Page 28 of Captured

She did, yes. But that idea seemed strangely wrong. At least for the moment, until he understood the full scope of the threat against her. “Remember the pictures we took. We don’t know what else he’s put in place.”

Her face shuttered, enough to let him know that his barb had hit its mark. “Fine. Then I definitely need to make some calls.”

As she dialed, Dimitri watched her. Though her makeup had been scrubbed off and her clothes remained far too fine for Miranos, she looked fully at ease in the tiny bar, fully in control. He rested his elbows on the counter as she spoke, and nodded to Anker as he slid him a steaming mug of coffee.

“Your wife?” Anker asked, timed to ensure that Dimitri choked. “Ah, your girlfriend, then. She is pretty. Stubborn too.”

“You noticed that.”

“I notice everything.” Anker winked. “I asked her why she is here, and she said you are worried for her unnecessarily.” He eyed Dimitri. “She thinks you are foolish for trying to protect her.”

“She’ll get used to it.” Dimitri took another sip of the dark brew as Lauren scowled. She spoke rapid English, which he could follow, though he found himself getting distracted from her words by the sheer attraction of her anger. She honestly was lovely when she was happy, but she was magnificent when she was mad. Which probably didn’t bode well for a relationship.

A what?He shook his head. Demigods didn’t have relationships, not if they were smart. Clearly, he needed more caffeine.

“I need you to keep an eye on Fran and Emmaline. Especially Emmaline,” Lauren was saying now. “If another one of those packages shows up, do not fool around with it.” She waved her hand with irritation. “Whatever you do, Nicki, don’t make a scene. That’ll make him happier than anything else.”

Dimitri scowled, considering her words. Lauren was channeling anger, but there was no missing the undercurrent of fear that laced her words. When he woke that morning on the couch, his first thought had been to contact Cyril, and his second had been to check on Lauren—a thought he’d resisted, knowing that fear had exhausted her.

What must this be like for her? She was the billionaire heiress of one of the world’s richest families. She’d doubtlessly had an army of maids and nannies and shopping buddies surrounding her like a pink cloud since she’d been born. This kind of woman wasn’t supposed to know fear of any sort.

And yet, Smithson sending her a few nasty presents wasn’t enough to account for that fear. Even presents that were creepy as fuck. He’d had to have hurt her personally worse than that, in a way she couldn’t prove. In a way, she was clearly unwilling to tell him yet.

Dimitri scowled, forcing himself to keep tabs on Lauren’s conversation with Nicki while his mind roved over the rest of the data he’d collected. Surprisingly, Cyril supported Dimitri’s decision to remove Lauren from the mainland, a reaction he thought had more to do with Cyril’s relief that they couldn’t be held accountable for another American if she wasn’t in the palace proper. But the reaction of the Grant parents and Smithson himself had been less relieved, Cyril had told him. They were outraged, all three of them.

The current story that Cyril was spinning was that Lauren had used her considerable money and influence to spirit herself out of the country, with the intention of shopping in Milan or Paris to clear her mind. She’d been stopped due to her unfamiliarity with the terrain and the people—and the fact that she’d decided to run away when she was miles away from any actual town. So discreet inquiries were underway, and of course she would be noticed and found. Sooner rather than later.

Which meant that eventually, exactly as she’d told him, she was going to have to face Smithson.

Dimitri took a long pull on his coffee. What would it be like to have everything and still feel threatened by one man, threatened to the point of a deeply personal fear? He couldn’t imagine it. He couldn’t understand how Lauren had put up with it.

Then again, his life was far simpler, for all that it was unusually long. For the past sixty some years, he’d served his country and his king. He would happily sacrifice his life for either, or for his family, should the need arise. In the meantime, he simply needed to stay focused on his work, and let go of attachments to people who invariably would drift out of his life as easily as they drifted into it.

“You are looking very dark, my friend,” Anker observed. “A woman so pretty, she should not make you so sad.”

“He should be sad for other reasons.” The familiar voice had Dimitri turning around, his heart undeniably lighter with it.

“Alexi!”

“Do not talk to me.” His grandniece held up her hand and scowled at him, then peered critically at Lauren. “You have a beautiful American woman, and who sees her first? Grandmother. This is unacceptable. And she’s dressed in yesterday’s clothes. What sort of monster are you?”

Lauren, as if sensing they were talking about her, swiveled around. She took in Alexi with an interested gaze. His grandniece gave a low whistle. “She’s more beautiful than Grandmother said.” In true family form, she punched his arm as Lauren slid off the stool and moved several steps away, heading out the door. “You are married, then?”

That stopped Dimitri from going after Lauren. He stared at Alexi. She of all people knew that was impossible. “What?No.”

“Good, then she cannot stay with you. She will stay with?—”

“Also no.” Dimitri shot out a hand, staying Alexi’s words as he clasped her arm. Lauren was bent over the phone, talking fast. She couldn’t know she was being recorded by tech built into Dimitri’s phone. He wouldn’t tell her either. “She’s in danger, Alexi. I can’t have her bring that danger to the family, only to me. She’s my responsibility.”

She lifted her brows. “So youaremarried, then,” she quipped. “Does she know you’re a demigod?”

“She doesn’t,” Dimitri said heavily. “And she can’t. Which makes you my sister.”

Her eyes gleamed with delight. “Noted. But she still needs something to wear. How long will you be staying?” At his dazed look, she laughed. “Well, she can’t stay holed up in your villa, Dimitri. We will celebrate this night, yes? And go shopping this day. She speaks only English?”

“Oûrois as well.” Lauren stepped toward them, her face carefully composed as she handed her phone to Dimitri. “Thank you.”

“Ah, excellent,” Alexi said. “Then we will get you new clothes and supplies to make your stay with my monstrousbrotheracceptable. He will keep you in his little villa so that you may remain safe, but you’ll come to our house this evening, yes? You must.”

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