Page 31 of Marked (Russian Sinners 1)

A woman will be your undoing,the words of the gypsy came back to me.

Everyone called her a witch but she was just some gypsy woman telling bullshit stories for extra coins. At this moment though, I wondered if maybe she knew what she was talking about.

Chapter Fourteen

Anastasia

Dimitry watched me with a peculiar look in his eyes as he agreed with my request to learn self-defense. I wondered if he’d teach it to me. I hoped he would. The fact that I slept next to him meant I felt physically comfortable and safe around him. It was counterintuitive since my sixth sense was telling me he was a dangerous man. All three men at this table portrayed danger. And here I was joking around with them.

The thought of Dimitry’s body flushed with mine, made me blush. There was no arguing that the man was a freaking hot, sex God. I wished I wasn’t a virgin and knew what to do with a man like that. It wasn’t like I was completely inexperienced, just that I never took it all the way.

So embarrassing, I'm a quarter of a century old and a virgin.

A phone rang and Dimitry answered in Russian then quickly excused himself with Nikolai and Sergei trailing right behind him.

“What is he the ring leader or something?” I muttered under my breath.

I finished my breakfast and then started cleaning up.

The girl who got my coffee and creamer earlier got all flustered. “No, no,” she took the dishes out of my hands. “I’ll do it.”

“I can help,” I suggested and went for Dimitry’s dish and Nikolai’s. She didn’t look happy as her eyes darted to check if anyone else saw us. “What’s your name?” I asked.

“Sonia,” she replied.

“Sonia,” I repeated. “That’s a pretty name. I’ll just help you clear the dishes and then I’ll leave you alone. Okay?”

She stared at me like she couldn’t comprehend why anyone would clean up their own mess. Although we had money and staff, I was always raised to clean up after myself. It was the same whether I was in Grandfather’s house, Uncle’s, or Father’s. The only time we left dishes for staff to clean up was if we had to leave in an emergency.

We cleaned up in silence and then I went outside. I walked around the yard, enjoying the sunshine on my face. It was early September but it felt more like early October. There was a slight chill to the air. I felt adrift and without a purpose.

Well, I had a purpose.To stay alive.

But I’d go crazy if I had nothing to do and was left to just roam around wherever Dimitry thought we should hide for the next five months.

Maybe I should take on gardening, I scoffed to myself as I looked at the beautiful roses all around me.No, better not if I want them to stay alive.

I was supposed to start my new job tomorrow. It made me sad to think about it. But I knew they’d find someone else and fill the position. I felt at home at Johns Hopkins. I loved working with the kids and easing their pain. I wished I could at least touch base with Olivia and Scarlett. I pulled the iPhone out of my pocket and scrolled through my phone book.

Nikolai said no social media, but he didn’t say I couldn’t call anyone. I stared at the screen for a long time until I finally made up my mind and put the phone away with a heavy sigh.

It wasn’t smart to reach out to them and risk their safety. Besides, they had plenty of their own problems. Olivia’s asshole of a fiance and the engagement she couldn’t break without ruining her family was making her life difficult. And Scarlett was struggling with her own demons. She was dreading the marriage her family arranged with a complete stranger when she was barely seventeen. She didn’t even know his name. The whole situation was bizarre. No wonder the three of us got along so great. We each were dealing with our own messed up issues.

I sat on the bench and crossed my legs, trying to empty my head of all the thoughts that were swirling around in there. Maybe that was my problem, I always worked on emptying my mind of thoughts that bothered me rather than dealing with them. I couldn’t get close to a man and form a relationship because I was never open enough to trust someone.

Do it with Dimitry,my mind whispered.

If there was a bad idea, that one was it for sure. The man actually walked around with a concealed handgun holster. An average woman wouldn’t be able to tell, but I grew up around men like that.

No, not like that.I corrected myself. The protective services my family had wouldn’t be able to touch these three guys.

I wondered where those three ran off to. I guess they had work to do; they couldn’t be expected to babysit me twenty-four seven, although I enjoyed talking to them. To my own surprise! Or maybe after two weeks of being ignored, I was happy to talk to anyone.

I sat on the bench, lost in my thoughts for hours until my stomach signaled with a low rumble that it was time to find food. I stood up, stretching my legs, glancing around. I noticed the men patrolling the area, close enough to keep an eye on me yet far enough to give me my space. I was surprised that Dimitry and the others hadn’t returned yet and curiosity had me wanting to inquire where they’d rushed off to earlier, but then I really had no right to ask that question.

A quick movement in my periphery had me twisting to catch a glimpse of the blur. There were a couple of security guards quickly making their way to the perimeter of the property. I also noticed the guards that had been patrolling the area in front of where I’d been sitting were also on the move.

No longer able to quell the curiosity building inside of me, I stuck close to the house, heading in the direction the security had moved, and when I found myself at the end of the house, I moved carefully to the tree line, ensuring I stayed at a far enough distance that I wouldn’t be spotted by the guards. The guards entered a small shack. It seemed out of place here, right at the edge of the forest. Two more guards went in and my curiosity peaked a few more notches.

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