that would stop him. It’s like he’s obsessed with me.”

“Then maybe you should go to the police.”

“I-I can’t.”

My chest tightens at the hopelessness in Zara’s voice. This isn’t like her at all.

“Honestly, B. I can handle him. It’s really not as bad as I’m making it out to be. You know what I’m like, I can be a bit of a drama queen.” She laughs, though the sound is anything but light.

“Perhaps, but you shouldn’t have to fake having a boyfriend just to get your boss to stop hitting on you.”

“Maybe I should have called Dimitri my husband. Perhaps a boyfriend seems too disposable which is why he refuses to leave me alone.”

“Because Dimitri Koslov is such husband material.”

I should have called Dimitri my husband…

Suddenly, I’m hit with an idea that might solve not only Zara’s problem, but my own.

It’s insane, and it’ll no doubt piss Alexei off, but if I can get Zara to agree, then it might just put us both in the clear.

The only issue is that I don’t think Zara will come around to it easily.

I guess I’ll just have to do my best to convince her, not just for her sake but for mine too.