Petrov gave him a rare smile and saluted Dimitri with his coffee cup. “Well done, Dimitri. You have exceeded my expectations and grown from a boy into a man I am proud to call a friend.”
This rare emotional display from Petrov made Dimitri’s chest burn. “I could not have done it without you.”
Petrov took a sip of his coffee, then set it down with a sigh. “Once, long ago, your father was my good man. I wish you could have known him before the loss of his wives. He was a different man, someone I was proud to call a friend. How is he?”
Dimitri had often heard this, but since he’d grown up with the monster he could only shrug. “Still breathing last time I saw him. Evidently the deal he made with the devil is still in effect.”
Shaking his head, Petrov sat back in his chair. “I do not understand why he hasn’t named Alex as his heir yet.”
“You say that like my father is a sane man. Who knows why he does anything.”
“Do not discount him. While he may indeed be crazy, he is also very crafty.”
There was a knock on the door, and a moment later, Vera opened it with a concerned expression. “Forgive me for interrupting, but Dimitri, Alex called and asked that you turn your phone on and check your messages.”
Schooling his features into a polite mask he nodded to Vera. “I will, thank you.”
Petrov stilled and exchanged a look with Dimitri. They both knew Alex wouldn’t interrupt this meeting without a good reason. Adrenalin began to rush into his veins and his senses sharpened as he geared himself up for dealing with whatever shit had hit the fan.
“Pardon me, Petrov.”
Without waiting for the other man to reply, he stood and pulled his phone out. As soon as he turned it on his heart clenched at the sight of the last three incoming calls from ‘Rock’, Rya’s step-father. He’d given the man his and Alex’s private numbers just in case anything happened to Rya and she needed him. The sight of the man calling three times in the last ten minutes made his blood rush in his ears.
“Dimitri?”
He looked up at Petrov and whatever the older man read on his face had him standing and shifting into full on Bratva lord mode. “I will explain. One moment.”
Taking a deep breath, he hit the button to return Rock’s call and waited for the international call to go through. Staring out the window Dimitri said a fervent prayer over and over again to a God that had long ago turned his back on Dimitri long ago that Rya was all right. As the phone rang he was vaguely aware of Petrov moving across the room to his desk.
After two rings Rock picked up and said in his gravelly voice, “We got problems.”
“Rya? Is all right?”
“Yeah. She’s banged up but she survived.”
With his heart in his throat Dimitri said in a low voice, “Is connection secure?”
“My boys are jamming on my end and they say they we’re good.”
“What happened?”
“Coupla hours ago, someone tried to kidnap Rya, a Russian guy with Thieves in Law tats all over him.”
Rage, pure, unadulterated fury roared through him and he barely kept his voice calm as he said, “How bad is she hurt?”
“She’s banged up. Has a mild concussion, some bruised ribs, and her voice is rough from being choked, but she’s okay. We got her locked up tight in a safe house right now. But I need to know what the fuck is going on and who I have to kill for hurting my girl.”
“You question man?”
“Can’t question a dead man. Rya killed him. But we got pictures of his tats for you to look at.”
He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain streaking through him. “Send them to me.”
“Hold on.”
Dimitri looked up and found Petrov watching him with a concerned look. He held up his hand and motioned the older man over as the images began to come through on his phone. “Someone tried to kidnap my woman.”
It didn’t surprise him in the least that Petrov wasn’t shocked that Dimitri had a woman. He knew Alex confided in his uncle and he would have told Petrov about Rya. Alex was as concerned about Rya’s safety as Dimitri. His brother seemed determined to keep Rya safe, as if that could somehow make up for the death of his own wife. Ever since that night back at the lodge when Alex played with Rya, he seemed almost as obsessed with his zaika moya as Dimitri. He wondered about the depth of Alex’s feelings for Rya, but that was a concern for another day. Right now, he had to worry about who had found Rya, and whoever he needed to kill.
As the pictures came through, he and Petrov examined them closely. The tattoos on the corpse revealed a man who had spent fourteen years in the Russian prison system, a killer for hire and a high ranking member of a Bratva, though they couldn’t tell which one. As the tattoos spelled out the man’s life Dimitri’s blood began to boil. Whoever hired this man to get Rya had sent an animal after her.