Page 145 of Bound By Revenge

I glare at him, but finally step aside with a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Come in. But if you try anything funny, I won’t go easy on you. Consider this your final warning.”

He strolls past me, hands raised in mock surrender. “I’ll be on my best behavior. As always.”

Dmitri pauses in the middle of my living room, taking in the space with an unreadable expression. “So this is where the infamous Katherine Devereaux lives.”

I flop back onto the couch, waving lazily at the furniture. “Take a seat, or don’t. I don’t care.”

He smirks, settling on the opposite end of the couch. “I like your place. It’s cozy. Can’t wait to tell Nik I’ve been inside it before him.”

“Yeah, well, it’s no luxuriously designed penthouse, but it’s mine,” I say, shrugging. “Paid for with the fruits of my own dishonest labor.”

Dmitri chuckles, leaning back like he owns the place. “Won’t you offer me something to drink, Kat? Not exactly rolling out the red carpet, are you?”

With a shrug, I gesture toward the fridge, visible from where we’re sitting.

“Knock yourself out. Make yourself at home.”

“Famous last words,” Dmitri mutters under his breath, pushing off the couch to grab a drink.

A moment later, he’s back, a beer in hand. He plops down like he’s settling in for a long chat, his expression shifting to something unnervingly serious.

“Kat,” he begins with a sigh. “We need to talk.”

“No, Dmitri. We really don’t.”

“I’m afraid we do.”

“Dmitri—” I start, my voice heavy with warning, but he cuts me off with an easy laugh.

“Save it, Kat. That tone doesn’t work on me. Hell, it barely works when Nik uses it, and trust me, he’s way scarier than you. Especially these days. And yet, here I am. So, save your energy. We need to talk, and there’s no avoiding it.”

My stomach twists. “What do you mean by ‘especially these days’? What are you talking about?”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, right. You wouldn’t know. Nik’s been… let’s call itdifficultsince you left. Which is why I’m here.” He leans forward, his tone softening like he’s about to share some deep truth. “It’s time to come home, Kat. I’m afraid I’ll have to insist. I just... can't take this anymore.”

I grab a pillow and throw it at him. “Iamhome, dumbass. And let me remind you—no kidnapping. Ever again. Got it?”

Dmitri catches the pillow mid-air with infuriating ease, sighing likeI’mthe unreasonable one. “Relax, Kat. Nobody’s kidnapping anybody. I’m just here to persuade you to reconsider this whole ‘breaking up’ nonsense.” He even has the audacity to emphasize ‘breaking up’ with air quotes, like it’s some ridiculous joke.

“Well, that’s never going to happen. And for the record, this is none of your business.”

He rolls his eyes. “We’ve been over this. It’sabsolutelymy business. But fine, agree to disagree. I’m not leaving until you promise to stop being an idiot and give Nik another chance.”

“A chance to do what? Lock me up again? Maybe throw away the key this time?”

“That’s a bit dramatic, even for you.”

“No, Dmitri, it’s not. Maybe you should experience losing your freedom against your will before you decide what’stoo dramatic.”

He holds up a hand. “Look, I’m not saying you should pretend nothing happened. Nik messed up. Big time. Evenhe’dadmit it. Trust me, he’s painfully aware of how badly he screwed up. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”

I scoff. “Nice try, but I’ll pass.”

“My point,” Dmitri continues, undeterred, “is that no one expects you to forget what happened. Not him, not me. But you can’t just write someone off because they made a mistake. Not when there’s something real there. Something rare.”

My throat tightens. “It’s not that simple, Dmitri.”

“It is,” he insists, his tone steady. “You love him, and he loves you. That’s all that matters. The rest is just details. Put him through hell. Make him beg. But don’t throw this away.”

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