Something akin to pain streaked across Dimitri’s face, but he didn’t deny it. He just nodded stiffly and something inside of me broke.
I cleared my throat and pushed off the wall. The front of my dress was ripped, but I did nothing to conceal myself. Instead, I marched past Dimitri with my head held high, not even sparing him one fucking glance as I picked up my heels and slipped them onto my feet.
His suit jacket was still on the ground near the door. I swiped it up and put it on so I wouldn’t walk back into the party flashing my underwear to everyone. Neither man objected or tried to stop me. The sympathetic look Mikhail gave me as I walked past him made me want to throw myself off a fucking bridge.
I didn’t want nor need his sympathy.
I breezed out of the room without looking back.
Taking Dimitri’s jacket had seemed like a good idea at the time, but I was seriously regretting it as I marched down the hall. It was absolutely drenched in his scent. His intoxicating, mouthwatering scent. It enveloped me like a tight, comforting hug, teasing me with what I would never have.
The real thing.
With each step I took, my heart plummeted more and more. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The moment that strange, visceral connection between Dimitri and I appeared, he’d pull away from me every time something happened to show it.
I should have known sex would result in the same outcome. How foolish it was of me to think otherwise.
I stopped at the corner of the hallway, unable to bring myself to turn the bend. Despite how much I desperately wanted to leave, I couldn’t. I still had a job to finish. A person to kill. But I needed a minute to collect myself before heading back into the belly of the beast. If I turned left, it would take me back to the ballroom. However, if I turned right…
I didn’t care that I had no idea where it would lead me. Anywhere was better than back with those insufferable people. I needed to get my head screwed back on.
I went right. Halfway down the corridor, there was a staircase. I took it, taking the steps two at a time, a sense of urgency vibrating in my bones. When I reached the top, I realised it opened up into one of the balconies overhead the ballroom.
It wasn’t good enough. Wasn’t far enough. I needed air.
To my right, there were huge, glass double doors that led to an outdoor balcony. Perfect. Rushing forward, I used both hands to push them open wide. Cold night air smacked me in the face, and I sucked in a deep, shaky breath.
Fairy lights were strung up all along the walls, casting the space in a beautiful, calming light. Various forms of furniture were laid out evenly, a couch on one side and three chairs on the other, surrounding a glass table. On that table were numerous packets of cigarettes and lighters.
This must be where they all come to smoke.
I eyed one of the packets. “Fuck it,” I grumbled, picking it up.
I wasn’t a full-time smoker. More of a stress smoker, and right then, I was pretty fucking stressed.
Pulling one out, I placed it between my lips and lit it. Taking a deep breath in, I let the smoke fill my lungs before exhaling heavily. A sense of calm washed over me…for all of three seconds. I took another drag. Then another. And another. That calm never returned.
“I need some fucking weed,” I muttered under my breath, smoke escaping from my mouth with each word.
My mind was a jumbled mess. Part of me didn’t regret what had happened between Dimitri and I, despite the preverbal diss I’d received afterwards. It meant I at least got to have him once, so how could I regret that? Got to experience what it was like to be ruthlessly fucked and owned by Dimitri Volkov.
Another part of me, though, did regret it, and it was for the exact same reason: having him once would never be enough.
Even then, I craved his touch again. Craved to have his lips on me, his teeth biting into my skin. Craved that closeness with him.
An ache quickly built up in the centre of my chest. I rubbed my sternum, a frown on my face. This feeling… I’d never felt it before. I had no idea what it was…except that it hurt. It hurt so fucking badly every time I thought of him.
I didn’t like it. I wanted it to go away-
“Lovely evening we’re having tonight, aren’t we, Miss DeValos?”
I spun around quickly at the sound of a deep voice coming from behind me. A man stood in the doorway, the top half of his face shrouded in darkness.
My heart slammed into my chest. Jesus Christ. I’d been so distracted by my thoughts that I hadn’t even heard him approach.
Wait, did he just call me Miss DeValos? Fuck, that means he knows who I really am.
“I know you?” I asked, throwing out an air of indifference.
“Not personally, no. But you did business with an associate of mine who was operating on behalf of me.”
I frowned in thought. The only contract I’d taken recently where I didn’t deal directly with the client was—
Dominik’s.
Releasing a sigh, I flicked my finished cigarette over the balcony and crossed my arms over my chest. “Look, if this is about the deposit, you’re not getting it back. I didn’t kill him directly, which was why I didn’t charge you the outstanding amount of your bill. But I earned that deposit. I put in a month’s worth of work, and ended up getting kidnapped and nearly killed for my trouble. That money is mine. I’m not giving it back.”
I expected him to fight me on it. Most clients would have, but he just frowned.
“He’s…dead?” he asked, confused.
“Saw the blade go through his heart with my own eyes,” I said, smiling at the memory.
His frown deepened. He glanced over his shoulder, staring back into the house and then turned back, studying me closely. He moved, crossing the small distance to look over the railing and down into the ballroom below. “If he’s dead, how is it that I’m looking at him right now?”
What?
“That’s impossible,” I whispered under my breath. I rushed forward, joining him at his side. I stared down into the sea of people below, searching and searching. I didn’t see Dominik, but I did see—
Dimitri.
I whipped around to face him, eyes wide. “The contract I received was for Dominik Volkov, not Dimitri Volkov.”
“Was it? Huh.” Then he threw his head back and laughed. I didn’t see what was remotely funny about the situation. “I used to always get my sons mixed up when they were children, but this is the first time it’s ever happened as adults. How humorous.”
Did he just say—
Oh, Autumn. You’re such an idiot.
Now that he’d said it, I could see the similarities instantly. It just hit me smack in the face. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed them the moment I laid eyes on him.
The size of him. The sharp lines of his face. The accent. The eyes.
The goddamn fucking eyes.
“You’re Dimitri’s father.”
He smiled, but there was nothing sweet or pleasant about it. It was vile, filled with maliciousness and cruelty. He bowed gracefully as he said, “Sergei Lekovich Volkov, at your service.” He straightened and offered me his hand to shake.
I didn’t take it, staring at it in disgust. “You put a hit out on your own son?”
He shrugged as if the idea of doing something like that was completely normal. “Dimitri has always been a good soldier. A good son. He has always done what was expected of him, and never stepped out of line. Well, that is, until recently. Over the last few years, he has shown a lack of respect for my authority. Refused to do what I have expressly ordered him to do. That is something I simply cannot allow. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t think of having him killed. He runs the Bratva in America, and is set to inherit everything when I die. If something were to happen to him, who would the title fall to? Who would keep the Volkov name alive? It has been what has kept him safe all these years despite his insubordination.”
“What’s changed, then?”
“During my last visit, I noticed that my grandson, Aleksandr, is more than ready to take his father’s place. That means I no longer need Dimitri alive. He’s done his job. He’s given me three strong heirs. Raised them to be smart, ruthless killers.”
“Doesn’t he have four children?” I asked, brows lowered into a frown. He was forgetting about Illayana.
Anger flashed in Sergei’s eyes. “My granddaughter is no longer a Volkov. She is a De Luca, and any children she has will be De Lucas, therefore she is of no use to me. I only care about my family name. My legacy.”
He only cares about himself.
And I thought my parents were assholes.
No wonder Dimitri hates the man.
“So, I can expect the contract to be completed soon, da? yes?” he asked, giving me a smile that sent a fucking chill down my spine.
The fucking nerve of this man.
I met his gaze, refusing to show an ounce of nervousness. “I never agreed to kill Dimitri. Our contract was for Dominik. That’s it.”
Something terrifying flashed in his blue eyes. “A small technicality, Miss DeValos. I’m sure we can negotiate new terms.”
“Not interested.”
His hand clamped over my arm, hard, and he squeezed. Any trace of niceties vanished in an instant. “I don’t think you’re understanding me, so let me make it perfectly clear: I paid you to do a job. Granted, there was a slight error in regards to the target, and had you killed Dominik yourself, then yes, the contract would technically be null and void. But you didn’t, and you just admitted that yourself. Therefore, you’re in debt to me right now. You took the money. You owe me a kill.”
Frustratingly, he had a point. There were certain rules when it came to the business, one of them being you couldn’t just renege on a contract. If you took it, you had to complete it. To not would mean bad, bad things. Blacklisted from any future jobs. Even a potential contract being taken out on me.
The fact that the contract I’d received was for Dominik and not Dimitri could save me. But then again, it could not. Most people in my business didn’t care about those kinds of details. All they would see is that I took Sergei’s deposit and didn’t complete a kill.
Something that was considered a death sentence.
But I didn’t take kindly to threats.
I yanked my arm out of his grasp. “Are you threatening me? Because I’ll tell you right now, Mr Volkov, you do not want to do that.”
He gave me a look that seemed to say “Oh, how cute”. He placed his hands behind his back and began to walk around me like a predator circling their prey. “You might be formidable, Miss DeValos. One of the best assassins in the world—”
“—the best,” I corrected.
“But you’re no match for the power of the Bratva.”
I gave him my back, staring down into the ballroom. It was nothing short of an insult. That I didn’t find him a big enough threat to keep my eyes on him, to watch him. “If you’re so fucking powerful, why don’t you just do the job yourself, then? Why even bother hiring me?”
“You really think my grandson would do anything I say if he found out I was behind the death of his father?” he arched an eyebrow. “That’s what I love about assassins. The anonymity.”
That’s what everyone loved about it. The ability to just name a name, and have that person killed with absolutely no evidence to trace it back to you.
My eyes locked onto Dimitri down below. At his side was Allistair, but it didn’t seem like Dimitri was listening to what the man was saying. He was scanning the room, looking for something.
Or someone.
Is it me?
Foolish, foolish woman. How many times does he need to snub you to prove he doesn’t give a shit about you?
Then, as if sensing my eyes on him, he looked up, and our gazes clashed. My heart pounded. Sexual tension still blazed between us, as hot as a fiery inferno.
Sergei stopped behind me, and leant in close to whisper in my ear. “Given what I witnessed earlier when the two of you were dancing, it should be easy for you to kill him. He trusts you. Just look at him. Look at how angry he is to see a man standing this close to you.”
I turned my head. Sergei was standing far enough behind me that his face was shrouded in darkness. I highly doubted Dimitri could see his face properly, but when I looked back at him, his narrowed gaze and clenched fists made me think he could at the very least see I was standing next to a man. Like Sergei had said.
And he didn’t like it.
Dimitri pulled his phone out of his back pocket and answered it without taking his eyes off me.
Sergei laid a hand on my shoulder. Dimitri took a threatening step forward. “You have two weeks, Miss DeValos, or the next contract I take out will be on you.” He patted me twice. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
And then he was gone.
