Page 96 of Dance with Me
“I said I love her and she didn’t believe me!”
“Well, shit. I wouldn’t believe you either.” Alex squinted at him. “How exactly did you tell her?”
Dimitri rubbed a hand over his face. “That’s private.”
Hooting with laughter, Alex smacked his arm. “That means you fucked it up. Come on, tell me. Please. I flew all this way and you’ve made me listen to this whole stupid story for the last forty-five minutes.”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Fine. Don’t tell me. But take it from someone who’s married—words are shit. You’ve got to back it up with action.”
“I’m trying.”
“Actionshesees as loving, not your weirdo version of it.” With those parting words, Alex climbed out the car. “Pop the trunk, jackass.”
38
Donna raised her thin eyebrows. “Can I come in?”
Pendeja.Natasha’s fingers clenched on the doorknob, itching to slam it in Donna’s smug face. But Abuela had taught her better than that. Without a word, Natasha shifted to the side and held the door open.
Donna strolled into Dimitri’s living room and took a seat on the sofa, like she belonged there. “Nice place.”
Natasha shut the door. “Dimitri’s not here.”
“That’s fine. I came to see you.”
Of course she had. It had been obvious the second the door opened. Donna hadn’t seemed the slightest bit surprised to see Natasha opening Dimitri’s front door, propped up by a pair of crutches.
The bitch knew. That’s why she was here.
Still, no need to play all her cards yet. Natasha maneuvered around the furniture and took a seat in the plush brown leather armchair. It would have been easier to sit on the sofa, but she didn’t want to sit too close to Donna.
Once she was settled, she tried for a pleasant smile. “How can I help you?”
Much better than what she wanted to ask.What the fuck do you want?
Donna leaned into the cushions, resting her arm on the back of the sofa. Just making herself right the fuck at home. Her gaze flicked toward Natasha’s wrapped ankle and she sighed. “Didn’t I tell you not to get hurt?”
“I’m fine.” Natasha kept her breathing even, her face carefully blank. “I’ll be back on my feet soon.”
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.” Flippant wasn’t the right move with Donna, but when Natasha was on edge, she got mouthy.
“I heard a rumor you were injured, so I stopped by your apartment to check on you. Since Gina’s gone, I wanted to make sure you had help.” Donna raised an eyebrow. “Seems like someone else is offering assistance, according to your building’s super.”
Coño.Manny had spilled the beans.
Donna kept going. “He said a big Ukrainian guy was picking up your mail, and you were staying with him. I figured I would find you here.” She spread her hands. “And here you are.”
Natasha said the first question that popped into her head. “Wait, you speak Spanish?”
Donna inclined her head. “I do.”
Natasha narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t I ever know that?”
“It’s more convenient to have people think I don’t. You know how it is. Some people look at you differently when they know.”
