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“Dmitri?.. D-“

“Shhh, stay still. Okay?” He whispered softly, while trying to calm her down with a peck.

The quiet, scary creak as the suite door slowly, silently started to open was like a cold hand grabbing Dmitri’s heart. One second, Lily was soft and warm under him, her taste filling his mouth. The next, his body went cold, sharp, and ready for a fight. He pulled away from her, rolling off the bed in one smooth, silent move.

He was a hunter, ready to strike.

Lily gasped, confused and shocked, as the sudden cold air hit her. One moment, Dmitri was a heavy warmth on her, his mouth on hers, his hands making her skin burn. The next, he was gone, replaced by a chilling quiet.

She blinked fast in the dim light, her heart still pounding from passion, but now fear was starting to take over.

Just as her eyes saw clearly, a dark shape slipped through the partly open door. Then another. And another. Three men, dressed in black, moved like shadows. They were fast, quiet, and very, very bad. Lily saw metal in their hands. Knives. Or guns. Her breath caught. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. She was stuck, like stone.

Dmitri was already moving. He was not the loving man from seconds ago. He was a force, hard and quick. He moved without a sound, a dark shape against the faint light from the hall. The first man barely lifted his knife before Dmitri was on him, a blur of fists and feet. A loud thump. The man fell, silent. No sound. Just... gone.

The second man turned, surprised. Dmitri grabbed his arm, twisted, and a sharp crack echoed in the room. The man’s gun fell to the carpet and immediately Dmitri caught the gun in his own hand, fast as thought.

He spun, facing the third man.

Lily watched, terrified, from the bed. Her eyes were wide, fixed on Dmitri. He was like a deadly dance. So fast, so strong, so utterly without mercy. It was scary, yes. Very scary. But a strange, hot feeling also went through her.

This was his raw power. The real Dmitri. It was terrifying, but she couldn’t look away. He was a storm. A beautiful, deadly storm.

The third man, bigger than the others, ran at Dmitri with a grunt. Dmitri met him head-on. Quick, sharp hits, sounds that were solid even from where Lily lay. The big man gasped, then fell back, hitting the wall with a loud smack before sliding down, knocked out.

All three attackers were down. Just like that. It had been seconds, maybe less than ten. The silence after the quick, harsh sounds felt even heavier than before.

Dmitri didn’t even look at the men on the floor. His eyes, sharp and cold, swept across the room, then locked on Lily. He was breathing a little faster, but otherwise, he looked untouched. No sweat, no worry. Just that focused, dangerous look.

“Lily,” his voice cut through the silence. It was flat, hard, and all business. “Get dressed. Now.”

She struggled to move. Her body felt heavy, stuck to the bed. “Who... who were they?” she whispered, her voice shaky.

Dmitri walked to the door, kicking it shut with a soft click. He quickly checked the hall, then came back. He didn’t look at the men on the floor, didn’t seem to care they were there. “Grandpa Yuri’s clean-up crew,” he stated simply, like he was talking about the weather.

“They heard I was getting ‘soft.’ Thought they’d test me.” He looked at her, a hint of his arrogance back. “Clearly, they were wrong.”

Lily stared at him. “Clean-up crew? So... they were here to finish you off after the attack last night?”

“More like test the waters,” Dmitri corrected, picking up his scattered clothes from the floor. He glanced at the bed, where their passion had been cut short. His eyes held a brief, hot spark, a promise that the night wasn’t over, just... delayed. “See if I was distracted enough to be easy prey.” He looked at her. “They were stupid.”

He was already pulling on his pants. “Move, Lily. We don’t have all night. Or morning, now.”

She jumped up, grabbing her dress, her mind still reeling. “But... what about them?” She pointed at the black-clad figures lying still on the carpet.

Dmitri gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “They will be handled. Not your concern.” He pulled on a dark shirt, his muscles flexing under the fabric. “Our concern is getting out of here before the real trouble arrives.”

“Real trouble?” Lily almost yelled. “What was this, a warm-up act?”

“Precisely,” he said, pulling out a small device from his pocket and pressing a button. A tiny light blinked. “Gabrielle is already on his way. He’ll have a convoy ready downstairs.”

Lily’s eyes widened a bit. “Gabrielle? He’s here?” She knew Gabrielle. He was Dmitri’s shadow, his right hand, a silent, strong man who rarely left Dmitri’s side. Seeing him here meant things were truly serious.

Dmitri touched his ear, listening. His eyes got sharper. “Gabrielle,” he said into a tiny mic near his mouth. “Status.”

A calm male voice answered, “Convoy ready, Boss. Side exit. Looks clear for now. Someone might have heard something, but not much.”

“Good,” Dmitri acknowledged. He looked at Lily, his gaze softening just a bit. “How are you doing, princess?” The pet name, used in the middle of danger, made a strange flutter in her chest. It was possessive, protective. He knew she was timid, and he seemed to like that softness in her, a contrast to his own hard world.

Lily swallowed, still shaken. “I’m... fine. Just a normal Tuesday, right?” She tried for humor, but her voice wobbled.

“Precisely,” Dmitri said, a grim line to his mouth. “Now, let’s go.”

He opened the door again, checking the hallway quickly. It was empty. He moved fast, Lily right behind him, almost running to keep up. They took the service elevator down again, avoiding the main lobby.

Lily’s heart thumped. She imagined running into a group of happy tourists, covered in blood (or at least, having just seen a lot of it). The thought was both scary and weirdly funny. Just another Tuesday for the Kalashnikovs, eh?

The elevator doors opened to a quiet service hallway. A tall, strong man with short, dark hair and sharp eyes stood waiting. This was Gabrielle. He was flanked by two other men, equally serious and dressed in dark suits.

A dark SUV was parked outside the back door, and another, identical one, waited a little behind it, engine running. A full convoy. Gabrielle didn’t smile. He just nodded at Dmitri, his gaze quickly scanning Lily.

“Boss,” Gabrielle said, his voice calm and firm. “Everything is set.”

“Good work, Gabrielle,” Dmitri said. He didn’t waste words. “Let’s move.”

Gabrielle led them through a maze of service corridors, past noisy kitchen sounds and piles of clean towels. Lily felt like she was in a spy movie, except it was real and terrifying. She glanced at Gabrielle. He moved with a silent, confident grace. He was clearly a pro.

They burst out of a back door into the cool night air. The dark SUV Dmitri and Lily would take was waiting, engine running. Gabrielle quickly opened the back door. The other security detail, two burly men, moved to cover their flanks, their eyes sweeping the area.

“Get in ma’am,” Gabrielle ordered Lily, his eyes watchful, scanning the trees and parking lot.

Lily scrambled into the back seat. Dmitri slid in beside her, filling the space. Gabrielle jumped into the driver’s seat. The first backup SUV pulled out, leading the way, and Gabrielle peeled away from the resort, fast and smooth, the second backup SUV falling in behind them.

As they sped down a dark, winding road, Lily looked back. She could see the resort lights shrinking in the distance. And then, far away, she heard it. The wail of sirens. Growing louder.

“Looks like the party’s over,” Lily mumbled, a dark joke trying to break through her fear.

Dmitri just glanced at her. His face was set, stoic like he wanted to spiral out of control. “It was never a party. Just another Tuesday.”

Gabrielle drove fast, but with control. The convoy ate up the miles, leaving the sounds of sirens behind. Lily leaned back, exhaustion hitting her hard. She felt a strange mix of terror and... something else.

A wild, almost electric energy that came from being so close to danger, so close to Dmitri. He was a storm, and she was caught in his eye. She didn’t know if she wanted to escape, or just ride it out.

The drive was long. The early morning light started to peek through the trees as they left the highway, turning onto smaller, unpaved roads. The world outside the car became thick with trees, silent and empty. They were disappearing.

Again.

Now she’s turned ‘lily the explorer’