Dimitri (23 page)

"Let me get you some clothes."

Dimitri shook his head. "I'll shower
first."

"Okay." I noticed his gaze lingering on the
food we'd been eating. "Are you hungry? I can fix
something?"

Totally naked now, he ran his fingers through
his disheveled hair. "I'm more tired than hungry but thank you for
offering, sweetheart."

Kostya wasted no time in cleaning up the
entryway. He rolled everything up inside the paper square and
secured it with tape before dumping the whole mess of soiled items
into a bigger heavy-duty trash bag. The smaller bags we'd filled
while cleaning went into that one.

Armed with his cleaning supplies, he headed for
the bedroom. Apparently, Kostya was going to be very thorough
tonight. When the shower shut off, I started to tidy up the
kitchen. I could barely hear the two men talking. Every now and
then, I'd hear the unmistakable squeak and whoosh of the smelly
cleaning solvent Kostya kept in that bottle.

When Dimitri finally emerged, he wore only
pajama bottoms. He took the dish scrubbing brush from my hand and
shook his head. "It can wait. Let's go to sleep."

"But Kostya—"

"Knows what he's doing," Dimitri gently
interjected. "He's almost finished in there. He'll do my truck and
leave." He pressed a concerned kiss to my forehead. "We need to
talk."

With a nod of understanding, I grasped
Dimitri's strong hand. We made our way to the bedroom, passing
Kostya in the hallway. The serious look on the other man's face
told me his night was just beginning. Making him a hot meal seemed
like the very least I could do for him.

When we were safely ensconced in Dimitri's
bedroom and the front door had been closed and locked, I asked,
"How much do we owe Kostya?"

"Nothing." Dimitri slid onto his bed and tugged
me down with him. The glimmer of moonlight coming through the wide
slats of the wooden blinds painted his skin with bluish stripes.
"This is a personal favor."

"It's a huge favor, Dimitri."

"I know." He slid his arms around me and
cradled me against him. I pressed my ear to his chest and closed my
eyes. The sound of his heartbeat eased the tension gripping my gut.
With a rough sigh, Dimitri said, "The police will be here soon. I'm
not telling you the details of what happened tonight. I want you to
be able to be as truthful as possible with the police."

My head throbbed as anxiety took hold. "What am
I supposed to tell them about Johnny being here tonight? Kostya
made it sound like I’m supposed to pretend I didn't see
him."

"You didn't see him tonight. You haven't seen
him since your fight. He took your car and he left. End of
story."

"I don't like lying, Dimitri. It's not right.
The police aren't the enemy."

"No, they're not. The people who shot your
brother? They're the enemy and they don't play by the rules. Your
world view is colored by right and wrong, black and white, but that
is not the real world, Benny. The real world is shades of grey and
sometimes, to survive and protect the people we love, we have to
lie our asses off. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I snuggled closer as a chill of fear
coursed through me.

Dimitri must have sensed my fear because he
caressed my arms and kissed my cheek. "You're safe with me, Benny.
I'll never let anyone hurt you."

"I know you'll protect me."

"But you're worried about Johnny?"

"Yes."

"Listen to me, I can't promise you that I'll
find an elegant solution to this mess, but I'll do whatever it
takes to keep him alive."

I shivered at the stark reality Dimitri
presented. My eyes burned as tears began to well up and spill onto
my cheeks. I tried to cry silently but I sniffed a bit too loudly
and Dimitri stiffened.

In the darkness, his rough
fingertips stroked my wet face. He rolled me onto my back and gazed
down at me, his face only just visible in the moonlight.
"
Lyubimaya moya
."
He kissed me lovingly. "Don't cry."

"I'm s-sorry." I felt like such a child as I
wept but I couldn't make it stop. The fear and the pain and the
uncertainty clawed at my heart. "I'm losing the bakery. I'm losing
my brother. I'm losing everything, Dimitri."

After the awful turn our wonderful night had
taken, I wasn’t taking any chances. I slid my arms around him and
held on tight. He shifted onto his back again and dragged me onto
him. His fingers threaded through my hair and his hand swept up and
down my back.

"Not everything," he whispered lovingly and
kissed me. "You'll never lose me."

I silently prayed that was true.

Chapter
Thirteen

A loud, insistent knock ripped me from the deep
sleep I'd been enjoying. For a split-second, I didn't know where I
was. The feel of Dimitri's big hand sliding up my arm brought back
the night's best and worst memories.

"Easy, Benny," he urged. "It's only the
police."

I rubbed my face and cleared my throat. "How
can you tell?"

He laughed. "That's a knock they teach at the
academy." He squeezed my thigh. "I'll go deal with this. You should
probably get up and make yourself presentable. They won't want to
wait long."

The pinkish orange hue of early morning
sunlight colored the room. Dimitri didn't even bother grabbing a
shirt. He left the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and
answered the incredibly loud knocks. My belly trembled with nerves
but I forced myself out bed.

In the bathroom, I quickly ran through my
morning routine. My hair was a wild mess but I managed to tame it
into a low, sloppy bun. For the first time, I noticed the light
scratches on my neck and the unmistakable love bites Dimitri had
given me. I probably should have been embarrassed by the evidence
of our lust-filled night but no longer cared who saw them. We were
two adults. We loved one another. End of story.

Dimitri tapped on the door. "Sweetheart, when
you're ready, there are two detectives here to see you."

I opened the door and stared up at him. "I
don't know if I can do this."

He gripped my hand and kissed my cheek. "You
can."

Dimitri practically dragged me out of the
bedroom. My stomach somersaulted as I trailed after him into the
living area. I felt sure I would puke—until I saw a familiar
face.

"Santos?"

Detective Eric Santos stood just inside the
door. He smiled at me. "Hey, Benny, it's been awhile."

"Yes, it has." I felt Dimitri's fingers tighten
around mine. I glanced over at him but he wore that unemotional
mask so I couldn't tell if he was jealous or curious about my
history with the detective.

"Your girlfriend and I grew up a few doors
apart," Santos explained. "I used to work downstairs in the bakery
during high school and while I was at the academy." He looked a
little sad. "I hear you're selling."

"Oh? Where'd you hear that?"

He shrugged. "People talk."

"At the moment, the plan is to relocate. We'll
see how it plays out."

"Miss Burkhart," the other detective
interrupted, "we've been here over a minute and you haven't asked
us why we're here. Any reason for that?"

I managed to school my expression and muscle
down the panic fluttering in my belly. "Detective…?"

"Carson."

"Well, Detective Carson, I have a young brother
who thinks he's a gangster. When two police officers show up at my
boyfriend's door this early in the morning, I just sort of assume
he's done something really stupid."

"Where is he, Benny?" Santos arched an eyebrow.
"We need to talk to him."

"I haven't seen him since yesterday. We had an
argument and it got ugly and he left. He stole my keys and took
off."

"Got ugly?" Santos' lips settled into a grim
line. "Did he hit you?"

I shook my head. "No, it didn't get that far.
It was an argument over selling the house and the building. That's
all."

He didn't look convinced. Dimitri brushed his
lips against my temple before he headed toward the kitchen to start
coffee. He kept an eye on me as he worked and reassured me he was
right there if I needed him.

Detective Carson pulled his cell phone from his
pocket and tapped at the screen. "Is this your car?"

I moved closer and gasped. "What the hell
happened to my car? Is that—was it on fire?"

Santos nodded. "It's lodged in an empty
storefront ten blocks over, Benny. It's been shot up and, yeah, it
caught fire. It's a total loss."

His information stunned me. Johnny walked or
ran ten blocks after being shot and surviving that gnarly crash?
"My brother was driving that car last night. Is he
okay?"

"We don't know." Santos narrowed his gaze in
suspicion. "You're sure you haven't seen him?"

"No. You would have found me in the emergency
room if he'd come to me." The fact that I found it so easy to mix
truth and lies made my stomach churn. What the hell kind of person
was I becoming? "Did you check the ERs around town? Is he in one of
them?"

Santos shook his head. "No one with his name or
fitting his description came into any emergency room in the city."
He hesitated. "I checked the morgues, just in case. He's not there
either."

"Well where is he?" I didn't know the answer so
it was an easy thing to ask.

Santos shrugged. "That's why I got you out of
bed at six on a Sunday, Benny. I figured if anyone knew where he
was, it would be you."

I shook my head. "We aren't as close as we used
to be, Santos."

Detective Carson turned to Dimitri. "And you,
Mr. Stepanov? Do you know where Juan Burkhart is?"

Dimitri didn't miss a beat. He finished rinsing
out the cast iron pan from last night and tugged the dish towel
from his shoulder. "Johnny and I don't get along. I don't agree
with the kind of life he leads. He wouldn't come to me for help.
You'll probably want to ask some of the thugs and lowlifes he calls
his crew."

"He's not the only one who has friends who are
thugs and lowlifes," Santos grumbled as he jotted something down in
his notebook.

Dimitri heard the snotty remark. Holding
Santos' gaze, he said, "I'm sure you meet all kinds in your line of
work, Detective."

Santos issued a short laugh and stuffed his
notebook back into the pocket of his jacket. "Benny, I don't have
to tell you how serious this is. This shooting? It could tip off a
gang war. If you see Johnny, you've got to call me. He's not safe
on the street."

"If he contacts me, I'll call you."

Santos stared at me. I could tell he didn't
believe me. With a jerk of his head, he indicated his partner
should head for the door. Dimitri got there first and smiled at
them as he ushered them out of his place.

Pausing at the door, Santos extended one of his
business cards to me. "You should be getting a call about the car
soon. There's going to be a lot of paperwork so brace yourself,
Benny. This isn't going to be a pleasant experience. Honestly, you
probably need a lawyer. That building owner is going to want to
sue."

I groaned and took the card from him. Could
this morning get any worse?

Santos and Dimitri exchanged a look. Finally,
Santos said, "You're friends with Ivan Markovic, so I know you're
fully aware of the kind of shit these street gangs are willing to
pull to save face. You better keep a close eye on
Benny."

"I don’t need anyone to tell me how to protect
the woman I love."

Santos left without another word and Dimitri
shut the door. As soon as I was sure the two detectives couldn't
hear us, I hissed, "Did you know about my car?"

Dimitri rubbed the back of his neck and
grimaced. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you can't fake surprise, Benny. The
way you looked when that detective showed you the picture? They
know you're in the dark now."

"But I'm not totally in the dark, Dimitri." I
exhaled raggedly and wiped at my face. "I just lied to the police.
The police! I'm going to go to jail!"

He clicked his teeth. "You're not going to
jail. You don’t know anything. You haven't done anything. Hell,
even Johnny didn't do anything truly criminal last night. He drove
his car into a building but he was also trying to escape a barrage
of bullets. He wasn't drinking. He probably wasn’t doing drugs. And
I know he wasn't carrying a weapon because I confiscated his
yesterday. At most, he could get charged with reckless
driving."

"Then why can't we bring him in, Dimitri? You
heard Santos. He can keep him safe."

"Where? In protective custody? If Johnny
survives to testify at a trial, what then?"

"I don't know!" I threw up my hands and shouted
at Dimitri. "I. Don't. Know!"