Page 5 of Dancing With Desire

“We suspect it was Nik. He had access to your room and the cameras to disable them.”

I process his words, sadness filling my heart. “He had everyone think I was responsible,” I mutter. “I even doubted myself. They made me feel like I was losing my grasp on reality, and all along, they were just fucking with my head so they could have Dmitry.”

“Dmitry has to believe and trust in his men,” Marshall tells me. “They hold his life in their hands on a daily basis. He never expected to have one of his closest men do this sort of shit?—”

I put my hand up to stop him. “Listen, Marshall, I appreciate that you’re here to answer my questions, and Dmitry is your boss, but I don’t want to hear his feeble excuses or how he feels about everything that happened.” I inhale sharply. “He took everyone’s word over my own, the woman he claims to love. They wanted me dead, and if it hadn’t been for you, I could’ve been killed. And the worst thing is, he wouldn’t have even known, all because he listened to them.”

I place a protective hand over my stomach. “And now, I’m responsible for his unborn child, so I’ll be damned if I take any of his fucking pitiful excuses. If all this causes my child’s death, it’s on his head.”

He runs his hands through his dishevelled hair and stares down at the floor. He looks exhausted, and I wonder if Dmitry looks the same. I give my head a shake. Right now, I’m the fucking victim, and I shouldn’t have to consider anyone else’s feelings.

“I get it, Tori, I do. And you have every right to feel angry and let down.Welet you down. But this isn’t your brother we’re dealing with. It’s the head of the fucking Russian Mafia. You need to be safe.”

“If he wanted me dead, I’d be dead,” I snap.

“Maybe. But we got you out of there, remember. Who knows what he was planning or why he waited that long? It’s not like him, and we’re suspicious. So, we,” he glances at Phoebe, who has the decency to look away, “think it would be safer for you to stay somewhere else.” I’m already shaking my head before he’s finished speaking. “I’ve got a place where you can stay. Nobody will know you’re there, not even Dmitry,” he rushes to tell me.

I look at him sceptically. Dmitry would only have to threaten his life and he would tell him where I am. I’m certain Dmitry is in on this.

“Maybe it’s a good idea, Tori,” Phoebe says gently, giving my knee a reassuring squeeze.

I weigh up my options. It may be my safest option right now, and even if Dmitry does know where I’ll be, at least Vladimir and Vivian won’t know. It’s not the first place I’ve stayed at that they know nothing about. My anger won’t let me see past the hurt and pain right now, but it doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to think I can fight those pair off on my own.

And I know deep down that Dmitry wouldn’t harm me. Right now, he is just the father to my unborn child, but he should protect us because this entire mess is his fault. I rub my stomach again, briefly closing my eyes before giving a slight nod.

Marshall looks relieved, then he winces. “There’s something else, and I don’t know how to tell you.”

“Just spit it out,” I mutter.

“Harriet was part of it too.”

I stare at him, my mouth falling open in shock. “What the fuck do you mean?”

“She’s been feeding information to Vladimir and making out to everyone else that you’re losing it. She was the one who was poisoning Dmitry’s mind. She also signed your paperwork so the hospital would release you.”

“But . . . no, I mean, she . . . oh my god, she medicated me. Marshall, she diagnosed me with personality disorder.” I bury my face in my hands, my mind racing. “She made me believe that I was spiralling, and she was part of the reason I did some of the crazy shit I did. She planted seeds in my head, making me more suspicious of Vivian and Dmitry.” I groan, the feeling of betrayal burning deep. The one woman I thought I could trust with my life, and she was just a cog in their machine.

“I know, we were shocked too. Honestly, we never saw this coming. But don’t worry, she won’t ever contact you again.” I stare him in the eye, and something passes between us, lettingme know Harriet is more than likely in the same place as Nik. He pats my leg. “Maybe you should see our doctor too, just to make sure you and that baby are okay. Who knows what stress being locked-up like that has caused?”

I frown, knowing I can’t trust anyone who’s associated with Dmitry. Especially not after learning about Harriet. As if he reads my thoughts, Marshall smirks, holding up his hands. “It doesn’t have to be anyone Dmitry knows. You can find your own, but we do need to be careful,” he warns. “We can’t trust anyone working for the NHS as we won’t know who’s on Vladimir’s payroll. Maybe find a private one.”

I mull over what he’s trying to say, and I know he’s right. I need treatment, and I need to prove I’m not clinically insane like each and every one of them believed. Not only that, but if this baby stands a chance of surviving after the ordeal I’ve been through, I need to get the best treatment I can.

“I’ll find my own private care team,” I agree, standing and making my way to Phoebe’s kitchenette. “I’ll bill Dmitry.” He’s responsible for this fucking mess, so he can pick up the bill.

I open Phoebe’s freezer. What I really crave right now is a glass of wine to ease this ache in my heart, but that’s no longer possible, so I’ll have to go for the next best thing—ice cream. I rummage around the drawers, huffing when I don’t find what I’m looking for. Phoebe watches me questioningly. “I need ice cream,” I snap, slamming the freezer door.

She throws her head back laughing, and Marshall arches a brow. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s our go-to in times of crisis,” she tells him. “And with all our recent crises, we’re all out.” She laughs again. “Maybe you can stock us up?” She smiles suggestively, and I screw my face up in annoyance.

“Ugh, get a fucking room, will you?” I flop back down on the sofa. “Do you not realise I’ve just walked out on the love of mylife and the last thing I want to see is you two drooling over each other?”

“Yeh, whatever, Tori.” She rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t deny my accusation, which tells me all I need to know—she’s into Marshall.

Marshall stands and removes the keys from his pocket. “I’ll get ice cream under one condition.”

“What’s that?” I ask.

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