Her return

Chapter 94

Dmitri

My knuckles met on the wooden frame of the door and then I halted for a while, impatiently waiting for the permission to come in. Nikolai and I had never related to each other as brothers so I didn't have access to his house.

We fought a lot when we were younger and while I thought that we'd grow out of the resentment we bore for each other, it tripled when I found him banging a girl I liked in high school.

I was met with silence so I knocked again and my instincts urged me to open the door. The door gave way and I strolled in, quietly taking in the features of his mansion.

I didn't even know he had a mansion here in Seattle.

Giggles and murmurs resonated from the staircase to the living room where I was. Then he appeared behind her, spanking her ass while she blew a kiss at him.

She froze when she noticed my presence, her eyes bulging in surprise. Nikolai trained a smirk at me, clad in a long black robe that he didn't bother to tie up.

His face was quite red, his lips swollen. Going by how he grinned at her, I knew that she had given him a good blowjob.

"Hey, brother. What brings you to my humble abode?" He took a sip from the wine glass in his hand.

"You should be more careful, Nikolai. What if it was someone else?" I grunted, irritated by the fact that I was concerned about his welfare while I settled onto a couch.

"No one can hurt me except I permit it," He plopped down on an armchair while the slut massaged his back. He glanced at her and she stopped. "You can go now," He said to her as her teeth dug into her lower lip.

She tucked some strands of her hair behind her ear and winked at me. Her dress rode up her body while she swayed her ass seductively at me, heading to the door. If she knew how much the act disgusted me, she wouldn't have bothered trying.

"Seems everyone is into you," Nikolai crossed his legs.

A snort cracked from my lips. "That's not why I'm here," I informed him with a glare.

"I know that, that's why I asked that question at first. What would make the strongest Capo that the Bratva has ever had, leave his busy schedule and come to visit me?"

Without beating around the bush, I jutted my chin forward, meeting his confident gaze squarely. "What's your deal with Anya?"

His lips twitched and he averted his gaze. "She used to be my fuck-buddy," He confessed without batting an eyelid.

Why wasn't I completely surprised? Nikolai was a dog who slept with anyone who offered herself to him. With his good looks and money, he was able to have his way with any woman that availed herself.

But why did it have to be Anya?

"When did the both of you start fucking?" My expression was chill and impassive, but my temper was simmering and the control I had over my emotions was slipping away.

He sighed deeply. "Two months before she started dating you,"

"Nikolai," My voice became gruffer than before. "Did you know that she was the daughter of the Outfit's boss? Did you know that she was sent to ruin my life?" I barked.

"I didn't know about it initially. If I had, I'd have told you," He shrugged.

The fucker was lying through his teeth. Man hated me so much and he wouldn't breathe a warning to save me from falling into a ditch. Till now, I doubted that he saved Vladimir and me just because he wanted to.

And I wouldn't leave his house today without getting all the answers to my questions.

"Don't give me that crap," My tone was icy and hurt. "Why did you save me in the first place? Why did you shoot Enzo the moment he mentioned Anya's name? Why did you stop him from answering my questions? What the hell made you return to Seattle when you should be enjoying your pretty fun life in Europe?"

"Because Anya is alive, dammit!" He fired back.

I whipped him a stony glance that interpreted I wasn't joking, but he wasn't smiling either. "How's she alive? I watched her die from loss of blood from a bullet that was caught in her chest,"

He propped his arms against his chest and scoffed. "And what happened to her afterward? Did you get to bury her yourself?"

My knees buckled as I clenched my fists tightly with rage roaring in my veins. The flower vase on the stool beside me was a prime target and I smashed it against the floor.

The glass table was next, and then a few other antiques that I could lay my hands on. Fortunately for him, he didn't attempt to stop me or I'd have broken his head as well.

"You have to stop," He interjected.

"Shut it, you slimy conniving motherfucker. I can see why Father never trusted you. You think more with your dick and less with your brain. Now that you've told me that she's alive, what am I supposed to do? Hire singers specially to thank you for telling me what I should have known years back?" My voice rose to the ceiling. "Liora is seven for fuck's sake!"

He ran his fingers through his hair and advanced toward me. "I don't care about that, Dmitri," He closed the distance between us and grabbed my shoulders and I shoved his hands off, incensed by the contact. "But I'm not going to allow the same mistake to happen twice,"

"What are you talking about?"

He took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck, further heightening my tenseness. "She has been meeting with Ariel lately while disguising herself as Chiara,"

My shoulders slumped with my mind drifting back to the conversation I had with Ariel yesterday. She'd mentioned meeting with someone who bore a striking resemblance with Anya and I made a mental note to look into it today.

What if they were together right now?

"Don't fuck with me, man," My lips quivered.

Though I was Capo, I wouldn't take it if Ariel got hurt by Anya. Now I was beginning to realize that there were several things I didn't know about her before she faked her death.

I banged my fist incessantly against the wall, angry at how stupid I'd been.

"I ain't joking, bro. They might be together right now and trust me, it won't be for good. Call her now to be sure she's safe then find a way to get her over here," He suggested.

For the first time since I'd known him, he made a meaningful suggestion. Quickly, I dug into my pocket and reached for my phone. I dialed her phone, pacing to and fro, filled with unease.

Her phone rang continuously but she didn't answer.

"Pick up your phone, baby," I muttered under my breath, my heart beating furiously in a staccato rhythm while the second attempt to get to her proved abortive.

"I have to get home now. She was supposed to go for a doctor's appointment this morning, but her silence is keeping me on edge,"

"You can go ahead. I'll try to keep Anya away from her. She's a crackhead, don't know how I got entangled with her," He murmured but his words drifted to my ears.

"Is there any other thing you are hiding from me?"

He stiffened, barely meeting my piercing gaze. "Liora might not be your child. Anya and I once had sex while you both were dating," He revealed calmly.

******

I sped like a man who had just escaped from the psychiatric hospital to my house, my heart in my mouth as I continued to dial Ariel's phone.

The only thing that would eliminate this paranoia I'd been feeling was if she picked up her call, but she seemed to be away from her phone.

I refused to think about the possibility of Liora not being my daughter. The imagination alone caused me to shudder and I almost turned around to add more damage to the ones I'd caused on Nikolai's body.

Liora would always be my daughter even if the tests result proved otherwise. I couldn't imagine my life without her and Ariel and it wouldn't take me anything to destroy anyone who tried to disrupt my happiness.

The gates rolled open the moment I honked the car's horn and I drove in without bothering to park properly.

I trotted in with hurried steps into the house and while at it, my eyes caught the sight of some dead bodies littered on the ground and a huge knot tightened in my chest.

Cold chills ran down my spine when I barreled into the living room and found Ariel crouched on the floor, her legs tied together in a very tight knot.

Our eyes met and she threw a scared glance at the last person I expected to see.

Anya.