Page 38 of Bound by Blood

“Yes!” she whispered, more tears escaping. She let them fall unchecked. They soaked into the high neckline of her blue dress. God how she hated dresses. She felt Dimitri step up behind her. Boris ignored him.

“Then do this for your Jin,” Boris said to her, his eyes telling her of his love and trust. She had never in her life experienced such emotion as she felt for, and from, this man. She knew if she ended his life she would never feel such things again.

Laney nodded and whispered, “For Jin.”

Then with a heart wrenching sob she slammed the daggers into Boris’ back with all her strength. He gritted his teeth in pain and arched backwards, away from her bent form. She would have collapsed to the floor, but Dimitri bent over and swept her off the floor, cradling her in his massive arms.

He stared coldly down at his brother for a moment before spitting on him and saying arrogantly, “She is a cruel bitch to have condemned you to the slow and agonizing death of being knifed in the kidney. I thought she loved you, but it seems you really pissed her off by bringing her here against her will. I think she is fit to be my queen, don’t you think? Die slowly,moy brat, and know that I will rule your properties as I should have always done.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Dimitri strode through the halls of the estate mansion with purpose. Crushed in his arms, Laney had no idea where they were going. Her head was spinning from the events of the last few minutes. Her heart screamed in such agony that she could only cling to the man that had exiled his brother to death and walked away rather than watch the end. He was like a Bond villain. Perhaps they were going to his bedroom so he could really finish things with her villain-style.

He flung a heavy door open and they were suddenly outside. Laney gasped in shock as cold air struck her face. Dimitri strode toward a waiting vehicle that was already turned on with the driver’s side door open. It was a large all-terrain looking SUV with heavy-tread tires. Where on Earth were they going? Clearly there was no part of his evil plot left to chance. Like a spider, he had been waiting to pounce on Boris the moment he stepped foot in Russia. And apparently Laney would become Dimitri’s bonus. How had two twins managed to turn out so different?

Dimitri pushed her through the open door and deposited her on the passenger side. She thought briefly about jumping out of the vehicle, but she knew she wouldn’t get far in a dress and heels, surrounded by men whose loyalties could go either way. Men who would have no idea what her true loyalties were. She buckled her belt (she didn’t trust crazy ass Dimitri not to get her killed in a collision) and watched as Dimitri spoke rapid-fire Russian to a man who stood in the shadows of the mansion. She could only hear every few words.

“Finish… job… dispose of any still loyal tohim.” He spat the last word like it was a swear.

Laney flinched back in her seat, tears filling her eyes.Hurry, Boris! she thought frantically.

Laney knew exactly where to stab a person to kill them instantly, where to stab a person to kill them slowly and where to stab a person to not kill them at all. She had slammed the short blades into a part of Boris’ back that would hurt like a bitch but wouldn’t touch any vital organs. She had also placed them just within reach of where his massive paws were shackled. If she knew her behemoth lover, he should be armed by now and cutting a bloody swath through the dining hall. Fuck yeah, the Starks were going to win this one! (She really needed to watch less violent TV.)

God, she hoped it was true! Any other scenario was not acceptable. Boris was indestructible. He would save himself, find the men who were still loyal to him and take his properties back. It was now time for Laney to stop worrying about him and take care of herself and Jin.

Dimitri swung into the vehicle beside Laney and slammed the door shut. He turned triumphant eyes to her as he switched the lights on and pulled out of the yard. She turned her face away from his and glanced out into the darkness.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

He didn’t answer for a moment while he maneuvered the vehicle onto a dirt road through a forested section of the property. Laney clutched the window frame tightly as the SUV tilted precariously and then righted itself. Dimitri was perfectly comfortable in his seat and seemed to know the path well, despite the surrounding darkness.

“Hunting lodge,” he grunted. “Wanted some privacy while my men finished clean-up on property.”

Laney had to bite her lips to keep from gagging. Dimitri was one cold son-of-a-bitch. He really didn’t have a flicker of emotion about killing his own twin brother and anyone loyal to him. Boris had cared for him his entire life. The best he had done for Boris was to avoid actively following through on the hit until Boris stepped foot in Russia to claim his inheritance. Then all holds were off.

“How do you intend to explain his death to the Bratva?” Laney asked boldly.

Dimitri finally glanced at her. She could just see his raised brow and glinting eyes in the dim interior lighting of the vehicle before he turned his gaze back to the road. “You want to be careful what you say to me, little bird,” he grunted. “My brother may have allowed freedom of tongue in his woman, but I prefer the silence I saw when I observed you in Japan.”

Laney shivered, part in fear and part in disgust. She hated the thought of him watching her while she was training and living under the thumb of the Master. Possibly seeing her with Jin. The thought made herreallywant to stab this one in the kidneys.

She licked her lips and forced herself to moderate her tone. “I mean no disrespect, Dimitri,” she purred his name, swallowing a gag as she did so. “I am worried for our future. What if the Bratva comes after us? They are very strict in their laws, are they not? You simply can’t kill your brother without some kind of penalty.”

“Ah, poor little bird,” Dimitri said in a pleased voice. He reached out to clasp her hand in his. She held back a shudder as he squeezed her. When he released her, she thrust her hands into the folds of her skirt and clenched them together. “It is simple. I will just take Boris’ place. No one has seen him in years, they will believe I am him. Eventually we will announce Dimitri’s death and I will be free to pursue all of Boris’ business interests as my brother.”

What. In. The. Actual. Fuck?

Laney’s jaw dropped and she quickly turned her face away so he couldn’t see her reaction. She’d realized from her first meeting with Dimitri that he was not quite right, but the fact that he thought this plan was actually going to work was beyond ridiculous. No one in their right mind would mistake the two brothers, despite their identical appearance. Boris had integrity, honesty, loyalty and trustworthiness. Even when he did stupid things like kidnap her and whisk her away to Russia. He’d never actually promised to let her go back to Japan. The man was careful with his words so he never lied to her. The loveable fucker.

Dimitri was a box full of psychotic, wrapped up in brutality and tied up with a bow of disloyalty. He wouldn’t even begin to know how to act like Boris. The first person he met that actually knew Boris would see right through his charade. She was tempted to allow him to go through with his stupid plan just to watch on the sidelines and see what would happen. She wouldloveto see what Vladimir Sitnikov did to this guy when he first tried to pass himself off as Boris Grekov. No fucking way would that go over without seriously bloody results.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t let things go that far. She needed to get away from him, preferably unscathed. And so far, her track record of getting away from 50% of the Grekov brothers unmolested was not so good. Hopefully her odds would be better with this one. Perhaps he’d spent more time on evil plots and less time than Boris on bench-pressing and general ass-kicking. This one didn’t seem to have the same focus and determination his brother did.

They drove for another twenty minutes in relative silence. Dimitri seemed to be a man of few words, which was fine with Laney. She found when he spoke he either said something incredibly chilling or really stupid. Words weren’t his strong point. Perhaps he should take lessons with Lucy Miller? Though Laney preferred Dimitri when he wasn’t speaking. Same way he seemed to like her.

She couldn’t see much of their destination when he stopped the vehicle. She unbuckled her belt and slid from the vehicle as he cut the ignition and climbed out himself. He rounded the SUV and took her arm in a bruising grip.

“From now on, you wait for me to open doors for you. Don’t want little bird flying on her own,” he grunted and then began pulling her toward what looked like a cabin.

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