Page 147 of No Longer Mine

A few hours later I was all dressed, bandaged up, and Don was telling everyone they needed to leave. Dimitri’s mother had already retired to the guest bedroom down the hall. Don and Vance were posted in the living room and everyone promised they would be back the next day. Especially Audrey and Carina, I could see it in their eyes as they stared all the men down as they were ushered out of Dimitri’s home. They would probably be back bright and early the next morning, which would be nice. I wasn’t too thrilled about having to sit in the silence. That was when the ghosts came out to play and I knew this time they would be even worse.

Dimitri’s room was darker than I remembered it. The heavy curtains were drawn, the only light coming from the warm glow of a single bedside lamp. Everything smelled like him—cedarwood, leather, a whisper of something sharp and clean beneath it all. It wrapped around me like a second blanket as I sank onto the edge of his bed. I was wrapped up in a towel as Dimitri had insisted showering would make me feel better. Ithadn’t. Numb, I stood under the spray until he finally pulled me out of the steaming water.

He knelt in front of me, his hands braced gently on my knees. “I’m going to get something for your shoulder, okay? Would you like something to wear to bed?”

I nodded, too tired to speak. My body was starting to crash—adrift somewhere between pain and numbness. My shoulder throbbed in dull, persistent waves.

He came back a second later with a t-shirt, a heating pad, and a bottle of ibuprofen. The shirt was soft and worn, and it smelled like him.

“I’ll help,” he murmured, his voice low, almost reverent.

I didn’t protest.

With careful hands, he peeled the towel away, his eyes never leaving mine. There was nothing hungry in his gaze—only reverence, worry, and something far more devastating. Love, maybe. Or the beginnings of it.

He slipped the shirt over my head gently, working around my injured shoulder, like I might break under his touch. I winced as he helped thread my good arm through first, then eased the fabric down over the bruises and ache.

He handed me the water and ibuprofen wordlessly. I swallowed the pills, then let him guide me back onto the bed. The sheets were cool and soft, and the moment I sank into them, my body nearly gave out with exhaustion.

Dimitri crouched again, plugging in the heating pad and tucking it carefully against my shoulder before pulling the blankets up to my chest.

“You’re safe,” he whispered, brushing a damp strand of hair from my forehead. “I won’t leave you.”

I nodded, eyes glassy. “Thank you for coming. Thank you for finding me.”

He gave a quiet, humorless laugh. “There is no world where I wouldn’t have.”

He stood then, looking down at me like he wasn’t sure if it was okay to join me. Like he didn’t want to cross a line.

“Stay,” I said, reaching out with my good hand. “Please.”

He didn’t hesitate.

Dimitri slid under the covers beside me and pulled me gently into his arms, cradling me. His warmth bled into me, his heartbeat steady beneath my cheek.

“You’re going to be okay,” he whispered into my hair. “I promise.”

I didn’t reply but quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Sixty-Three

Dimitri

It had beena week since everything hit the fan. Our father was completely MIA. Once he entered international waters… it was nearly impossible to find him. Which was fine. I didn’t know if I actually cared because there was nothing for him to come back to. Everything was locked down tight. The day we found Scarlett I started making a plan with Benson and Oliver. With my father being gone it allowed us the opportunity to dig into everything. Starting with Gavin Crenshaw.

He was at the top of the list. Turns out, Gavin wasn’t just a partner in my father’s business. He was a buyer. One of the monsters who’d wanted to buy Scarlett.

So here I was. In the dark of Gavin’s penthouse. Waiting.

I’d planned to sit in his office chair and light up one of his overpriced cigars for dramatic effect. Let him walk in and catch me mid-puff like something out of a noir film. But they tasted like shit.

I took one drag, gagged, and tossed the whole box in the trash.

Now I sat in silence, in the shadows of his office, the city lights casting fractured patterns through the tall glass windows.Every muscle in my body was coiled, still running on pure vengeance and adrenaline.

Scarlett was safe. That was the only reason I had the patience to wait this long. She was having game night with Cleo, Audrey, and Carina. With Vance and Don waiting outside her front door. She would never be without protection again. Even though I hadn’t wanted to leave her, I told myself, it was what was best for her. She needed breaks. She needed friends and laughter. All I could do was give her reminders right now and that was the last thing she needed.

She stared off into space too much and I knew it haunted her that he got away. So I was doing everything I could to make sure I took everyone else down. I wouldn’t stop until they were all dead or locked up. Gavin was just the start of it all.

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