Page 111 of Sinful Promise

Emily smacks me on the arm. “Jackass.”

“But whatever is comfortable for you is perfectly fine, too.”

Dimitri is glowering at me. “Danil, let’s go.”

I grind my teeth, but the brush of Emily’s fingers against mine soothes my annoyance.

“See you tomorrow,” Emily whispers before turning her back on me and walking away.

I followbehind Dimitri’s BMW from the restaurant to the family penthouse. My thoughts are buzzing around but none of them stays long enough for me to focus on any of them.

Emily.

Lev.

Tom.

Igor.

“I need a fucking drink.”

I switch on my turn signal to take the ramp that leads to the underground garage beneath the apartment building.

Dimitri is surprisingly quiet as we take the elevator up to the top floor. He’s furiously typing away on his phone, but I don’t bother asking him what’s occupying his focus. The fact that it’s not on me for the first time this evening is a blessing in itself.

Hopefully, Alexei will let me sit back and enjoy a drink while Lev discusses whatever information he has suddenly remembered. The rest of my family is likely to have many opinions, which will give me time to clear my head and be able to focus on the task at hand.

Taking down Igor Ivanov.

“What the fuck?” I blurt when the elevator door opens, and the only people waiting for us are Alexei and Lev.

The pair of them are lounging on the couch, both with glasses of vodka in hand.

I look around. “Where’s Mikhail?”

Lev’s eyes move between each of us. It’s almost unnerving how observant he is. Though I suppose when you’ve been brought up by one of the most dangerous men in Russia, you learn to watch your back if you value your life.

Alexei takes a sip of his drink. “He’s out with Anton, trying to intercept a shipment.”

“Sounds fun,” Dimitri mutters as he heads straight for the bar cart.

I narrow my eyes at my oldest brother.

Whatever information Lev has remembered clearly isn’t that important if half of the family isn’t even present to hear it.

Alexei looks at me and tilts his head to where Dimitri is. “Get yourself a drink.”

“Oh, I intend to.”

I go to join Dimitri at the bar cart. He’s already poured me a vodka, even though he knows I hate it, but I don’t bother changing it. I just want to get this meeting over with. I already have a feeling that it’s going to be a colossal waste of time and if it is and I could have somehow managed to take Emily home with me tonight, I’m going to be pissed.

Dimitri seems to sense my train of thought as he places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it hard enough for me to flinch. It’s something he used to do to me as a kid, and the fact he’s doing it now is only making my mood worse.

I’m not a child anymore, and my brother would do well to remember that.

“What’s this about, Lev?” Dimitri looks at our brother. His hand is still firmly planted on my shoulder despite my best effort to shake him off.

Lev gets to his feet to address us and slides his hands into the pockets of his slacks. He looks pale, which isn’t unusual for Lev. Though it makes me wonder if he’s had another one of his episodes today.

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