Page 150 of Bound By Revenge

“Is Dmitri with you?” I ask without preamble.

There’s a brief pause on the other end before Vladmir answers. “No. I’ve been wondering where he is. He was supposed to meet me an hour ago, but he never showed up. He’s not answering his phone, and no one’s seen or heard from him since early this morning.”

No, Dmitri.

Not you.

Anyone but you.

“If you see or hear from him, call me immediately. In the meantime, drop whatever you're doing and find him. Text me his location as soon as you do.”

I turn to A.J. “Is there somewhere safe you can go?” I ask, my tone sharp and direct. “If not, I’ll drop you off at my place. You can wait there until I bring Kat back. You’ll be completely safe.”

Her scowl deepens. “What the hell are you talking about? What’s going on? If you know where Kat is, tell me right now. And you’re not dropping me off anywhere. If you’re going to look for her, I’m coming with you.”

The last thing I need right now is someone else to worry about, but there’s no time to argue. With a frustrated sigh, I relent. I shut my eyes for a moment, steeling myself for what comes next.

I finally understand now. It all clicks into place, with painful clarity.

I was so stupid.

Kat was right. As always.

Giuseppe fucking Salvatore played me.

McGuire never had anything to do with Maxim’s death. He didn’t kill my best friend.

Dmitri did.

Chapter 54

Kat

I can’t denyit any longer. It’s obvious now—I must’ve been a naughty girl in one of my past lives. There’s no other explanation.

People love to say that when it rains, it pours. In my case, it’s more of a monsoon situation.

First, I had to deal with thestronzohimself, Giuseppe Salvatore, head of the Italian mafia. That, naturally, led to Nikolai Stefanovich, thepakhanof thebratva, deciding I was his problem. Because of Nik, I ended up on Patrick McGuire’s bad side. And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, Dmitri Ivashkov—Nik’s right-hand man and, oh yeah, thestronzo’ssecret love child—decided we needed to go for a ride.

And by ride, I mean a one-way ticket to the end of the line.

Dmitri sighs beside me, his hands gripping the steering wheel like it’s the only thing keeping him grounded. “I wish it hadn’t come to this, Kat,” he mutters. Sweat beads on his brow, and he wipes it away with the back of his hand. “I'm so, so sorry. I really did try to avoid this. For what it’s worth.”

“Nothing,” I say flatly. “It’s worth nothing, Dmitri.”

His jaw tightens, and he glances at me briefly, pain flickering in his eyes. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way. I just… I hope you can understand I didn’t have another choice.”

I let out a heavy sigh, staring out the window as the city fades into the distance. “Shut up. There’s always a choice.”

The fact that he hasn’t blindfolded me tells me everything I need to know. He doesn’t care if I see where we’re going. He doesn’t need to. I’m not coming back.

“I wish that were true, Kat,” he says, his voice cracking. “But I think you, of all people, should understand that sometimes we have to do terrible things to protect the people we care about. Once you knew who I am, who my father is, I didn’t have a choice. I had to take you.”

I turn to him, my voice sharp with anger. “I cared about you, Dmitri. I thought you cared about me. I thought we were friends.”

“We were, and I still care about you, Kat. But there’s someone I care about more,” Dmitri says, his voice tight. His hands grip the wheel like it’s the only thing keeping him steady. “You know as well as I do—now that my secret’s out, it’s just a matter of time before either Nik or my father takes me out. I’m a liability to both of them. I don’t have much time left, and I’ll be damned if I go down before setting her free.”

Ah, his mysterious girlfriend. The one he won’t even name, as if she’s too perfect, too pure, for someone like him to speak of aloud.

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