Page 4 of Bluff

AINSLEY

Sitting in this motel room is driving me stir-crazy. I have no idea what’s going on. Every day for the past few days, Selene has stopped by to check in, making sure I’m not doing anything reckless. She’s assured me that, through a friend, she’d be able to get me a meeting with Dmitri and Lennon today.

Selene confirmed that Lennon is pregnant, and she told me about my half sister’s ordeal with the Triad. Lennon was captured and almost taken out of the country, but Dmitri saved her. That, unfortunately for him, doesn’t change anything for me. I’m still going to get my revenge. I need to prove that he murdered Lyric’s and my father. Lennon needs to understand she’s literally sleeping with the enemy. But I keep that part to myself.

Looking in the mirror, I take in the dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. I’ve been dreaming of my mystery man so much lately that I wake up aching with need. But no matter how hard I try to get myself off, I can’t.

I’m wearing a pair of ripped jeans, the knees completely gone, that Chloe dropped off for me. My black crop tee clings to me just right, and I’ve paired my outfit with high heels because I like the extra height. My hair is up in a high ponytail and hangs in curls down my back.

I grab my little clutch and walk out to the car Selene sent for me.

By the time we make it to the gated community in Summerlin, I’m beyond stressed out. Maybe if Selene or Chloe had ridden with me, I wouldn’t be so wound up.

I fidget with my purse as we wait for the secondary gate to open in front of Dmitri and Lennon’s house. One of her guards approaches and opens my door. I step out and head straight for the front entrance.

Dmitri opens the door. At six and a half feet tall, he’s imposing. When he stares at me with shock, I get it. I do. I look so much like both Lennon and Lyric except for my red hair. Of the three of us, I resemble our biological mother the most.

“Ainsley, I presume,” he says as he offers me his hand.

I can’t stop the anger and disgust. He actually expects me to shake his hand when I know what he did to my father.

I brush past him without a word, needing to see for myself that Lennon is truly safe.

“Lennon,” I call out just to make sure this isn’t a trap. That Selene wasn’t tricked by her contact.

“Here, Ains,” Lennon says, and I rush down the long hallway toward her voice.

I don’t take in my surroundings but walk right to where she is seated on a sofa with a blanket over her lap. I hear Dmitri moving behind me.

“Oh my God, Lenny, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” My voice cracks as I take her all in to make sure she really is okay. I hug her tightly, then step back. I have to say this now or I won’t be able to get the words out. “Lyric is with the enemy.” The words spit out from my lips. I finally got a message from Lyric. She told me she and Belyaev are together. She wouldn’t explain more. “I’m so sorry, but I have to do this.”

I move away from Lennon so she won’t get hurt if Dmitri attacks me. I look over to where he is standing with his back to the patio, facing the room.

“I know what you did.” I point at him. “You killed my father, and I’ll prove it. You’ll go to jail, or you’ll die in revenge.” I start to move toward him, wanting to hit him or something worse. I watch as he slowly shakes his head, but he isn’t focused on me.

“I didn’t kill him,” he says in his thick Russian accent.

“I did,” a deep voice growls behind me. “And I’ll tell you why soon enough.” I start to turn, but before I can, he grabs me by the hips and throws me over his shoulder. “You’re mine now.”

He turns and heads toward the door I came through only a few moments ago. I push my hair back and look up as my sister yells.

“Don’t hurt her. She’s my sister.”

“I know,” the man says, and closes the door behind us.

I start kicking and screaming. I’m going to be taken to one of those warehouses and killed, just like my father was. I won’t ever see my sisters again. I start fighting and crying at the same time.

Why do I always do this? How do I get myself into trouble?

“Stop it now, zayka.” He smacks my ass, and something inside me unfurls. Desire I haven’t felt in months comes alive again. My core throbs.

“Who are you? I’m not Zayka.” I try to pronounce the name he called me. “I’m Ainsley Duncan. Now put me down,” I yell.

He smacks me again, and I moan from the feeling of his hand hitting my ass. His long legs are moving, and before I know it, we enter another house and he’s climbing a set of stairs. He drops me onto a bed and falls over me, blanketing my body, his face not far from mine. His dark hair is wavy and falls over his forehead. He’s handsome, and I know exactly who he is.

“I’m Mikhail Sokolov, and you’re mine now,” he says, and I just stare up at him.

“What does that mean?” I can hear the panic in my voice. “Why would you do that? I know who you are?”

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