Page 8 of Demetri
Without saying a word, Demetri steps away from me taking his heat with him. I instantly feel a loss with his actions but do an excellent job at masking my feelings by keeping my face neutral as I turn my attention to Demetri's friend. Although I'm not sure what Victor's title is. All I know is wherever Demetri is; Victor is with him. "How are you today, Victor," I greet him.
Victor gives me a curt nod. "Miss Keller."
I turn my attention back to Demetri and watch in shock as he pulls a set of keys from his pocket and proceeds to unlock the door to my apartment. My shock is replaced with anger. "You want to explain to me why the fuck you have a key to my apartment?" I fume getting directly in Demetri's face. Something in Demetri's demeanor snaps and a look I can't decipher crosses over his face as he shoves the door to my apartment open, grabs hold of my arm, ushering me inside.
"Victor, place Miss Keller's things inside then see yourself out," he says in a tone that causes a chill to run down my spine. I look over my shoulder to see Victor do as he is told while Demetri leads me through the living room and down the hall to my bedroom. Once we are inside my room, he slams the door shut. With my arm still in his grip, I'm spun around until my back is against the wall; though Demetri's hold on me is firm, he has yet to hurt me. But that hasn't stopped the erratic beat of my heart and the thought he might physically harm me to enter my brain.
Seeing my thoughts play out across my face, Demetri drops his hold on me and his nostrils flare. "I'd slit my own throat before I'd harm a hair on your head, Glory."
"Could have fucking fooled me," I mouth off. Why? Because I can't help myself, it seems.
"As much as I love that sassy mouth of yours, I will not stand for you to speak to me in front of one of my men the way you just did. I will not be disrespected. Do I make myself clear?"
I go to open my mouth to tell Demetri to go fuck himself but stop when he gives me a look that says I better think twice. Do I listen? "You have a key to my apartment; one I did not give you, and you think I don't have the right to rip you a new asshole?" I scoff. "You're talking to the wrong woman because that's not me."
Demetri's lip twitches at my statement. "Oh, I fully expect a tongue lashing,Krasivaya. But that shit happens in private." His face turns serious once again. "Had anyone else spoken to me that way, they would be paying the consequences."
I stand stock still for a moment while letting Demetri's words sink in. I may not know all there is to know about the man in front of me, but I know he is ruthless, and he speaks the truth. While I can see that ripping into Demetri in front of one of his men was wrong and his anger is justified, it also serves as a reminder just who Demetri Volkov is. I've had enough drama in my past to last a lifetime. The dust has finally settled in my life, and I don't need Demetri coming in here and turning things upside down. Not after it took me nearly a year to get back some normalcy.
Keeping my features impassive, I step away from Demetri and stroll in the direction of my bathroom. With my tone neutral, I peer over my shoulder to see Demetri's eyes trained on my every move, his jaw tight. "You can see yourself out." I step into the en-suite bathroom and close the door behind me. I don't bother demanding he leaves the key to my apartment. I'll call and have the locks changed first thing tomorrow.
Deciding a soak in the tub is what's needed to help me relax after my intense encounter with Demetri, I turn the hot water on and draw myself a bath. Once I've added some of my favorite lavender oil to the water, I turn, face my reflection in the mirror and start stripping out of my clothes. After I have tied my hair up, not wanting to get it wet, I step into the tub and ease my tension-filled body into the hot water. I let out a deep sigh, close my eyes, and rest my head against the back of the tub as I sink further into bliss. I breathe in the smell of lavender and will all thoughts of that insufferable Russian to leave my head, but it's no use. No matter how hard I try, Demetri is there. He's embedded himself permanently into the forefront of my brain.
I don't know how much time has passed, but by the time I open my eyes, I note the water has turned cold. And when my stomach rumbles with hunger, I realize I still haven't eaten today. After stepping out of the tub and drying my body off, I make my way out of the bathroom and to my closet. Going for my usual weekend attire, I snag a pair of cut-off shorts from the shelf and a white t-shirt that readsFreshly Squeezedacross the front.Once dressed, I make my way out of my room and down the hall to the living room. I come to an abrupt halt when I see Demetri sitting on my sofa, looking completely relaxed. I spot his suit jacket draped over the back of one of the dining room chairs and ignore the fact his holstered guns hang beside it. I cut my eyes away from the chair and back over to the man currently sitting on my sofa with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, allowing his tattoos to peek through. Demetri has his phone pressed to his ear as he speaks a hushed tone.
"Seychas!"he raises his voice and barks into the phone before he hangs up on whoever he was talking to.
"Is there a reason you're still here?" I ask once he's put his phone away.
"Come and eat," Demetri orders without turning around and ignores my question. When I don't do as I'm told, he looks over his shoulder. I watch as Demetri rakes his eyes up and down my body then stops when his heated gaze lands on my shirt. His lip twitches. "I had Victor go back to the restaurant for our order."
Deciding my hunger overrides my irritation at the moment, I stroll over to the sofa and take a seat in front of where Demetri has my food laid out. We eat together in silence for a few minutes before he speaks. "When I met my oldest son's mother Rose, I was already promised to another woman; an arrangement made by my father." I stop eating and face Demetri. When I don't interrupt, he continues. "As you already know, I have an estate in Polson, Montana. The Volkov's have been doing business in that part of the States for many years. The summer I met Rose was the first time my father had brought me along with him to Polson. I had been groomed since I was a boy to one day take over The Volkov Empire. I also knew from a young age that I was to marry whoever my father chose for me. In my world, there was no room for love. The Volkov reputation is built on power. To keep that power, my family merged with the Solov's to become stronger. My falling in love with Rose set off a chain of events that would forever alter my life. I pursued her knowing it was wrong and knowing my future was promised to another. We parted ways at the end of our summer together, and I returned home to Russia while leaving my heart behind in Polson. As the following months since returning home ticked by, I began fighting my father at every turn. I was being forced into a life I wasn't sure I wanted anymore. In the end, I fulfilled my family obligation and married Ivanna. We had our son Nikolai soon after."
"How did you find out about Logan?" I ask knowing he only recently discovered his oldest son Logan but have never asked the details. Not even from my best friend Grace, who is a part of Logan's family. All I know is Logan's mother is named Rose. She died in a car accident when Logan was a boy. Jake, who is the President of The Kings of Retribution MC is Logan's uncle. He took Logan in after his mom passed away and raised him in the MC back in Montana. Then Demetri showed up out of nowhere claiming to be Logan's father. I have always wanted to know Demetri's side of the story.
"When my father died, I discovered some documents in his office. Evidence that he had Rose killed and that I had a son. I also discovered my now ex-wife, and her father played a role in killing the woman I loved and kept my son from me. I found letters and photos from Rose in my father's safe. Rose would write to me every year on Logan's birthday and include a picture of him with the letter. Each letter was addressed to The Volkov estate in Polson. The staff there would then forward the letters to my father. I, of course, never saw a single one. I had already been planning on divorcing Ivanna. Finding out what she did was the final nail in the coffin. The fact she is Nikolai's mother is the only thing allowing her to breathe," Demetri states with conviction.
"So, you found you had a son, and that's when you sought him out?"
Demetri shakes his head. "It was nearly a year before I went to Logan. My father had just died, and I had divorced Ivanna. I spent months securing the structure of my businesses. I had to be sure there would be no blowback from Ivanna's father since I tossed her out on her ass and severed my ties to her family. Divorce is not something we do in my world. Severing ties can lead to dangerous consequences. But with my father gone, I became head of The Volkov family. Unfortunately for the Solov family, I give no fucks about whatever agreement they had with my father. Their binding became void the moment my father drew his last breath."
"So, your ex-wife knew all along about Logan?"
"Yes. She not only kept my son from me, but she kept Nikolai from his brother. That is the very reason Nikolai is estranged from his mother now. I can't say I blame him."
My heart aches for Demetri and for what he and his two sons have gone through. I now understand why he has kept himself closed off all this time. "What about your mother?"
"I don't remember much about my mother. I was very young when she died in a car accident." Demetri's features harden.
It suddenly dawns on me that his mother's death is eerily similar to how Logan's mother lost her life. "Just like Rose," I state.
"Yes. After Rose's death, I started suspecting that my father may have killed my mother as well."
Needing to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction, I ask, "While we are on the subject of you and your family; will you tell me what exactly it is you do?" Demetri's eyes snap in my direction at my question. I know The Volkovs' are mafia, but curiosity has me wanting to know more. Oddly enough knowing Demetri's life reeks of danger and violence doesn't scare me. Maybe it's because I've been around the MC life for a couple of years, or perhaps it's because I feel the safest when Demetri is near. And though his life goes against the law and is full of danger, I find myself more and more drawn to him with each second we spend together. My feelings for him outweighs everything else.
"My business is not up for discussion," is his curt reply.
I shrug my shoulders. "Fair enough. Friends don't need to know everything about each other." I stand and begin clearing the food from the coffee table. "I mean, Grace and I have been friends since we were kids and she still doesn't know everything about me." I scrape the leftover food from the plates into the garbage and load the dishes into the dishwasher. I don't take offense to Demetri's rebuff of my last question. I have a hard time sharing details about my life and don't begrudge anyone else for doing the same. I'm pulled from my rambling when a firm hand clutches my bicep, and I'm flipped around, coming face to face with a pissed off Demetri.
