Page 24 of Tarnished Reign

I step onto the deck, eyes down, avoiding those heavy gazes; except, when I glance up briefly to look for Dimitri, the men are all ignoring me.

Dimitri walks around a corner of the deck, and as he nears me, his gaze roams over my face and takes in every plane and valley.

His eyes are intense and fiery despite their cool color. His focus is all consuming, and I could imagine it being addicting, like the most tempting but illicit drug. He radiates power and control, and to have that laser beam of his attention on me is an ego boost despite the crazy circumstances.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

I nod and check for my purse for the second time. It’s as automatic as checking for my keys and wallet, two other things I don’t have.

I follow Alexis as he leads us from the yacht, Dimitri’s hand ghosting over my lower back. He’s not quite touching me, but his hand is close enough to impart heat.

It’s heady, his warmth and build behind me. Like having my own protector. My very own bodyguard. If only I’d had one before Dorian plucked me from my life.

We reach the ramp down off the boat to the smaller vessel waiting to take us to shore, and Dimitri walks in front of me and offers his hand.

I take it, and the moment his warm skin closes over mine, something sure and safe wraps around me. Like a cashmere blanket, his touch protects me from the elements, and I revel in it.

We step onto the small motorboat, and soon we’re speeding over the water toward the bay. Once we land, Dimitri helps me from the boat, and then we’re in a car that appeared as if by magic the minute we docked.

Dimitri isn’t merely a powerful man; he’s a damned magician. It’s as if people simply know where to be and when. His men seem to run a well-oiled machine, each one an important cog in the whole.

I slide into the back of the car and stare out the window as we move through the city. I wonder if he lives in a smart neighborhood similar to the one my stepmother lives in. Her house borders Russian Hill and is beautiful. A gorgeous four bedroom, four bathroom Victorian.

We approach the area, and my stomach tenses, as familiar streets slide by, and I wonder if that bitch is feeling remotely guilty about what she’s done. Soon the streets turn wider. Palm trees line the gates and walls that huge homes hide behind.

Glancing at Dimitri, I decide to speak. He hasn’t hurt me yet. He’s promised he won’t, and right now he’s about the only thing approaching an advocate I have. “This is where I lived with my stepmother,” I say quietly.

He turns to me. “Do you know why she sold you?”

I shake my head and then blow out a breath. “I think she’s related to Dorian. Ari too. I think they’re her cousins. They had an argument. Well, she and Ari did, and he said something to her that keeps playing over in my mind.”

“What’s that?”

I’m scared to say it because I still don’t truly know if I can trust this man, but hell, I have to do something to try to make my situation better. “He looked at me one day when I was leaving and said to Hana something like, ‘you said you had nothing of value.’”

He deliberates on this. “You think he saw you and thought you were worth something to them?”

“Maybe?”

“How many times have you met them?”

“Ari twice; that’s it. I did once hear my father mention that he didn’t want Hana mixing with Dorian, but I had no clue why.”

“You don’t think your father was in on this then?”

I visibly flinch at the thought. “God, no. He’s not perfect by any means. He drinks a lot, but he’s not a nasty drunk or abusive. He’s a sad drunk. It started when my mother died.”

He nods. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

“I have men looking into all of this. Men who can find out almost anything, but they can’t give me the information you can. The things you heard and saw while you were with Hana could be important.”

“I can’t think of anything.” Other than what I’ve told him, there’s nothing I can think of that would help him and his men.

“Not immediately, perhaps, but something might come to you. If it does, tell me. Every little thing helps. I’m keeping you safe, and that means our fates are entwined now, Littleblue.”

I swallow and nod. I guess they are. Going back to staring morosely out the window, I try not to let the melancholy overtake me. I will try really hard to live in the moment and take each minute as it comes. It’s the only way to stay sane right now when I have very little agency to do much else.

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