Page 51 of Dancing With Distraction

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, my krasota.” I continue to wash her body, taking in the bruises under the dried blood that now adorn her beautiful body.

“No, Dmitry, I need to say it. You need to understand something about me, something I’ve been lying about. I’m no good for you. I’m tainted, broken.” Her eyes fill with more tears, and I drop the cloth and cup her face in my hands. I hold my breath, waiting for her next words. “He abused me for years as a child.” She takes a shaky breath as I hold in my rage. “He’s taken my entire life from me.” Her tears mix with the water running down her face.

“Stop,” I say when she tries to speak more. “Listen to me. He’s not going to take anything else from you. You won. You’re the one still standing, not him. He deserved what he got. You’re mine, my krasota. You’ll never be his. I promise to protect you forever.” I lean in, kissing her tenderly, letting the weight of those words linger in my mind. Our kiss is tender and slow, exactly what she needs right now.

I break the kiss, stroking a hand over her cheek. “We need to clean you up and get out of here. I’m taking you back to the apartment, where you belong.” I take a bottle of shampoo and squeeze it into my palm. She turns, letting me work it through her hair, massaging it into the roots and watching as the water turns pink from the blood.

“I can’t go to prison, Dmitry,” she eventually says.

I smirk, liking her innocence. Getting rid of that fucker’s body and any evidence he was ever here is all in a day’s work in my world. “You’re not going to prison, Victoria. In a few hours, this whole thing will be nothing more than a bad dream.”

She turns to look at me, frowning. “How?”

“I did a bit of research when you seemed cagey about him. Did you know he changed his name legally? He’s no longer Marcus Harding or Shaw. He fled from the last place he lived. No one’s going to come looking for him.”

She stares at me for a few seconds. “Why did he do that?”

I take a breath before telling her the truth. It will help her feel less guilty about killing that piece of shit. “He abused another kid. Probably lots, actually, but he was arrested for this one. He managed to squirm his way out of it, though, probably by paying off the judge. He only got six months inside. So, what you’ve done is save others from the same fate. He was never going to change.” She stares at me for a long minute before giving a nod.

We dry off and a knock on her front door startles her. She glances at me, her face full of panic, and she begins to tremble again. I place my hand on her shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. “Relax, it’s just Leonid, my advisor. Stay here for a moment.”

She exhales, nodding and lowering herself to sit on the closed toilet seat. I wrap a towel around my waist as I go to open the door, checking through the peephole first to confirm it’s Leo.

I unlock the door, and he enters with my suit in his hand. Scanning the scene, he lets out a low whistle. “Shit, you were right when you said it was a bloodbath. This isn’t your usual style, Boss,” he adds, stepping closer to the body while trying to avoid walking through the blood. “You’re usually much tidier.”

“Just get this shit cleaned up,” I mutter, taking my suit from him. “I’ll leave our clothes in the bathroom to be destroyed.”

“The clean-up crew will be here in five. I’m assuming he’s to go to the pigs?” he asks, tipping Marcus’s head back. “Jesus, he’s like a fucking pin cushion.”

I give a nod. “It’s been a while since they had a good meal.”

I rummage in Victoria’s drawers and find some clothes. We need to get out of here.

Tori

Dmitry steps back into the bathroom and offers a weak smile. I’ve dragged him into my mess, and I’m wracked with guilt. “I didn’t know who else to call,” I admit, my voice small. “I’m sorry to pull you into this mess.”

He takes my hand and pulls me to stand, removing my towel. “Victoria, I am the only person you call when you’re in trouble.”

“But now, you’re involved, and when I get arrested, they’ll come for?—”

He places a finger to my lips. “You’re not going to be arrested. Understand?”

“I killed him,” I whisper.

He nods. “You did, and that’s the last time you ever say those words again. Does anyone know you were here?”

I think then shake my head. “Phoebe is away.”

He holds out some knickers for me to step into. I hold onto his strong shoulders as he pulls them up my legs, then he does the same with my jeans. “Then we need an alibi, just in case anyone should ask questions,” he says. “The man you were with . . .”

The guilt intensifies and a sob leaves me. “Oh god, I’m so sorry,” I cry, and he stands to his full height. His expression is all business as he pulls a jumper over my head.

“It’s done now. You walked him from the apartment to?”

“The taxi stand,” I mutter, feeling ashamed.

“And after there, you went?”

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