Page 66 of Dmitri

“When do you fight again?”

D’s eyes open into slits. “Why?”

“No reason.”

His mouth curves into a devious smile. “You gonna be mad if I fuck some other prize?”

I hadn’t thought of that part of it, and I’ll never admit that jealousy has the audacity to coil in my gut at the thought of someone else chained up with her legs spread for him.

“You’d have to win to get the prize.”

“I don’t lose,” he says, like it’s a well-known fact.

“Not even once?”

“Not since I was a kid.”

“Well, aren’t you special?” Our legs are tangled, so I curl up until my kneecaps break the water's surface. “How’s it feel to be a legend, Dmitri?”

His rumbly chuckle spreads heat through my body. “I’m not a legend, Firefly. Just a man with nothing to lose.”

“Everyone has something to lose.” I have Addie. Surely Dmitri has someone he cares about too.

He dips his hands in the tub and leans forward, searching for something under the water. When his hand wraps around my ankle, he gently pulls it towards his chest and massages my foot. “When I cage fight, I go in knowing there’s every possibility I willnot climb out of it. I’m okay with that.”

Nausea makes my belly roll. “That’s…”

“The truth of my lifestyle.” He flashes a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Does my fighting bother you now?”

Yes. The thought of this man dying in an underground cage fight sends panic racing in my bloodstream. I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want to lose Dmitri.

Kaleb’s words from the other day suddenly haunt me…He hasn’t been in the ring for a long time, but I’m working on a plan to lure him there again… What could Kaleb possibly use to drag Dmitri back to the ring with?

And how can I stop it?

Okay. Whoa. Whose side am I on here?

Shaking the chaos from my brain, I pull my foot out of his grip and wrap my arms around my knees, hugging myself. I don’t belong here. I shouldn’t be doing this. Everything about this mission iswrong.

Even when Kaleb thinks his actions are justified—like setting fire to my former foster home—it never is. He’s just being a criminal, an asshole, and a monster who uses pathetic reasons to excuse his deplorably evil actions.

How am I going to get out of this?

Even if Dmitri is a murderer, Kaleb is no better. I’m standing between a lion and a wolf, and both blood thirsty animals are spoiling for a fight.

“That right there,” Dmitri says, leaning forward to run his hands up my legs. “That look on your face is breaking my heart, Daelyn.” He slides me closer until I’m caged in his embrace with my head tucked under his chin. “Shhhhh, don’t be upset that I fight. I’ve never gone against anyone who doesn’t deserve an ass-whooping anyway, Firefly.”

He thinks I’m upset over him fighting. How horrible am I to let this continue?

Whether or not Dmitri is a bad guy, I don’t want Kaleb to win the war he’s waged between them. “Don’t fight anymore,” I plead.

“It’s not an option for me.”

“Yes, it is.”

He lets me go and the atmosphere around us shifts. Chills. When this happens between me and Kaleb, I get hurt, so I immediately go into damage control to prevent it from happening this time with Dmitri.

“I’m just scared for you. You say you have nothing to lose, but it’s not just about you. Others will care if they lose you, Dmitri. Ever think about that?”

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