Chapter 156: She’d Just Been Warned

"Please tell Dimitri I appreciate his concern," she said carefully. "But as you can see, I’m perfectly safe here. My security team is excellent."

"Of course. Just doing my due diligence." Vincent moved toward the door, paused. "You’re good for him, you know. The boss. I’ve known him since he was a kid. Never seen him like this. Happy. Settled. You’ve given him something to fight for beyond just power."

"I hope that’s a good thing."

"It is. Makes him more dangerous, actually. A man with nothing to lose is unpredictable. A man with something to protect? That’s a man who’ll burn the world down to keep what’s his." Vincent’s eyes were knowing. "Be careful, Ms. Thorne. The world Dimitri lives in....the real world, not the sanitized version he shows you, it’s brutal. And the people in it will use you against him if they get the chance."

"I understand the risks."

"I hope so. For both your sakes." He tipped his head. "Have a good day, Ms. Thorne."

Then he was gone.

Eve sat back down at her desk, her hands shaking slightly.

She’d just been warned.

Politely, professionally, but warned nonetheless.

You’re a target. Be careful.

She pulled out her phone, typed a message to Dimitri: One of your people just visited my office. Vincent Calabrese. Everything okay?

The response came within seconds: Everything’s fine. Vinnie’s just being protective. Ignore him. I’ll be home by 7. Love you.

Eve stared at the message.

Dimitri’s world was bleeding into hers more and more.

Men in expensive suits showing up to her office with veiled warnings.

Security teams following her everywhere.

Bruises on his knuckles.

"Business meetings" that lasted all day.

She was in deeper than she’d ever imagined.

And she’d chosen it.

Chosen him.

Chosen this life.

Eve closed her laptop, decided she was done pretending to work today.

She’d go home. Wait for Dimitri. Ask him, carefully about his day.

And tonight, she’d help him forget whatever darkness he’d dealt with.

Because that’s what they did for each other.

She gave him light. He gave her protection.

And together, they navigated a world most people never knew existed.

***

POV: DIMITRI

The warehouse in Sunset Park was colder than the one in Red Hook.

Concrete floor. Steel walls. Single light hanging from the ceiling, swinging slightly in the draft from the door.

And tied to a chair in the center of the space....bloodied, terrified, barely conscious, was Tommy.

Vinnie stood off to the side, arms crossed, his face impassive.

Dimitri walked in, Marco behind him, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

Tommy’s eyes went wide when he saw him.

"Mr. Valentino....boss...I can explain...."

"Explain what?" Dimitri’s voice was conversational. Pleasant, even. "Explain how you stole two hundred thousand dollars from me? Explain how you thought I wouldn’t notice? Explain how you thought you could betray me and live?"

"I was going to pay it back I swear.....I just needed...."

"You needed to steal from me?" Dimitri circled the chair slowly. "You work for me, Tommy. I pay you well. Better than you’d make anywhere else. I protect you from competitors, from cops, from everyone who’d want to hurt you. And in return, I ask for one thing. Loyalty."

"I am loyal...."

"You’re a thief." Dimitri stopped in front of him. "And worse, you’re a stupid thief. Did you really think we wouldn’t track the discrepancies? That we wouldn’t notice your deposits didn’t match your sales?"

Tommy’s face crumbled. "Please...I have a family....kids...."

"So do the people who work for me honestly. So do the soldiers who give me their loyalty and trust that I’ll protect them. And now I have to decide..." Dimitri crouched down to eye level. "Do I make an example of you? Or do I let it slide and show everyone that stealing from me has no consequences?"

"Please...."

Dimitri stood, looked at Vinnie. "How long has he been skimming?"

"Three months, maybe more. We only caught the last three months of discrepancies."

"So potentially half a million stolen."

"At least."

Dimitri turned back to Tommy. "Half a million dollars. That’s not a mistake. That’s not a one-time bad decision. That’s betrayal."

He pulled out his gun, a Glock 19 and checked the chamber.

Tommy started sobbing. "No....please....I’ll pay it back....all of it....I’ll work for free..."

"You’ll work for free because you’ll be dead." Dimitri’s voice was absolutely cold. "But first, you’re going to tell me what you did with my money. Every dollar. Where it went. Who you gave it to. Why you stole it."

"I....I have a gambling problem....Atlantic City....I owed people...."

"You gambled away my money?"

"I was going to win it back....I swear.....I just needed a few more hands....."

Dimitri shot him.

The bullet went through Tommy’s thigh, shattering bone, and his scream echoed off the concrete walls.

"That’s for being stupid enough to gamble with my money." Dimitri’s voice didn’t change. Still calm. Still pleasant. "Now. Who did you owe? Names."

Tommy gasped out names through his pain. Bookies in Atlantic City. Loan sharks in Chinatown. People who’d been pressuring him for months.

Dimitri listened, memorized every name, and nodded to Marco.

"Send people to each of these bookies. Tell them Tommy’s debt is settled. And tell them if they ever take bets from my people again, I’ll shut down their operations permanently."

"Yes, sir."

Dimitri turned back to Tommy. "Here’s what’s going to happen. Vinnie’s going to take you to a very good doctor. The doctor will fix your leg.....maybe. You’ll recover.....maybe. And then you’ll work off every dollar you stole. At minimum wage. No commissions. No bonuses. Just straight labor until your debt is paid."

Tommy’s eyes widened with desperate hope. "You’re.....you’re letting me live?"

"I’m letting you live as an example. So everyone in my organization sees what happens when you steal from me. You lose everything. Your money, your status, your future. But you keep breathing. Barely." Dimitri leaned in close. "But if you ever....ever steal from me again? If you ever betray my trust again? I won’t shoot your leg next time. I’ll shoot your children. One by one. While you watch. And then I’ll kill you. Do we understand each other?"