Page 135 of Dmitri

“Do they go to the same facility each time?”

“Yes, and I have no clue how that works.”

Dmitri’s brow furrows. “Do you knowwhythey’re sent in?”

“No clue. But several weeks ago, Kaleb was elated about acall he got from one of his connections in prison. I didn’t ask about it because I was too scared to find out. If Kaleb’s happy, it means something really sick and bad has happened.”

Ryker looks over at Dmitri and again, I can’t read the looks on their faces.

That’s when the truth suddenly hits me like an anvil to the head. “Your dad died in prison,” I say, turning to Dmitri. “Kaleb sent someone in there to do it.” My belly twists thinking it’s a good possibility that someone was Corey. I drop to my knees in front of him. “I’m so, so, so sorry.”

The weight of Kaleb’s actions crushes me.

Dmitri swallows hard and cups my cheek. “You have no reason to apologize, Daelyn.”

Oh, but I do. “I helped him get too much power. I should have run, taken Addie, and hidden far away from here.”

“Running wouldn’t have stopped Kaleb from killing my father,” he says quietly. “And it wouldn’t stop him from chasing after you. There was never a chance of escape for you, Firefly.”

He’s right.

Dmitri runs his thumb across my cheek. It’s so soft, so sweet. The opposite of what I’m used to. I pull away, undeserving of his tenderness.

D snatches my wrist and shakes his head. “Don’t do that.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t pull away from kindness, Daelyn.” He tugs my arm slightly, bringing me closer. “Don’t pull away fromme.”

Shaking my head, I wish I could tell him how horrible I feel. How sorry I am that Kaleb’s twisted and has come after him like this. I wish I could say that these past few days with Dmitri have given me more joy than I’ve had in my entire life, because he kept me safe, he empowered me, he held and played with me. He cherished me.

Instead, I swallow all those useless confessions becausethey don’t matter. My feelings don’t matter. My life… doesn’t matter.

“I have an idea,” I say, going numb again. “It’ll make him absolutely lose his shit, but I think it’ll knock him down enough for you to take him.”

Dmitri arches his brow. “We’re all ears, baby.”

I turn to Vault. “Can you clip surveillance footage and make a copy of it?”

“Sweetheart, I can do anything you need me to.”

“Okay…” I straighten up. “I think I have a plan.” Stepping away from Dmitri, I hug myself again. “He wanted to fuck you, take everything from you… so, we’re going to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

D tips his head to the side. “You want me to take everything away from him instead?”

“You already have.” My smile feels cruel and cold. “You’ve takenme.”

“That’s not good enough,” Dmitri argues, crushing my heart. “This doesn’t end with you as a prize.”

“It certainly started that way,” I snap back. But he’s right, I just don’t want to see the truth about where this ending will lead us all. “I can’t lose you,” I whisper. “I refuse to lose you, Dmitri.”

“We both know Kaleb won’t stop until I’m dead.”

“Once he discovers I’ve switched sides, he’s going to kill me, too.” It’s amazing how calm I am saying that. I cup his face. The wordsI love youhang on the tip of my tongue, but I bite down on them and swallow. “I dug my grave a long time ago, D. If I can save you before I’m buried, I will.”

“I’m not going to let you do that.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

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