Smoke (The Carelli Family Saga #1) - Eden Butler Page 0,59

was so strung out and desperate for a fix, he wanted me to fuck his boss so the asshole would give him a baggie of blow and you think I’m what? Proud of him for being sober enough to set up cameras and infiltrate our lives?”

“Shit…” He grunted as he looked out the window again. “I’ll fucking kill him. I swear.” Dimitri smashed his fist against the radio twice, destroying the console casing and splitting the skin over the top of his hand.

“Stop it!” I said, grabbing his wrist.

He took it back, wiping the small bead of blood against his dark jeans and rubbed his face, like he didn’t know what to do with himself. This had to be hard for Dimitri. He was a man who thrived on discipline and control and nothing about this situation was in his control.

The water was calm, but there were seagulls covering the dock and pier and all along the beach, leading up to the small shacks peppered along the shoreline. The last one at the end of a row of five was where Alejandro had instructed us to go.

After several minutes of silence, Dimitri calmed. “Bella,” he finally said, saying the word slowly, both syllables enunciated clearly. When he looked at me, there was something cold, disconnected in his eyes I couldn’t recognize. “You may not like who I have to be in there.”

“I don’t know…”

“Listen to me,” he said, his voice clearer now, louder. “I wasn’t lying when I told you everything changes when I’m with you. Who I am, what I want and I meant that.” Dimitri looked through the window, the muscles along his neck flexing, his jaw tightening. “But I can’t be that man and protect you. I have to be who I need to be to get Mateo back and keep you both safe.”

“Dimitri…”

“Just know everything I do is to make sure you both get out of here alive.”

My stomach ached and my arms felt empty. It had been hours and hours since I held my son and I felt like part of my heart was missing. Resting my chin on my fist, I watched that shack, willing Alejandro to come outside, to do something, anything that gave me a sign that my son was safe. But I didn’t even have the power to control my own fear. How could I hope to control that lunatic?

“Maggie…” Dimitri said, reaching a hand across the seat for me. I took it and let him squeeze my fingers. “I’ll kill him before I’ll ever let him hurt either one of you.”

In that moment, I knew he meant it. He’d do anything for us.

Because he loved us.

And it might get him killed.

“I should have left months ago.”

“What are you talking about?” He turned, unbuckling his belt with his knee moving next to the console separating our seats.

“I thought about leaving. I was going to make a clean break. Distance from you. From your family. I was going to ask Toni for a job in the city and move in with my aunt.”

“Toni would have never…” I cocked an eyebrow at him, one look I knew would remind Dimitri that his sister was still pissed at him for how he’d handled her and Luca years back. “Hell. She would have helped you just to spite me.”

“She would have. I’m sure of it.”

“What stopped you?”

I smiled, watching his face, loving the look in his eyes. “This,” I said, pointing between us.”

Dimitri took my hand, kissing my wrist. “When we get our boy back, I promise you, I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy.” Then he touched my face, all his anger and temper from moments before gone as he looked at me, brushing a finger over my forehead. I wanted to kiss him, just for a second. More than anything, I wanted his promise to come true.

“You’re mine, no matter what anyone else ever tells you. We belong to each other.” My body felt electrified where he grazed his fingers against my skin—my neck, the shell of my ear, the curve of my arm, every inch was on fire from his attention. “We’re in each other’s heads… too deep. We can’t walk away now. It’s too late.”

I moved back, looking up to catch Dimitri’s eye, wondering what he meant and where he was trying to go with this. “I don’t… what do you mean?” I moved the hair from his eyes, wanting to see them clearly. “What are you trying