Page 30 of Fate and Family

“Really?” He wanted me? Could we have worked? I would never join his crime family, but I could turn a blind eye. In thedarkest recesses of my mind, I want him. Not the mob boss’s son, but Dimitri—the man who stopped his whole world to protect his nephew. The man who loves his family no matter how one sided it might be. The man who has a funny side I want to pry out of him, just to get a glimpse of it.

Bitterness and pain fill his voice as he turns away from me. “But now I’m a fool.”

I don’t know how I can heal his heart, but maybe I can heal his body. “Press your hand against your shoulder while I get the stitches.”

He wanted to leave his whole world for me. No, not me, he wanted Katya.

I open the liquid stitches and get ready to apply them. “This isn’t a forever fix, just enough until you get to a doctor.”

He grunts. “I know how it works,” he mumbles. “Nothing is permanent.” He’s quiet as I apply the gel. “After I broke up with Sveti, I was going to meet you at the party, seduce you, and have a real conversation about our relationship. To see if our feelings were the same. And I booked an otter experience at the zoo.”

I would’ve loved that, and I’m crushed that he planned it and it didn’t work out. I go back to the kit and start applying bandages. I need a task that will distract me from more talk and thoughts of “what could have been.”

He huffs. “But none of that matters now.”

Taping down the final side of the bandage, I step to the side, still not able to look him in the eye.

“It was all lies,” he growls low, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. “I discovered you were a liar, lost my family and my life.”

I step away. “And what’s your plan now?”

“Well, I’m probably going to kill you and take your cash,” he states without emotion, like he’s made up his mind. He’s resigned to it, but not pleased.

I wish I could say a million alarm bells go off in my head and my body goes into fight mode, but it doesn’t. I’m done fighting, and in my soul I need to believe he won’t go through with it.

“Sounds fair,” I admit. “But since I did get you out of there, can we wait until I report my team’s deaths? Their families shouldn’t suffer because you think I’m a piece of shit.”

He exhales. “Fine. How long until we get to Helsinki?”

“Hours.”

I dig through my go bag to find a change of clothes—this evening gown doesn’t scream blending in. Black pants and a long linen shirt are perfect.

I reach behind my dress, and I’m stuck. “A little help?”

“I just told you I plan on murdering you, and now you want me to undress you?”

“I’ve got a few hours to settle my affairs, and I’d rather not do it in a dress that’s been cutting off my circulation all evening.”

His knuckles brush against my back and trail down the zipper that’s stubbornly clinging to my skin. His breath is hot on my shoulders, and when the train hits a bump, I stumble too close to him. The dress drops below my bra, and he growls again.

“Thank you,” I say, reaching for my shirt and sliding it over my head as I let the dress fall to the ground.

He steps back while I step out of the pool of fabric, but I stumble and bang my head against the cabin wall as I try to pull on my pants. The sleeper cars have zero space.

His growls turn into short huffs of laughter. “I was going to ask how you got all those bruises on your back, but I don’t think it has anything to do with your day job.”

Yep, the klutzy spy. That’s me. I’ve added it to my resume to make myself more relatable.

Once I’ve changed, Dimitri puts on a clean shirt, hissing the entire time.

I squeeze my way to the bench and sit. “You should get some rest.”

He pauses. “You think I’ll be able to sleep after the last few hours?”

“I think you’re as safe as you can be.”

He frowns, looking around at the microscopic space. “I won’t fit anywhere.”

---