Page 64 of Fractured Obsession

“She’s fine,” I grit, answering her previous question. I don’t feel like myself as of late. I know I’m not myself as of late.

She punches, but I dodge, tapping her stomach. She groans irritated.

We continue a few rounds, back and forth, exerting ourselves.

After throwing her off, I tap her on the back of the neck, and she pitches forward. She grumbles her complaint, forever the sore loser.

Her gaze lands on the bullet mark on my shoulder. She’s clocked it twice now. I told her everything about that night, irked by the fact that not much had changed. This slow game was killing me, breaking apart every bit of my instinct to take and protect her.

But going up against the Bratva required caution, one I wouldn’t take if it was only my life I had to be concerned with. But if I only cut off the head, others would come in his name.

As if noticing my wondering mind, she stops, and her fists fall to her side.

“You’re in love with my sister, aren’t you?” She has a slight gleam of sweat on her now. “Even in college.”

I throw a punch, but she dodges it. “I don’t have the right to your sister, considering I can’t even protect her.”

Layla shakes her head and goes to sweep under my feet again; this time she does catch me off guard. I stumble back and block her attempt to hit my chest and flick her off. Layla’s always been fast. Despite her petite frame, she’s honed in on that skill.

“You didn’t put her into this, Dmitri. We all know how cautious we have to be around this. You don’t think I don’t want to swoop in and take her either?”

My blood begins to boil, so I tap out for a break, knowing that I can’t fight her the moment my temperament begins to titter. “I brought her into this, Layla. She only got involved because of me. Don’t you resent me for that?”

She seems taken aback. “Wow, you really have taken too many knocks to the head.”

“Excuse me?” I say, clipped, as I throw her a water bottle.

She snatches it from the air. “Dmitri, we can’t help whose blood we carry. You can’t hate yourself for this because she’ll need you once this is all said and done.”

Not that I could ever let her go, but I realize if she had a normal man, a better man, she might stop living in fear one day. “I love your sister. But I have always known I’m not the right choice for her. But now, I’m also too selfish to let her go.”

Layla clicks her tongue. “You need to stop thinking you can control people’s choices.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Have we met?”

She laughs and unscrews the lid of her water bottle. I go to do the same, but my hand is frozen in place. Frustration rolls through me as I try to push through the physical block.

“Dmitri…” Layla says quietly, and I hate that I’ve been exposed. That she sees and knows it. She steps over as I regain control of my hand again and undo the lid. “You can’t keep going like this.”

I place the water bottle to the side, acting like nothing happened. “It doesn’t happen too often. My only focus is getting your sister out. Now, let’s go for another round.”

I don’t need her pity. And I don’t need my focus being pried away from what matters most.

Even if it kills me.

37

ELANEE

Ihaven’t been able to focus all morning, and a wave of relief washes over me when my client has to change their appointment because of a flight delay. Last night, after The Lion called, I couldn’t get any sleep, and the absence of Dmitri’s voice spiraled me into old patterns and internal voices I couldn’t so easily run away from. It’d become habitual that he called me every night, and I respected that he was with his mother. And yet, when he did call in the later hours on his private jet returning home, I left it unanswered, pretending I was asleep. The Lion’s call rattled me.

This wildfire between Dmitri and me is consuming every part of me, bringing me to life in ways I didn’t think possible for years. And yet, deep down, I know it won’t last. I’m clinging to it, trying to steal as much of him as I can before the impending doom.

My phone buzzes and I answer it. This time, I know he won’t take kindly to me not answering, and it’ll be too obvious if I ignore Dmitri twice.

I consider telling him about The Lion’s call. But it’ll only burden him further. The only time I have to tell him about this is when The Lion makes it clear he’s due to arrive. Until then, I want to pretend that it is only Dmitri and me.

“You’ve been staring at that empty coffee cup for twenty minutes now.” Dmitri’s voice purrs through the phone.

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