“I told you—you know me.”
“I know who youwantme to know.” Dimitri’s jaw clenched, and it made the jagged scar on his cheek even more pronounced. Or maybe that was just the fact it was a glaring reminder of how brutal he could be. “Who you weresentto be.”
“And who is that?”
“The perfect distraction.”
I preened a little despite my completely fucked situation. “Why thank?—”
“That wasn’t a fucking compliment,” Dimitri growled, and slowly cocked his head. “Who do you work for?”
A bunch of assholes who are late to the party, that’s who.
But I wasn’t about to saythat.
“You. Really, Dimitri. You’ve got this all wrong.”
“I don’t think so,” he said, his voice lowering several menacing octaves as he leaned in and put his mouth by my ear. “I think I’ve finally got this right. All the languages. The casual way you show up at the exact right time to see information you shouldn’t. The man at the club calling you a different name… I think you’re working for someone, and you’re going to tell me who before?—”
“You what?” I said, and turned my head so we were eye to eye with the gun between us. “You put that in my mouth? Come now.You might want me dead, but we both know you’d rather put something else in my mouth than that gun.”
A flare of something—could’ve been arousalorrage—flashed in his eyes before he lowered the gun and yanked me in so our mouths were a whisper apart.
“I don’t like traitors.”
“So why haven’t you pulled the trigger yet?”
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “I’m waiting for an answer.”
“Maybe.” I lowered my eyes to his mouth. “But I don’t think that’s all. You could’ve sent anyone out here tonight to get answers. Instead you came alone. Why?”
Dimitri jammed the gun back under my chin, his eyes blazing. “You’re not the one asking the fucking questions here. Tell me who sent you, or the next thing I dowillbe pulling the trigger.”
The sound of a gun cocking had Dimitri freezing, and I looked past his shoulder to where Lachlan stood, looking far too trigger happy with his weapon pointed at Dimitri’s head.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said. “But if you’d like to try, it’d give me an excuse to blow your skull clean off your shoulders. Your choice.”
A second gun was cocked, this time from Dimitri’s other side, and Alessio smirked.
“Now, Lachlan, maybe we should hear the guy out. Ask him why he thinks it’s a good idea to threaten Benny boy.”
Dimitri turned his head slowly toward Alessio, the gun at his forehead, and recognition dawned. “I’ve seen you. The Christmas markets.”
“Not as stealthy as you thought,” I said to Alessio, my breath coming out on a gasp. I tried moving my neck to the side to get some air, but Dimitri jerked his attention back to me and didn’t give an inch. Even with the guns pointed at his head.
The man had no fear. It was as impressive as it was terrifying.
“What gave it away?” I said. “The hair, right? So long and luscious?—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Dimitri snapped, my sweater still tangled in his fist. “What have you done?”
Alessio moved in closer. “You’re not the one asking the questions anymore. Drop the gun.”
Conflict warred in Dimitri’s eyes, and though he didn’t show it, I knew he was regretting his choice to lure me here without backup. He was in a shit position now, but a man like him wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“And if I do?” he bit out, his stare locked on me. “What happens then? You dump my body in the canals and steal my business?”
“Sounds familiar,” Alessio mused. “Isn’t that what you did to your mentor?”
