Page 1 of Dmitri

Chapter One

Dmitri

I observed the mundane scene of the Italian piazza below, feeling bored while waiting for my next meeting. Checking my watch, I had another hour before I had to meet with a client, giving me too much time to observe and mentally punish the naïve tourists.

People moved about their day as if there weren’t monsters just feet away. They had no idea that one lurked on the balcony above them. As I imagine the fools falling prey to the predators out there, a smile that would scare my enemies stretches over my face.

It’s been years since I served as an enforcer and snapped necks for the Russian brotherhood, but some instincts don’t fade. The crowd was full of easy marks. Although I never targeted the weak and innocent, it didn’t mean I couldn’t notice how simple they made it. Sometimes, I could just picture how I’d do it if they were my target.

Now, I’m running my life as clean as possible, or as clean as someone with my past can get, but there is always someone making it difficult, like when a former contact gets mixed up into some shit and needs my help. Today’s meeting will be a clean deal, with no dead bodies and no back-alley deals.

I sip my coffee, loving the taste of a great Italian espresso, while I look down at the classical structure and beauty of the little piazza. The Italians have truly perfected the technique of coffee and architecture; it’s the reason why I’d chosen Italy as one of my homes away from home. I continue my perusal of the crowd from my seat on the balcony while sipping my coffee.

Immediately my attention is drawn to one tourist in particular. She’s a pretty, young woman with long black hair that’s pleated in a braid, hanging down her back, resting on her small backpack. A foolish thing to have on her. Someone could quickly snatch it and steal her belongings. Has anyone told her how unsafe it is to leave herself so vulnerable to theft?

Innocently, she points to the cold, sweet gelato for sale, lifts her head, delivering a bright smile to the male vendor. From her gestures, it’s clear she’s not fluent in the language. Still, he figures out which one she wants from just the visual cues. Her head bobs as she nods with pleasure that he’s picked the correct one. He returns an even wider, more intent smirk filled with lecherous intent.

Before I can fully process the scene in front of me, the small cup in my hand cracks, sending the espresso everywhere. “Fuck.” Setting down the broken pieces onto the saucer, grabbing my napkin, I wipe some of the mess away when I hear a light laugh. I forget all about the damn mess on my slacks or the slight burn from the spilled coffee and return my attention to the mysterious woman below.

She turns my way with her treat, taking a bite and smiling broadly with her eyes closed and head tilted upward. My dick stiffens in my trousers like never before until I have to adjust myself in the seat. Her eyes opened and immediately met mine from across the courtyard. Her sky-blue eyes are radiating joy from her gelato.

A low rumble rips from my chest, and I swear I can hear a soft gasp fall from her delicately parted lips as if she can hear my mating call. The image of her will be burned into my brain for the rest of my days.

I raise one brow and smirk before winking at my distraction. This beautiful creature isn’t why I’m in Italy;however, I have always believed life threw you in the path you were meant for, and she was meant to meet the beast today. With a motion of my hand, I tell her to stay put because I’m coming to claim her. Without an ounce of hesitation in my step, I quickly exit the hotel and down to the street to search for my little naïve tourist with so much to learn about the world and dangerous men like me.

I spotted her across the courtyard, only to find a man flanked to her left. He’s got his hand around her shoulder while he whispers in her ear. Who the fuck does he think he is touching something that doesn’t belong to him?

Growling, I move closer, ready to rip his head off to see that he’s holding a gun to her waist. She swallows hard, trying to stop herself from screaming.

The kidnapper doesn’t see me, so I call Mikhail. “Bring the car around. Now. Track me.” There’s no time for greetings or anything else, so I end the call and follow my woman and her abductor. Mikhail needs to track my phone because I won’t stand still while she disappears in the hands of scum.

He leads her away from the piazza down to an alleyway where a van is idling as if it’s making a delivery to the back of a bakery. There is no way I can let them out of my sight, so I quickly move around to the back of the vehicle, but I’m not quick enough to stop him from jabbing her neck with a needle as he sets her in the back of the piece of shit trafficking ride.

Fuck.

Still, I’m on the bastard in seconds, snapping his neck with a flick of my wrists. I wasn’t built like this for nothing and thank the lord for that because my woman needs someone like me to protect her.

The driver jumps out with a gun in hand after hearing the commotion. Seeing me, his eyes widen, but he does what every coward does. He opens fire without thinking about the consequences if he misses, which he does.

His shots are wide and unskilled; I easily avoid the bullets as I charge at the bastard, sending him into the open driver’s side door while keeping my balance. With the piece of shit knocked out cold, I leave him for the police to find and hopefully send a message to his boss that no one will be allowed to come after my woman.

I rush to the back of the van and pick up my beautiful woman, checking her breathing. She has a steady rhythm, so I’m guessing they gave her a sedative, but she still needs a physician.

Mikhail’s at my side with his gun ready a second later. “Let’s go. She needs a doctor now,” I growl out, barely containing my rage.

His eyebrows raise as he tips his chin toward the treasure in my arms. “Who is she?”

“Your future sister-in-law.” The conviction in my voice surprises him, but he’s quick to school his expression before I lose the last of my composure on my oldest friend.

“Does she know that?” he asks with a smirk.

“Nyet,but she will.” I walk as quickly yet calmly as possible to the vehicle and slide us into the backseat, adjusting her body so that she’s not jostled too much.

“Take us to my villa in Salerno now.” It’s only an hour away, but he’ll make it there in forty-five minutes with his skilled driving. We hit the road in moments, moving away from the crowds. It takes a long time to get out of Naples, but once we’re past the narrow streets and on the open road, he’s able to shift into high gear.

We rushed past the countryside, and I wished my sleeping beauty was awake to see this. She seemed so thrilled to be in the piazza, absorbing the Italian culture around her, that I’m almost certain she’d love this as well.

One look at her and it was as if I’d known she’d become my bride. It’s too fast and crazy, but the euphoric rush I got is just too fantastic to let slip away. I slid her bag off her back to make her a little more comfortable and then I dug into it to learn about my future wife.

---