“Hey,” she says, trying to pull at her arm to get my attention.
I ignore her. I need as much fucking distance as possible between us and Dmitri. I drag Rose off into the crowd, putting people in the way like a wall. I don’t even want the bastard to see us.
“Hey! Stop,” Rose says, her voice raised. She digs her heels in, resisting.
I’m too frustrated to handle this. I stop when we reach the wall, watching Rose twist her arm away and face me. There’s annoyance in her eyes, but confusion too.
I want to know what he said to her.
Did he tell her?
I prepare myself, but when Rose speaks, she asks, “What the fuck is going on?”
“Dmitri is an asshole.”
“I noticed.”
I clench my jaw, then search the room. “You see that woman?”
Rose turns to follow my finger. There’s recognition in her gaze when she finds Willow, who’s heading for the balcony. “Yes. But what does she have to do with—”
“That’s his wife. Willow.”
“His... wife?”
“Yes. And Dmitri fucking wrecked her.”
I can feel my voice shaking with anger. Rose’s mouth hangs open, surprise silencing her. She looks back at me, as if she’s struggling to understand.
I keep going.
“She was bright, beautiful. She’s the daughter of a family from New York. It was an arranged marriage.”
I can remember her clearly, what she was like before. I hate what Dmitri has done, and I hate that no one stopped it.
Rose shakes her head, looking dazed as she gazes surreptitiously at Willow. “Arranged? So—"
“I met Willow once before she married him. She hadlife. Vivacity. Now she’s a fucking shell. Because Dmitri made it a point to break her spirit. To ruin her.”
I have to shut my mouth to keep from raising my voice as I finish. I hate Dmitri, truly hate him. There are no excuses for a man like him.
And with him here, business isn’t my first priority anymore. The others can handle that. For the rest of the night, I have to keep Rose beside me.
So, I do.
I keep Rose near, unwilling to let her out of my sight. Unwilling to let anyone take her. I’ve seen what Dmitri can do.
I won’t let it happen to her.
CHAPTER17
Rose
I can sense the change in Aiden. It feels like the air before a storm, metallic on the tongue and charged with incoming electricity.
I have no clue what the hell brought it on.
I’m still lost as Aiden pulls me around the room. I lose track of who he’s talking to, eventually, and they don’t seem to care who I am. I can tell these are business deals, important things I probably shouldn’t be privy to. If I were more present, I could learn important things about the O’Reilly family.
