Petrov looked up, his gaze cold with anger. “I recognize him. That is Vitenka, a freelance assassin and a sadistic bastard. He works for anyone who can afford his fees. Your woman is very lucky he did not manage to take her. Her bodyguards deserve a raise.”
Dimitri didn’t think he’d ever been as furious as he was at this moment and even speaking was difficult. “She had no bodyguards. She killed him.”
The shocked look on Petrov’s face would have been comical if Dimitri wasn’t hovering on the edge of a homicidal rage. He lifted the phone back to his ear and said in English. “He was contract killer.”
Rock swore loud and long before he said, “What the fuck kind of shit did you get my baby girl into? You swore that no one would know she’d been with you, that she would be safe.”
Shame filled him and he took a deep breath. “I did everything I could to keep her safe. Everything, even if it killed me to leave her.”
“Yeah, well you obviously fucked up somewhere and someone figured out where she lived.”
It suddenly hit Dimitri that he had indeed fucked up. He’d sent Rya a package with his personally mixed cologne in it. The scent was made especially for him by a high end parfumier in Moscow and if someone was paying attention, which they obviously were, they would have noted the shipment. Fuck, he’d been so wrapped up in forging these alliances strong enough to protect Rya when he brought her to Russia that he’d gotten sloppy with his own personal shit.
Closing his eyes, he centered himself and cleared his mind of everything, using his training and experience to calm himself. Rya was in danger, and while he had no doubt her family and MC would do everything they could to keep her safe, she was his woman and he would die for her. Despite the terrible circumstances, a spark of joy burned in his chest.
“I am coming for her.”
“The hell you are,” Rock growled. “I told your brother the same damn thing.”
“She is not his woman.”
Rock laughed, and it wasn’t a nice sound. “Look, I don’t give a fuck who fancies himself her man, neither of you are taking her anywhere.”
Dimitri frowned, wondering if he needed to have a talk with Alex about who Rya belonged to. It was one thing for his brother to help him protect her, but at the end of the day Rya was his. While he felt guilt that his relationship with her was obviously bringing up painful memories for Alex, he would never share her with his brother again. No one, not even her family, was going to keep him from Rya. “Do not try to keep me from my woman. Rya is mine. My woman and I will be coming for her. I will die to keep her safe, but she is coming with me.”
“No fucking way, Dimitri!”
A woman’s voice came from the background and Dimitri’s heart leapt into his throat as he heard Rya say, “Is that Dimitri? My Dimitri?”
Rock tried to placate her and tell her it wasn’t, but his woman was having none of that. After a minute of berating Rock, Rya’s beautiful voice, slightly rougher than usual, came through the phone, “Dimitri?”
“Zaika moya.” He spoke softly, not wanting to frighten her. “I am so sorry.”
She gave a harsh, broken laugh that sliced through his soul. “I told you I could take care of myself.”
“You did good, very good. I am proud. You did exactly as you should have.”
The soft, pained noise she made had his anger rising again. “I need you.”
That settled it. “I coming for you, Rya. Hold on, dorogaya moya, I will come for you.”
Her voice trembled as she said, “Dimitri, I’m scared.”
“No, no fear, my Rya.”
“I can’t wait to see you.” She gave a sharp jagged laugh. “How fucked up is that? I’m glad someone tried to kidnap me because that means I get to see you again.”
“You do more than see me. You come home with me. Da?”
“You want me to come back to Russia with you?”
“I cannot shield you in America. You come home with me. I would want to die protecting you than live without you.”
She began to cry and a moment later Rock’s voice came over the phone. “You are not taking her to Russia with you.”
“Is not up for discussion. I am coming for Rya. I do not want you as enemy, but no one stands between me and my woman.”
“You want a war with me? I…”
“Enough,” Dimitri shouted. “You are upsetting her and I do not have time to argue. They will come for her again and again, putting you, your family, your people at risk. I can keep her safe.”
Rock was silent, but Dimitri could hear Rya in the background stating adamantly that she was going with Dimitri and if she had to cut the throat of every motherfucker who stood in her way she would. God, he loved her.