Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
I stare hard at the computer terminal, not letting myself turn and look at Mikhail. I know I won’t be able to stop. I’ll keep gazing and gazing like a loon. Something happened to us in the bedroom, something magical. It was like we were fusing, like the lust was turning into something else.
When I explain how we can use the phone records of the dead Serbian attacker—Dimitri killed one of the men sent after him—to find the address of the Sokolov guard who has Serbian connections when we see he’s not listed, Mikhail makes a soft, proud noise that has me wishing we were alone.
Dimitri seems suspicious, though. “He’ll use a burner,” he says of the Sokolov guard.
“If he’s used the same one, we can still track it,” I say, nerves twisting in my belly. It’s like, any second, Dimitri will sense what his brother and I did. It probably says a lot about this passion moving through me. The steaminess seems more important than the attack on Dimitri. That’s not fair, is it?
“How?” Dimitri says.
“Get the phone records of the dead man, his Serbian associate, then go down the call history and cross them off one by one. It’s worth a shot, at least.” The whole time I speak, I stare hard at the screen, not letting myself turn and see the pride in Mikhail’s eyes. That would melt me.
“Okay, do that,” Dimitri says. “In the meantime, I’ll check with the cops and see if the dead man has any tales to tell—”
He cuts off when his cell phone rings.
“What’s wrong?” Mikhail says.
“It’s Nikolai.”
I suck in a breath, turning in the computer chair, looking at Mikhail to see savage protection draping every inch of him. Then I quickly turn to Dimitri, not wanting to make things obvious. Dad’s calling Dimitri after the attack. Did Dad arrange the attack? It’s not like he’s above that sort of thing.
It’s so difficult not to think about all the evil things my father has done and all the pain he has caused. Dimitri says, “What a nice surprise.” Yet nothing could be further from the truth. There’s nothing nice about Dad. I don’t have any of that confusion that seems to grip the Sokolovs about their father.
“Generally speaking?” Dimitri goes on. “I’m fine.”
Dad says something, and then Dimitri glances at me with gritted teeth. I wonder if Dad’s talking about the wedding, about selling me so he can stake a claim to Vegas and start carving up more business, more people, and more pain to fill his bank vaults just a little more. “We’re still working out some details. You’ll hear from me soon.”
There’s another pause, and then Dimitri says, “Do you want to speak to her?”
I shake my head urgently, my heart suddenly picking up speed when I think about speaking with that man, but I should. I need to see how Drake is doing. Dad would lie anyway, even if Drake were suffering more than he ever has. Dad would find a way to twist it, justify it, and make it seem like the only option. That’s his specialty, after all.
Dimitri hangs up, then asks Mikhail, “We good to go?”
“We’ll keep working.”
“Good. I’ll call the cops. Nikolai better hope these breadcrumbs don’t lead back to him.”
Dimitri looks at me like he’s about to say sorry. “I hope they do lead to him,” I say.
If Dad has tried to hurt the Sokolovs, it would give them justification to take Dad out. I harden my heart when I think about that. I don’t need to let any silly thoughts interfere, like the ridiculous prospect that Dad would somehow develop a conscience or the ability to love. That hasn’t happened yet, and I have no reason to believe it ever will.
Dimitri turns to leave the room, but before he does, he turns back and says, “Mila, we’re going to need to eat a meal together.”
I cringe. The last thing I want to do is sit down for a meal with the man my dad is forcing me to marry—a man who doesn’t want or love me, not like … No, I can’t think like that. I know this isn’t Dimitri’s fault, but I can’t help but hate him a little, even though it’s irrational. If Dad does have Sokolov men on his side, it doesn’t hurt to pretend we are following his plan.
Mikhail looks pissed at his brother’s suggestion even though he knows this isn’t something either of us relishes. We all have to play the game if we want to win.
“Soon,” Dimitri goes on before I can respond. “In fact, now would be good. I’ll make arrangements. Very loud arrangements.”
I almost say no out of anger. Why do I always have to bend for my dad’s wishes? Then I think about Drake and nod. He is the only reason I need to think about when it comes to this marriage.