Sitting up on the couch, I slipped my ankle boots on over my leggings and pulled my oversized sweater down. I knew I couldn’t have been more than five weeks pregnant, but I weirdly felt that he would still be able to tell if he looked too closely.
He hadn’t been able to tell earlier.
No, he’d been too busy being a jackass to notice anything except whatever jackasses noticed.
I wound my way down the spiral staircase to the first floor. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on staying here,” I called out flatly. “My ride is on his way, and then I’ll be out of your hair forever.”
“No need, kotyonok. Your ride is here.”
I stilled on the last stair, my gaze lifting to find Dimitri and two of my father’s byki flanking him on both sides.
“Dimitri? I didn’t expect you to arrive so fast.”
His smile seemed almost triumphant, which I found a bit out of place. Although, he wasn’t the one who had just been tossed away by the father of his child, so he didn’t have any reason to feel melancholy, did he?
“You forget, I’ve been watching over you,” he said gently. “I’ve been ready to collect you at a moment’s notice if the situation became too dangerous.”
I stepped further into the room, ducking my head self-consciously. “I wasn’t sure you even would after our last conversation.”
His face softened, genuine affection shining from his features. “I’ll always be here to protect you.” Then he scowled. “You’ve been in Rossetti’s company too long anyway. He was starting to corrupt your mind. You don’t belong here with him.”
Corrupt my mind? I felt that was a tad overstated. I was a big girl and could think for myself, thanks very much. Besides, Nico wasn’t capable of corrupting me. Enlightening me, perhaps. Infuriating me, sure.
Wait, was I defending him?
Surely not. He didn’t deserve that.
Dimitri held out his hand to me, the two byki at his back moving aside to clear a path for the door. “Come, Alexia. It is time for you to go home.”
Call it instinct or some Spidey sense, but I didn’t move.
Why are you being so jumpy? It’s Dimitri. Your decades-long friend, Dimitri.
The room was mostly dark with shadows, save for the outdoor street lights streaming through the windows that casted a bluish, eerie glow over Dimitri’s face. It added a sinister quality to the atmosphere that made me unaccountably nervous.
“The danger has passed?” I asked. “Has Batya settled all of his debts?”
If it weren’t for that bluish light, I would have missed the way Dimitri’s jaw hardened. “The matter has been handled. That’s all you need to know.”
“And the Voiny? Have they been subdued?”
His eyes narrowed just slightly before clearing. “I’m afraid there is no subduing them. But that matter has been handled, as well. There is nothing to fear. We can finally leave this godforsaken city.”
Still, I didn’t move.
Something felt seriously off with this situation.
For one thing, why were the byki here? I was under the impression that all the byki were standing vigil by Batya’s side, protecting him. Why did Dimitri need these men with him? And for the second thing, if the danger had been alleviated, why hadn’t my father come to collect me himself? He’d said he would.
“May I please speak to my father? It would make me feel better to hear his voice.”
Dimitri finally lowered his hand. His shoulders shifted restlessly in his black bomber jacket. “You may call him as soon as we leave this place. I do not relish the idea of staying here a second longer than we have to. I don’t know how you were able to stand being around this man for so long. These Rossettis are thick-headed vultures who like to feed off the remains of those who do the actual work. They stand on the broken backs of the heavy lifters.”
That pinged an inner alarm.
Sure, Nico and Dimitri hadn’t exactly shown affection toward each other. But Batya had trusted Nico enough to provide me with shelter and protection for almost two months. That should have been endorsement enough for his underboss.
“Nico has kept me safe, Dimitri,” I said in a stern voice. “He has honored the deal he made with Batya and respected his wishes. At the very least, he should receive the same kind of respect from you.”
Dimitri’s eyebrow climbed up his forehead. “And yet he let you walk off his property, completely alone and defenseless. Some protector. He didn’t even realize when you left, did he?”