Dimitri (24 page)

His expression softened and he embraced me.
"Come here, baby. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset
you."

"It's not you. I just—I don't know what to do.
I always have a plan. Lately, I feel like I'm screwing up
everything. First, it was the business. Now, it's my
brother."

"You didn't screw up the business. What's
happened with the bakery is a combination of factors beyond your
control. Are there things you could have changed? Maybe, but that's
how you learn, Benny. We'll move the bakery and start over and
you'll apply these lessons to the new venture." He swept his
fingertips down my cheek. "And Johnny? He did this to himself. He's
old enough to know right from wrong. Now he's paying the
consequences."

"It's not just Johnny I'm worried about,
Dimitri. What about you? What about Kostya? You two stuck your
necks out last night. You helped Johnny because you love me. What
kind of girlfriend am I to drag the man I love into my brother's
gangster bullcrap?"

"Don't," Dimitri chided softly and traced my
lips with his thumb. A teasing smile curved his sexy mouth. "You're
the best girlfriend in the whole world."

I chortled and rolled my eyes. "Be
serious."

"I am."

"No, you're being silly."

"I thought we could use a little silliness. The
mood in this room has grown way too serious."

"There's a reason for that."

Cupping my face, he nuzzled our noses together.
"Benny, everything I've done for you, I'd gladly do all over
again." Before I could protest that he'd done too much and risked
too much, he silenced me with one of those sensual kisses that made
me a little loopy with desire. "Now, we're going to take a shower
and have breakfast. Then I'm taking you home so you can get some
clothes."

After being kissed like that, I couldn't think
of a single reason to argue with him. Inside the steamy confines of
the shower, Dimitri used those skillful hands and that sinfully
talented mouth of his to make me forget all about the problems
plaguing me. I slipped back into my dress from the night before but
didn't have any clean undies. Of course, Dimitri loved the idea of
me going without panties every day…

When we finished breakfast, I waited for
Dimitri to grab his keys and wallet and phone. In the rush to make
out last night, I'd left my clutch in his truck. As we came
downstairs, I could hear the morning crew opening up the bakery for
our short Sunday hours. I fought the urge to duck in and greet
them. By now, they would have heard the news about Johnny. I didn't
think I could face them right now.

Dimitri seemed to understand my hesitance so we
took the long way around the building, ducking around the back. As
we rounded the corner to the parking lot, my steps faltered at the
sight of five Hermanos gang members loitering near a dark blue SUV.
Always strong and so courageous, Dimitri didn't even slow down. He
interlaced his fingers with mine and gave me one of those
reassuring smiles that made everything better.

"Hey, uh, Benny?" One of the tattooed guys
stepped forward but didn't dare get any closer. His nervous gaze
jumped to Dimitri who smoothly moved just in front of me, ready to
block whatever might come. "Uh, you don't know me, but I'm friends
with your brother."

"And?" I didn't know this guy from Adam but the
amount of ink on his neck and arms told me he was bad news. I
probably should have been a bit more diplomatic but I didn't want
him to know how much he frightened me.

"Have you seen Johnny?"

I shook my head. "No."

"You sure?"

"Are you calling my girlfriend a liar?" Dimitri
took a step forward and they all stepped back. He towered over them
by half a foot and had the bulk of so much lean muscle on his
frame. These gang members were all thin and wiry. They couldn't
take Dimitri in a fist fight but he'd be defenseless against a gun.
I gripped Dimitri's hand tighter, afraid he would get badly
hurt.

"No way, man." The Hermanos member put up both
hands. "We're just trying to find our guy. We don’t want any
trouble with any of Nikolai's friends."

"Then get the hell out of here!" Dimitri
gestured to the road. "You don't need to worry about Johnny. He's
been taken care of."

The gangbanger's eyes widened. Dimitri's
statement could be interpreted many ways. The guy didn't stick
around to ask which one it was. He whistled and his men piled into
the SUV and sped out of the parking lot.

Dimitri grasped my arm and tugged me toward his
truck. He unlocked the door and basically tossed me onto the front
seat. His gaze moved around the parking lot, as if he expected
trouble. When he got into the driver's seat, he didn't even bother
buckling his seatbelt before he gunned it and got us out of
there.

It wasn't until we were idling at a red light
that he buckled his belt and glanced at me. He reached for my hand
and brought my knuckles to his lips. He kissed them softly. "I'm
sorry I was so abrupt back there. I wasn't sure how to read that
crew. I couldn’t be sure they weren't going to circle around and
shoot at us."

"God, Dimitri, is it ever going to be normal
again for us?"

"Soon," he promised and eased on the gas as the
light switched to green.

"What did you mean about taking care of
Johnny?"

"What I said," he answered matter-of-factly.
"He's taken care of. They don't need to worry about him. Hopefully,
they'll tell the other gang the same thing."

"But you made it sound like he was, you know,
dead."

Dimitri's hand tightened around mine. Regret
filled his voice. "Benny, for all intents and purposes, Johnny will
be."

My heart stuttered, and my eardrums throbbed.
"What do you mean?"

Dimitri winced at my squeaked question. "I mean
that Johnny probably has a hit out on him. Both sides of this mess
will want to shut him up before the cops find him. They already
know Detective Santos and his partner were at my apartment. You can
bet on that. They'll watch you and hope you lead them to
him."

"I wouldn't!"

"Not on purpose," he replied, "but it's easy to
accidentally let something slip, especially if he stays close by."
With a shake of his head, Dimitri said, "No, Benny. He has to go
away."

"For how long?" The thought of losing Johnny
left me feeling so empty. My heart ached so badly.

"Forever."

My jaw dropped. "No, Dimitri!"

"Benny!" He said my name in that
forceful, calm tone of his. "You have two choices here. Johnny
stays nearby or he leaves. If he stays, they're going to find him
and clip him. So you need to decide,
lyubimaya
. Do you want to visit your
brother in another town or in a graveyard?"

When he put it like that, there wasn't really a
choice to be made. Lower lip wobbling, I whispered, "Send him away,
Dimitri. Save his life."

* * *

Hours later, Dimitri sat at one of the corner
tables in the bakery's small café. He sipped iced tea, put out
fires at Front Door and worked on scheduling conflicts. His gaze
moved from his paperwork and laptop screen to café's
interior.

His stare lingered on a framed photograph of
Benny and the bakery employees taken after one of last year's
summer softball league games. He'd watched her play a few times.
She was actually very good. For someone so small, she could hit a
softball like a powerhouse. It wasn't surprising that she'd gone to
school on a softball scholarship those first two years.

His gaze skipped to the door and windows.
Coming out to find Hermanos thugs in the parking lot that morning
had rattled him. It drove home the point that it was time to move.
Though he'd been toying with the idea for months, he'd delayed
pulling the trigger because of Benny. He'd liked being so close to
her and the thought of moving away from her had gutted
him.

Now that they were a couple, he saw no reason
to delay. Benny would probably be selling the building sometime in
the next few weeks. He'd be evicted as soon as the new owners got
the keys.

But more importantly he wanted a place he could
easily protect. When he worked nights or if he accepted Yuri's
offer to go into business together and had to travel, Dimitri
wanted to know that Benny was safe and secure in their
home.

Last night, he'd spoken to Ivan about the
upscale, cloistered neighborhood where he'd built his impressive
home. Despite that brazen home invasion, Ivan's neighborhood still
ranked among the safest in the city. There were now more paid
guards patrolling the grounds. Dimitri was familiar enough with the
area to feel comfortable moving there.

Would Benny move in with him? That was the big
question. She'd probably say no the first time he asked. He had
some pretty good ideas for coaxing her to accept.

His gaze drifted to her sweet face. Her eyes
were tired but she smiled and chatted with every customer that came
through the front door. The Sunday draw seemed busier than usual.
Maybe it was the growing sense that the end of an era was upon
them. Or possibly it was the desire to come down to get the best
gossip.

After they'd dealt with the nightmare down at
the police department and her insurance agent, he'd tried to
convince her to take the day off but she couldn't be persuaded.
She'd made the point that working would keep her busy and her mind
off Johnny. He'd given in finally but only on the condition that
she let him take up residence in a corner of the café to work and
keep an eye on her.

Their gazes met and held across the café. He
smiled at her. She grinned, the sexy curve of her mouth a smile for
him alone. He'd meant what he said earlier. He didn't begrudge
Benny anything. He'd made the decision to help Johnny knowing full
well that the blowback could engulf him. To protect her? To keep
her happy and safe? Dimitri would brave those flames without a
second thought.

Her gaze jumped to the door. An annoyed frown
deflated her smile. He glanced over and spotted none other than
Jonah Krause entering the establishment. Fighting the urge to jump
out of his chair, Dimitri cast a wary eye on the man. Though he
wanted to run to Benny's aid every time she faced something
upsetting, he knew better than to undermine her in that way. She
was a capable young woman. She could handle this.

And if she did need his help, she'd let him
know.

Chapter
Fourteen

I plastered a smile on my face as Jonah Krause
crossed the bakery but inwardly I groaned with despair. Of all the
days for him to come see me, it just had to be today!

He didn't have the slick look of his hired
muscle, Carl. No, Jonah Krause looked like a soccer dad. His
striped polo shirt and khakis lent him a friendly air but I knew
better. I'd talked to my neighbors as they slowly sold out to this
man. They'd fallen like dominos, each one taking a slightly lower
price for properties than the next. I wasn't quite that
desperate—yet.

"Miss Burkhart!" He grinned like a fool and
extended his meaty hand. "I'm sorry to drop in on you unannounced
but I wondered if we might have a chat."

"You do seem to love trying to catch me off
guard, Mr. Krause."

His smile slipped fractionally but he quickly
recovered. "About that—I wanted to apologize for Carl. He
misunderstood my directions. I assure you I don't conduct business
in that way."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. With a flick
of my fingers, I stepped away from the counter. "We can talk in my
office."

My gaze skipped to the table where Dimitri kept
his vigilant watch. His eyes narrowed as I led Carl toward the
kitchen doors. He lifted out of his seat but didn't follow
immediately. I sensed he was at war with himself.

On one hand, he wanted to ride to my rescue and
protect me. On the other, he wanted to let me do this on my own. In
that moment, I realized how much he truly loved and respected me.
Knowing it wouldn't be easy for him to wait out here, I made a
quick gesture toward the kitchen. I hoped he'd understand what I
meant.

Jonah glanced over his shoulder and spotted
Dimitri rising out of his chair. "Is he your business
partner?"

"You could say that." I led him through the
kitchen. All eyes were on us as we traversed the space. Marco shot
a nasty glare Jonah's way. It was instantly clear to the real
estate developer what kind of a reputation he'd earned with his
strong-arm tactics.

Inside my office, I pointed to one of the
chairs across from my desk. I didn't shut the door all the way,
leaving it half open, just in case. I wasn't sure if he would
threaten me or not.

Jeanne Crane, the woman who had owned the
knitting and wool shop on the corner had given me a play-by-play of
her meeting with this man. He'd basically threatened to use her
estranged son's recent sex crime charges to smear her and drive
away her business. Considering the way things were going with
Johnny, I wasn't going to take any chances.