Chapter 57: Dimitri Won’t Kill His Brother

And you’re holed up in your penthouse playing house with a girl who doesn’t belong in our world."

"She belongs exactly where I put her," Dimitri said coldly. "Next to me. In my bed. In my life. And anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with me directly."

"Including father?"

"Especially father."

Enzo laughed, then immediately regretted it, clutching his ribs. "You’re going to start a war over a woman."

"No." Dimitri moved to the table, selected a knife....small, sharp, perfectly balanced. "I’m going to start a war over the woman I intend to marry. There’s a difference."

The word hung in the air between them.

Marry.

Enzo’s eyes widened. "You’re not serious."

"Deadly serious." Dimitri tested the knife’s edge with his thumb. "When the six months are up, I’m asking her. And she’ll say yes. And then I’ll deal with Isabella, and Antonio, and anyone else who thinks they can dictate who I spend my life with."

"The contract with the Russos..."

"Can burn," Dimitri interrupted. "I never wanted Isabella. I never agreed to that arrangement. Antonio made that deal when I was fifteen years old and too young to fight him on it. I’m not fifteen anymore."

He crossed back to Enzo, crouched again, brought the knife up to rest against his brother’s cheek.

"Here’s what’s going to happen," Dimitri said softly. "You’re going to call father. Tell him you made contact with me. Tell him Eve is everything the rumors suggested. Tell him I’m in deep, and it’s real, and there’s no talking me out of it."

"He’ll never accept...."

"I don’t care if he accepts it." The knife pressed harder, drawing a thin line of blood. "He doesn’t get a vote. This is my life. My choice. My future." He leaned closer. "But if he...or you, or Isabella, or anyone else...tries to hurt her, tries to use her against me, tries to take her from me, I will burn the entire fucking world down and salt the earth behind me. Do you understand?"

Enzo stared at him, and for the first time, Dimitri saw his brother truly understand who he was dealing with.

Not the Devil.

Not the Don.

A man in love. And nothing was more dangerous than that.

"I understand," Enzo said quietly.

"Good." Dimitri pulled the knife away, wiped the blood on Enzo’s expensive shirt. "Now. Tell me about the vehicles circling my building. Was that you?"

"What vehicles?"

The confusion in Enzo’s voice seemed genuine.

Dimitri studied him for a long moment. "Someone’s been surveilling my property. Clean plates. Professional. I thought it was you or Antonio."

"It wasn’t me." Enzo shifted in the chair, wincing. "And if it was Antonio, he didn’t tell me about it."

Which meant a third player.

Dimitri’s jaw clenched.

"What about Isabella?" he asked. "When does she arrive?"

"Tomorrow. Evening flight from Rome." Enzo met his eyes. "She knows about Eve. father told her. She’s... not pleased."

"I don’t give a fuck if she’s pleased."

"You should." Enzo’s voice was serious now. "Isabella isn’t like the other women you’ve dealt with, Dimitri. She was raised for this. Trained for this. She’s not going to step aside quietly just because you found someone new."

"Then she’ll learn the hard way that I’m not someone she can manipulate or threaten."

"She’ll go after Eve," Enzo said quietly. "That’s what I’d do. That’s what anyone would do. Find the weakness and exploit it."

"Eve isn’t a weakness." Dimitri stood, walking back to the table. "She’s a strength. The difference is, I’m not hiding her. I’m not keeping her separate from this world. She knows what I am. She’s chosen it. And she’s stronger than any of you realize."

"You really love her," Enzo said, and it wasn’t a question. "This isn’t just obsession or possession. You actually love her."

Dimitri was quiet for a long moment.

"Yes," he said finally. "I do."

"Have you told her?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

Because saying it made it real. Made it vulnerable. Made it something that could be used against him.

Because loving someone meant giving them the power to destroy you.

Because his mother had loved his father, and she’d died screaming.

"That’s between me and her," Dimitri said. "Not your concern."

"Fair enough." Enzo shifted in the chair, testing his injuries. "Are we done here? Or do you have more ribs you want to break?"

Dimitri considered. He’d made his point. Drawn blood. Established boundaries.

But there was one more thing.

"Stand up," he said.

Enzo struggled to his feet, clutching his side.

Dimitri crossed to him, and before Enzo could react, pulled him into a brief, hard embrace.

"You’re my brother," Dimitri said quietly. "And I don’t want to kill you. But if you ever come near her again without my permission, if you ever touch her, speak to her, even look at her wrong, I will forget we’re family. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Enzo said, his voice rough.

Dimitri released him, stepped back.

"Marco will take you back to your hotel. Get your ribs checked. Stay away from Eve. Stay away from my properties. If father wants to meet, he can call me directly like a man instead of sending his son to spy."

"Dimitri..." Enzo paused at the door. "For what it’s worth, I hope she’s everything you think she is. Because if she’s not, this whole thing is going to end very badly for everyone."

"She is," Dimitri said with absolute certainty. "Now get out."

***

POV: EVE

Eve stood in the penthouse kitchen, watching Nonna stir the ossobuco with the kind of focused attention that suggested she wasn’t really thinking about the food.

"He’s been gone two hours," Eve said quietly.

"I know."

"He took Enzo to the warehouse, didn’t he?"

Nonna glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. "What makes you think that?"

"Because that’s where he took Dante. That’s where he goes when he needs privacy for violence." Eve leaned against the counter. "And Enzo touched me. That’s a death sentence in Dimitri’s world."

"Not death," Nonna said, returning to her stirring. "Dimitri won’t kill his brother. But he’ll make sure Enzo understands the consequences of touching what belongs to the Devil."