Page 19 of Sheltering Hollis

“This one was in the warehouse,” Makarovich said suddenly, his eyes pinpointing me. I’d been staring.

“She’s not your concern,” Dimitri’s voice was flat. “Let’s stick to business. Come here, baby.” He pulled me over onto his lap so that I was sitting crosswise on his powerful thighs, one hand anchoring my hip to him.

“Of course,” Makarovich said, but his eyes swung back to me again until I dropped mine to the melting bowl of sherbert. A servant swept the dessert away and brought forward a fresh plate of dinner for Makarovich.

“I am here on behalf of the Volkov Bratva. Maxim had a change of heart,” Dimitri’s voice was black silk. These men were absolute idiots not to realize that he was playing them.

“Excellent, excellent,” Makarovich slid into a seat at the table, ignoring that Rodriguez was slumped unconscious. “I just thought a vacation was prudent.” He pulled a wine carafe towards himself and poured a generous glass. “I’m so glad the pakhan has you to guide him.”

Dimitri’s lip curled in a sneer. “Just so,” he said. “Well, this operation looks juicy for us.” He made sure to include Makarovich in his global ‘us,’ and Makarovich practically puffed up in front of us. I wanted to roll my eyes. “Tell us how it works.”

“It’s genius how low-key it is. It brings in way more money than I thought it would.” Makarovich’s eyes lit up. “Not as much as the auctions, but I had to drop those,” he said regretfully. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but Dimitri seemed to and nodded sagely.

“It appears to work well,” Dimitri prompted, taking a sip of his Vodka, but I could tell what he wanted most was to hear exactly how they were doing it.

“There are bounty hunters that get paid for each drop, and they set up a time at the clinic,” Makarovich couldn’t help but preen. “We have them examined,” he gave me a little glance at this. “It’s essential that they aren’t damaged too much in transit. That was a problem a few years ago. The product was worthless once it got here.”

“So you have them checked at this clinic,” Dimitri took another sip of his vodka, looking over at Luka.

I breathed deeply and tried not to think of Gregor and the doctor. The finger between my legs, their cocks in my mouths. Dimitri’s hand stroked my knee gently through the fabric of my dress. Blue. What was blue? The ocean was blue, and whales and the sky were blue. I tried hard not to vomit.

“Yes, once they’re cleared, they’re brought to the warehouse and sold. They are sold individually and sometimes auctioned if they’re of good quality. Or if we can’t get a sale, they go to the brothels, and they’ll earn coin there, which we get in perpetuity. It’s a good racket.”

As he finished his food, Makarovich leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face. “I must say, Dimitri, you have excellent taste. She is exquisite.”

“Thank you,” Dimitri replied, his voice calm. “I knew you would appreciate her.” His hand tightened on my thigh.

His eyes gleamed with something dark and twisted. “Perhaps I could share in your good fortune.”

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my expression neutral. Dimitri had already proved that he wouldn’t let anything happen. I just needed to stay calm. His grip on my thigh tightened slightly, a subtle warning.

“I’m afraid she is quite exclusive,” Dimitri said smoothly. “But perhaps another engagement.”

Makarovich chuckled, but there was an edge to his laughter. “Very well, there’s always another girl that comes along.” His greasy eyes still uncomfortably loitered on me.

The evening dragged on, every minute feeling like an eternity. Finally, Dimitri stood, pulling me with him. “It’s time that we take our leave. Anton, please give my appreciation to Miguel for his hospitality.”

We made our way back to the car, the weight of the evening pressing down on me. As soon as we were inside, I let out a shaky breath, my hands trembling.

“You did well. Very well, malysh,” Dimitri said, his voice softening. “We got what we needed.”

“What now?” I asked, trying to steady myself. It couldn’t be this simple, right?

“Now, we plan our next move,” he replied, his gaze intense. “You just have to stay strong a little longer.”

I nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope amidst the fear. I had to see this through for Olive and all the victims of these monsters. I had to be strong, no matter what it took.

Dimitri guided me through the lobby and to our suite as we arrived. I felt exhausted down to my bones. The facade I’d held all evening suddenly became brittle and too much to bear. Once inside, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, the weight of the charade finally lifting off my shoulders.

Dimitri’s eyes softened as he looked at me. “You did incredibly well tonight, Hollis. I know this isn’t easy.”

I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. “Thank you. I just kept thinking about Olive. She’s what’s keeping me going.”

He reached out, gently squeezing my shoulder. “You’ll be back with your daughter soon.”

I wanted to believe him, to cling to that hope. “What’s our next step?”

“We need to know where Makarovich lives and where he goes,” Dimitri explained. “Tonight, we observed and built trust. Now, we have to dig deeper. Rodriguez and Makarovich will eventually slip up; we’ll be ready when they do. Maybe another day at most. Luka will be following and watching. And I want that clinic.”

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