Chapter 20

When she started crying, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he stroked her hair.

“Baby, you have to tell me what happened. Did someone come in here and attack you? Was it Bepa?”

His blood boiled at the thought of someone hurting her. He would kill whoever it was.

She lifted her head to look at him, and her bottom lip trembled.

“No, it wasn’t her.”

He placed his hands on both sides of her face and stared her straight in the eyes.

“You are scaring me. Who tried to hurt you?”

“Benjamin, it was Benjamin, and he tried to rape me.”

His hands dropped from her face, and he could almost feel the blood draining from his body. He was in total shock, and it took him a few minutes to snap out of his daze.

“No, you must be mistaken. He wouldn’t do that.”

“Dmitry, I’m telling you the truth.”

“Tell me everything he said and did; don’t leave anything out.”

She told him everything and about how he threatened all of them, plus the baby.

She saw the anger flashing in his eyes and knew he was nearly exploding.

He looked up at her, touching her cheek.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“I’m all right.”

He got off the bed and went over to his dresser and opened it.

He took out his gun, sat down on the chair, and loaded it.

She jumped off the bed and stared at him.

“What are you going to do?”

He looked up at her—his eyes had turned dark.

“He betrayed me in the worst way and in my own home. I’m going to kill him.”

“You can’t do that. What about Annika?”

“She will be better off without that lowlife. I thought he was my friend and would never do something like this. Now, he must pay. Stay here, and don’t leave this room.”

She stood in the doorway to prevent him from leaving.

“I’m begging you, don’t do this. Just send him back to Russia. I do not want his death on my hands.”

He looked into her eyes and could see how stressed out she was. Not wanting her so upset that she would lose the baby, he changed his mind about killing him.

Well, not here anyway.

“Okay, I will not kill him, but I am going to talk to him. I will call my pilot and get the plane ready to take them back to Russia tonight.”

He took her into his arms and held her.

“I am so sorry he did this to you; I will never allow anyone to hurt you again. Stay here while I make some arrangements.”

“You promise you won’t kill him?” she asked, not that she didn’t want him to suffer. She was thinking about how Annika would feel seeing Dmitry kill her husband.

“I promise,” he said as he walked out the door.

Yes, he would keep his promise and not kill him, but he didn’t promise that he wouldn’t have someone else kill him.

Now, if she had said not to have him killed by another, he would not have promised her that.

He went downstairs to his office and called Dennis and Craig, telling them to meet him there.

When they got there, he explained what had happened.

He then had one of them go get Benjamin.

Benjamin came walking in with Dennis, acting like nothing had happened between him and Danica.

“Hey, what’s up?”

It was all he could do to stop himself from taking out his gun and putting a bullet right between his eyes.

“I need you to go back to Russia tonight.”

“But why?”

He sat down behind his desk.

“Because if you remain in my home one more minute after what you have done to Danica, I will kill you.”

Benjamin started to squirm in his seat, swallowing the huge lump in his throat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We have been friends for many years, and you have the nerve to try and rape the mother of my child. Don’t look so shocked; she told me everything, and it is only because she begged me not to kill you that I’m letting you leave in one piece.”

“Dmitry, she’s lying to you.”

“So are you saying you weren’t in my room alone with her?”

“The truth is she asked me to come up, said she needed to talk to me, and when I got there, she tried to seduce me. I refused her, and she got angry and told me that she would tell you I tried to rape her. But I swear that I never laid a hand on her.”

“Benjamin, I have always been able to tell when you are lying to me, and you are lying to me now.”

“Who are you going to believe, me or some tramp you picked up at a strip joint?”

He moved so quickly, jumping over the desk and grabbing him by the throat. His men stood back, watching, knowing not to interfere.

“You will never speak about her in that way again, and I believe her because she is telling the truth. You are lucky that I don’t put a bullet between your eyes right here and right now,” he said, raising his fist; he punched him right in the face a couple of times before letting go of him.

“Your bags have been packed, and your wife is waiting for you in the car.”

He tossed Benjamin a cloth.

“Wipe the blood from your face and get the fuck out of my home.”

He turned to Craig.

“Drive with them to the plane and make sure they get on it.”

When they were gone, he picked up the paperweight from his desk and threw it across the room, smashing one of the windows.

He was angry that he hadn’t killed the man himself.

Dennis cleared his throat.

“Boss, do you want me to make the arrangements?”

Breathing heavily from anger, he turned to Dennis.

“I’ve already made the call. As soon as they land, he and his wife will go to their home, and he will get a phone call about a job. There he will get a bullet between his fucking eyes. My only regret is it wasn’t I who put it there.”

“May I ask why you didn’t?”

“Danica asked me not to kill him for Annika’s sake, so I promised her I wouldn’t.”

He then smirked as he poured himself a scotch and one for Dennis.

“I gave her my word I wouldn’t kill him, but I never said I wouldn’t have someone else do it.”

They clinked glasses.

“Is Miss Burke all right?”

“She’s a little shaken up but strong and will get over it.”

He finished his drink and placed the glass down on the table.

“I’m going back up and see how she’s doing. I want you to stay here and wait for the call to come in that the job has been done. When you get the call, text me on my cell; I don’t care what time it is. It may take a few hours, so make yourself at home, and if you want anything to eat, tell Bepa, and she’ll make sure you get something.”

When he got up to his bedroom, he found her sitting out on the balcony.

Going over, he sat beside her.

“You never have to worry about Benjamin again.”

She noticed the knuckles on his right hand.

“Dmitry, what have you done?”

“Do not get upset. I did not kill him. I only showed him my fist a couple of times. I have sent him and his wife home on my plane. He is on his way to Russia and will never come back here again, I promise you that.”

As much as she hated Benjamin for what he had done, she still could not live with it if she were the cause of his death.

“Thank you for respecting my wishes and not killing him. That means a great deal to me.”

He took her hand in his.

“I will not lie to you; I wanted to place my gun on his forehead and blow his brains out. It took every ounce of my willpower not to do it—especially when he told me that you invited him up here and tried to seduce him.”

Her face turned pale.

“That’s not true. I would never do something like that.”

He pulled her onto her feet, his arms going around her waist.

“I can tell when someone is lying to me. I could tell he was lying, and I never for one second believed him. I believe that you are the only one I can truly trust. You have had a traumatic experience, so let’s get you to bed. We have this little one that is growing inside you to take care of. Worrying and too much stress will not be good for the baby.”

A smile appeared when he placed his hand over her stomach.

She placed her hand over his.

“I already love this child growing inside me, and I will do everything I can to ensure he or she is always safe.”

She smiled at him and touched his cheek in a loving gesture.

“I just know you are going to make a wonderful father.”

He kissed her hand before picking her up in his arms and carrying her back to bed.

“I will do my best, and I know you are going to be a great mother. Our child will be loved.”

He wanted to make love to her, but he also knew that after what she had been through, it was the last thing she wanted right now.

So instead he held her in his arms as she slept.

The sun was just coming up when his phone rang.

Sliding quietly out of bed and putting on his pants, he grabbed his phone and went onto the balcony.

Pressing the talk button, he didn’t bother with hello; he just dove right in.

“Is it done?”

After listening, he grunted a “good” and hung up.

He leaned against the railing.

There was a small part of him that felt sad over having his friend killed.

***

Upon getting home, Benjamin received a call saying there was a problem at one of the warehouses and he had to go check it out.

He had some men with him who worked for Dmitry.

Once there, he was ambushed, stripped down, beaten with a whip, and his balls cut off before they shot him between the eyes.

The last words he heard were, “You don’t treat women that way.”

He knew then that Dmitry had ordered this.

***

Dmitry lowered his head.

It hurt him that he was betrayed by the man he thought of as a brother, but it had to be done.

Now, no one would dare to hurt his woman, or they, too, would get the same treatment.

He turned his head when he felt a warm hand on his back.

He looked at her, seeing she had a sheet wrapped around her body, knowing she was naked under it.

“Dmitry, why are you up so early?”

“I could not sleep,” he said, placing his hand over hers, now resting on his bare chest.

“Who were you talking to so early?”

“No one important, just business.”

“I can tell something else is bothering you. Is it what Benjamin tried to do to me? I know how close you were to him, and I’m so sorry I came between you two.”

He cupped her face in his hands, his eyes staring deep into her eyes.

“What he did was not your fault. It is I who am sorry. I should have felt something was off with him. He always had eyes for beautiful women. I just never thought he would try to rape my woman.”

“Is there something else that’s bothering you?”

He could never tell her what he had done.

“There is.”

“What? Tell me, maybe I can help you.”

“What was giving me a sleepless night was having you in my arms, naked and not being able to make love to you. I wanted to, but after what you went through, I knew it was too soon.”

She blushed; she hadn’t thought of how it would affect him when she slept naked.

“Oh, I’m sorry I put you through such torture. But I’m still naked under this sheet, and I’m feeling good, so if you still want to, I…”

She didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence as he ripped the sheet from her body; picking her up, he carried her back over to the bed.

Lowering her down, he placed his mouth over hers; his kiss was hot, demanding.

He was a savage in the way he was kissing her, and she was glad when he broke the kiss so that now she could breathe.

He got up and removed his pants and briefs.

“You have no idea how turned on I get when I look at your body,” he said, staring at her.

She giggled when she looked down and saw his manhood standing at attention.

“Oh, believe me, I do know,” she replied as he lowered himself on top of her.

A small gasp escaped her lips when his length entered her, and he started thrusting.

She moved her hands up and down his muscular arms, her legs wrapped around his waist.

They were both breathing heavily, panting and moaning by the time they were finished.

He kissed her tenderly before moving down to kiss her stomach.

“You are finally getting a tiny baby bump—so beautiful.”