Page 125 of Your Sharpest Edge
She looked up at me, her expression a mix of fear and realization. “I missed a call from my lawyer yesterday,” she whispered.
Guilt washed over me, a heavy weight settling in my chest. An overwhelming sense of responsibility pressed down on me for taking her out last night, for dragging her to the party when she should have been home with Damien. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut—she might leave me again. This might be too much, and she might leave me.
The elevator dinged open, and we walked out, the bustling noise of the lobby a stark contrast to the tension between us. Each step felt weighted, as if the guilt was anchoring me down, making it hard to move forward. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had let her down.
Dirks was already waiting for us outside the lobby beside his Mercedes. His hair was a mess, and he was wearing sunglasses, likely to hide the exhaustion in his eyes. As soon as he saw us, he ran over.
Without a word, he grabbed the bags from me, allowing me to focus on helping Anastasia walk toward the car. The unspoken support was appreciated, but it did little to alleviate the gnawing guilt.
“Ledger is going to take good care of him. He won’t let him in,” Anastasia told us when she was finally in the car.
It was more for herself than either of us.
“He won’t, malyshka.” I was in the back seat of the car as Dirks quietly drove to her apartment.
“I don’t understand why the lawyer didn’t call you with more of a warning?” Dirks asked from the front seat. “A few hours and he was released and banging at their door?”
Anastasia shook her head. “He must’ve been calling me to tell me he was already out because he was in prison down South. It would’ve taken him hours to get here.”
“How did he find your address?” Dirks added.
Anastasia bit her bottom lip.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “This is my fault.”
I hung my head low in shame. She was going to run away from me. This was going to be the end. I pushed away each selfish thought that entered my mind. This wasn’t about me. This was about her and Damien and keeping them safe.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “For bringing you here.”
I looked out the window, praying we’d get there faster and somehow avoid any traffic.
A soft hand caressed the top of mine. “Hey,” she whispered, her eyes red and heavy with sadness. “It’s not your fault. I’m glad Ledger is with him because if it was just me, things might have gone in a different direction. He could’ve hurt me again.”
“Wait.” Dirks hesitated. “Are we not going to her house?”
I realized then that Dirks had taken a right to head to her apartment instead of mine.
Anastasia looked confused, then shock registered on her face. “No, he’s at Alex’s apartment.”
“That’s where Ledger wanted to sleep,” I told Dirks. “Damien requested last night that they go to our place, and I said it was no big deal.” Then it dawned on me. “But how did Dimitri know where he’d be?”
If Dimitri was banging on the door asking for Damien, he must think she was there, too. How the fuck did he figure that out?
Dirks’ face tightened with concern as he made a quick U-turn to head back toward my apartment. The tension in the car was palpable, the air thick with unspoken fears and worries. Anastasia’s grip on my hand tightened, her eyes wide with anxiety.
As we sped toward my apartment, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“How could Dimitri know?”
46
stassi
How the hell did he find out? Why didn’t anyone notify me about his parole hearing? I would’ve warned the lawyers and judge that he’d come straight to my house. But he didn’t go there...
“I don’t understand it,” I said, feeling a heavy weight settle in my chest.
It was overwhelming, and all I wanted was to go to Damien and hold him close.
