31. Dimitri

31

DIMITRI

“Can’t you drive any fucking faster, Alexei?”

“Dimitri, you need to get your shit together.” He tightens his grip on the steering wheel of the hummer. “You can’t storm into Massimo’s place with all guns blazing and expect to walk away. It’s a miracle he’s even willing to talk to us.”

“Don’t you think I know that? He has my wife .”

I was right to suspect Massimo was behind all of this. I never should have wasted time discussing it with my brothers. I should have gotten straight in the car and gone to find her myself.

I might have just cost Zara her life.

“He wants to talk. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

“I’m not interested in a fucking tea party with the man, Alexei. The fact that we’re not even bringing Anton or Feliks with us is a mistake?—”

Mikhail’s bumps my seat from the backseat. “Dimitri, we’re all on the same fucking side here.”

I twist in my seat to glare at my brother, but Mikhail doesn’t back down .

His face is like stone as he glares at me. “We all want Zara safe. That’s the most important thing, and you going off at Massimo and ruining this one chance at negotiating with him won’t help anyone.”

I take a deep breath to try and calm myself. “I know.”

Mikhail dips his chin and goes back to typing away on his phone.

Alexei takes a left. “We’re almost there.”

It’s taken us over an hour to get to Massimo’s mansion upstate, so by the time we pull up to the gates, my body is vibrating with adrenaline.

My eyes keep flicking to the clock on the dashboard, trying not to imagine how terrified Zara must be with every minute that passes.

I need to keep my head clear if I’m going to get her out of this alive.

Alexei kills the engine. “Danil, I want you to wait in the car. If shit hits the fan, I want you to take Zara to Forest Hills. Don’t wait for us.”

My youngest brother nods. “Got it.”

We all climb out of the car, and I give Danil a slap on the shoulder as a silent thank you before he slides behind the wheel, and Alexei, Mikhail and I turn toward the house.

I look at Alexei. “You sure about this?”

“We don’t have much of a choice.”

We walk up the front steps to the mansion.

The place is obnoxiously huge, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Massimo Conti.

Before we reach the top step, the door opens, and one of Massimo’s men ushers us inside.

Alexei shoots me one last warning look before we cross the threshold, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

“I’ll behave if he does,” I mutter under my breath .

Mikhail and I flank Alexei as we’re led inside.

My fingers itch to reach inside my jacket for my gun.

I don’t want to waste time talking, not while Zara is locked away somewhere in this house, pregnant and scared to death.

We cross the expansive marble foyer.

The place oozes wealth, from the art on the walls to the flecks of gold in the floor itself. My teeth grind together as we continue down a corridor, the sound of our footsteps echoing around us.

“In here,” Massimo’s Lackey grunts as we stop outside a set of double doors. He knocks twice before pushing them open.

I take a collective breath as we step inside and come face to face with Massimo Conti.

He’s just as intimidating as ever, with his navy three piece and tattooed skin. He waves a ringed finger, and the doors slam shut behind us.

Massimo looks straight at me, and a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Not so cocky now, are you?”

My skin prickles beneath his stare, but I say nothing.

He scoffs. “I suggest you all take a seat.”

Mikhail and I sink down into the black leather couch, and Alexei takes the armchair to our left. We sit in silence as Massimo pours us each a scotch.

He sets the drinks down in front of us, and Mikhail and Alexei immediately reach for theirs.

I take one look at the amber liquid and my stomach churns.

“My liquor not good enough for you Russians?” Massimo eyes my full glass as he pours himself one.

I shrug. “I prefer to keep a clear head.”

Massimo huffs a laugh as he takes a seat on the couch opposite. He leans back, spreading his muscular thighs wide as he watches me closely. “Since when?”

“Since you decided to kidnap my wife.”

Alexei shoots me a glare, but I ignore him.

“Ah yes… Zara .”

The sound of her name on his lips has me seeing red.

I go to lunge across the table, but Mikhail slams his hand against my chest, pushing me back into the couch.

“Dimitri.”

My eyes are on Massimo.

His blue eyes gleam with amusement as he watches me.

“We have a proposal.” Alexei sets his drink down on the table, resting his hands on his knees.

Massimo waves one of his ringed fingers, silencing Alexei, as he jerks his chin in my direction. “You can talk, seeing as this proposal better involve you marrying my daughter.”

Keep it together .

I glance at Alexei, and he nods.

“You were right to suspect my marriage to Zara.”

Mikhail tenses beside me but remains quiet. “In the beginning, my relationship was nothing more than a convenient way to get out of marrying Lucia.”

“You son of a bitch,” Massimo growls, launching his glass across the room where it hits the wall and smashes. “I fucking knew I should have put a bullet in your skull when you came to my club.”

“Massimo—” Alexei starts, but I put a hand up to silence him.

“I don’t regret what I did.”

“You will when I make you watch your wife bleed out in front of you.”

It takes everything I have to keep my face neutral, to not reach for the weapon inside my pocket and show this fucker how serious I am.

“If you think killing her is going to make me marry your daughter, then you’re fucking delusional. I love Zara.”

My chest tightening as I speak the words.

God, that woman became my whole world without even trying. And this fucker wants to take her from me to replace her with a fucking spoiled princess? Fuck him.

“I never thought I was capable of ever feeling that way about someone, but Zara is everything to me, and I don’t want to live in a world when she doesn’t exist.”

“How fucking poetic of you,” Massimo spits.

“Poetic or not, it is what you should want for your daughter. But I can tell you now, even if anything happens to Zara, I will never marry your daughter, but I can make it my mission in life to make sure she never has a happy moment ever again. Not that you care, apparently. Don’t you love your daughter enough to want what is best for her? Because that is definitely not me.”

Massimo huffs as he storms over to his drinks cabinet and pours himself another large scotch.

“I couldn’t give a shit about her finding love or being happy.” He downs the drink and wipes his mouth on the back of his tattooed hand. “My focus here is purely business. Igor Ivanov is making moves, and I want to make sure Lucia is protected at all costs.”

I frown.

That’s why he’s doing this? Because of Ivanov?

Alexei gets to his feet. “If it’s business and power you’re interested in, we can help with that.”

“Of course, that’s what I’m interested in. You think I’m playing matchmaker for the fun of it? ”

Mikhail snorts beside me, and I jab him in the ribs with my elbow.

“Shut the fuck up.”

Alexei shoots us a glare over his shoulder.

“It seems we both have a shared agenda when it comes to Ivanov.” Alexei turns back to Massimo. “I suggest our two families form an alliance and go against Igor together. I can promise that you will be…substantially rewarded for your help.”

“You’ve made that promise to me before, Alexei Koslov, why should I believe you this time?”

“My brothers and I have learned from this misunderstanding.” Alexei glances over at me. “We are all in agreement that we need to do what is best for our family.”

Massimo narrows his eyes as he thinks for a moment, his ringed hand rubbing over his jaw as he glances between me and Alexei. “What’s in it for you? Seems like an easy deal.”

“We have our own reasons to want Igor dealt with, and we’re at a point where we will do anything to get the job done. With your help, we can get the job done quicker.”

When Alexei doesn’t elaborate more, Massimo turns his attention back to me.

“I would also like to point out that Zara’s father is a respected cop.” Alexei seems to sense where Massimo’s thoughts are leading. “Killing his pregnant daughter might start a war with the police force that you will not win.”

Massimo nods. “I want my daughter protected. There are other senior men in the Koslov bratva that would be a fine match for Lucia. Make sure it is done, and you have yourself a deal.”

His eyes flick to Mikhail, and my body tenses.

Is he being serious right now?

I know I said it as a throwaway idea before, but I was venting at the time. We can’t ask this of Mikhail.

Except, I don’t see any other way out of this. If I ever want to see Zara again, I have to ask my brother to marry a woman he’s never met. A fate I was too much of a coward to face might now fallen on him.

“Mikhail…” Guilt weighs heavily on my shoulders.

He dips his chin in confirmation. “I’ll do it.”

Massimo narrows his eyes at Mikhail, and I hold my breath.

Please let this work .

“Dante!” Massimo yells.

The doors to the study immediately open and our escort arrives. “Retrieve Zara from her holdings.”

My body sags with relief as Dante disappears.

Mikhail places a comforting hand on my shoulder as I try to contain my emotions.

It’s over.

“Walk with me.” Massimo tilts his head to the door, getting to his feet.

I barely register my movements as we’re led out of the study. All I can think about is Zara.

I just want to hold her in my arms, to feel the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips, to know that she’s alive and safe.

But although this is dealt with, I also know that Zara won’t feel safe until Giovanni is gone for good…

He’s been kept alive for too long, and I need to take care of him once and for all.

“Once Zara is home, and I know she is well, Mikhail and I have some unfinished business to take care of,” I say under my breath to Alexei as we walk down the steps to the waiting hummer. “I want Danil to stay with Zara while we’re gone.”

I feel Massimo’s eyes on me, so I linger back, watching as Danil climbs out of the car.

Massimo narrows his eyes at me. “Does this have anything to do with Giovanni Saccone?”

“That fucker has been a waste of air for too long.”

“He’s a snake. Useful, yes, but he has no loyalty to anyone except himself. He’s served his purpose to me, but I have no further need for him.”

“Good, because in a few hours he’s going to be dead.”

Massimo huffs a laugh. “I’m curious to know your history with him. He was more than willing to throw you to the wolves without a second thought.”

I take a deep breath and turn to face Massimo.

“He raped my wife.” The words feel like poison on my tongue.

Massimo curses.

“I made a promise to protect my wife, and while he’s still breathing, she won’t ever feel safe. I think it’s about time he pays for his crime.”

I blink as Massimo steps toward me and places a large hand on my shoulder.

“We do what we have to in order to protect our family,” Massimo states, a knowing look in his eyes. “That we have in common, Koslov.”

I nod.

From behind me, Alexei call out, “Dimitri!”

The crunching of tires on gravel fills the air, and I whip around as a blacked-out Range Rover approaches.

The moment it comes to a stop, the door opens, and Zara staggers out .

“ Sladkaya ,” I choke, sprinting over to her and wrapping her up in my arms. “ Zhizn’ moya. ”

“I’m okay.” She wraps her arms around me.

“I was so fucking worried.” I cup her face and press a kiss to her lips.

She whimpers against my lips, her small hands clutching my shirt as I kiss her again. “You’re okay,? Please tell me you’re okay.”

I pull back to take a proper look at her.

She looks pale and tired, and there’s a small cut to her temple, but otherwise she looks unharmed.

“The babies.” She clutches her stomach.

My eyes flick down, and my heart sinks as I notice the dried blood coating her fingers.

“H-he called a doctor, but it still doesn’t feel right…” Her lip trembles as she looks up at me with frightened eyes.

I glance over my shoulder, but Massimo has already disappeared back inside the house.

Fucking coward.

“It’s okay, sladkaya .” I stroke her hair. “We’ll get you to the hospital.”

I reach down, scooping Zara into my arms, and carry her over to the hummer.

“I will stay to sort out the details with Massimo.” Alexei opens the back passenger door. “You need to get Zara checked out.”

I frown at him. “You can’t stay here alone.”

Mikhail gives me a knowing look. “Feliks is on his way. We should get going, Dimitri.”

Fuck.

Giovanni Saccone.

Zara moans.

One thing at a time. Right now Zara is my priority. Until I know everything is okay with her and my unborn children, Giovanni Saccone will have to wait.

I get Zara settled in the backseat of the hummer and climb in beside her, tucking her shivering body against me. I can’t stop touching her, unable to believe that she’s finally back in my arms where she belongs.

“Keep me updated,” Alexei says before slamming the door shut.

“Danil, I want you to drive like your fucking life depends on it, you hear? I almost lost my wife, and I’m not about to lose my babies too.”