Page 132 of Dmitri

Giggling, she rests her head on my shoulder and runs her nails up and down my back again. Just then, the sound of a car coming up the road has me covering Daelyn with my body to shield her from view. The vehicle slows to a stop, and the driver lowers his window, frowning as he looks at us.

Daelyn waves for him to keep going. “We’re all good!”

“Yeah, roll on.” I fail to keep my posture neutral. My protective instincts have me baring my teeth and arms wrapping tighter around Daelyn. I don’t want this guy seeing any part of her body.

The man doesn’t budge. “You sure you’re okay, Miss?”

“Oh yeah,” she says, flashing him a huge smile. “We’re doing great.”

Me and the guy stare at each other for a heartbeat and I cock my brow. I’ve never been suspected of violating a woman before, and I can’t help but want to explain myself to the man now. But I also don’t like the way he looks at us. He’s not concerned… he’s intrigued.

“Really. I’m fine,” Daelyn repeats. “You can leave.”

“Mind if I stay and watch?”

“Only if you want to lose your eyeballs afterwards,” Daelyn says with a psychotic grin.

On cue, I pull out my blade and flip it open. My smile matches my girl’s.

“Got it. Never mind.” The man rolls his window up and lays on the gas, speeding away.

“Come on.” Daelyn stands on wobbly legs and holds her hand out for me. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 37

Daelyn

We pull into the Monarch’s back parking lot, there’s a man standing at the backdoor, holding it open with a scowl on his face. It makes me feel like a child about to get yelled at for staying out past curfew.

Dmitri doesn’t look fazed at all. With his arm on my lower back, he escorts me through the club and up to a large office. A guy decked out in a three-piece suit sits at a large desk with monitors spread across the length of it. I guess this is Ryker, the owner of the Monarch Club, and Dmitri’s best friend. Suddenly, another guy appears behind us, who I assume is Vault. Dmitri had said they wanted to talk with us when we got back, and I’m now trapped and surrounded without even realizing it’s happened.

“What did you find out?” Dmitri asks, pulling me onto his lap.

Ryker glances at Vault, then at me. “How much does he mean to you?”

The question confuses me. “Who?”

“You know who.”

No, I don’t. He could be referring to Kaleb or Dmitri, but my answer is the truth for both. “He means more than he probably should.”

Ryker’s brow creases. “Hungry dogs are never loyal, Daelyn.”

My heart skips as he gets up and makes his way around the desk again. Ryker stops in front of me. Terror spikes in my veins because I don’t know what’s about to happen. So, I stare directly at Ryker and hold my ground. “I don’t bark. I bite.”

He crouches down in front of me, and I think he looks impressed with my response. “Tell us your side of things, honey.”

Dmitri wraps his arms around me, but they feel like armor instead of a cage and I use that strength to speak up. “First, I want to make it clear that I had no clue Kaleb’s plan went this deep.”

Dmitri runs his thumb lightly along my ribs. Ryker watches me like a predator about to pounce. Vault, however, doesn’t move. He’s still as a statue, leaning against the closed door with his arms crossed.

I can’t get out.

No one says a word as I stare into Ryker’s unforgiving, stormy grey eyes and wonder how I keep jumping from one fire into another. These men could kill me, and no one would know. I recognize a cutthroat crew when I see one, and I’m grateful Dmitri has his. He’s not alone like he thinks.

Not like me.

“I don’t even know where to begin.” I get off of Dmitri’s lap and start pacing. “I don’t know how much to say.”

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