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brother."
"And?" I didn't know this guy from Adam but the amount of ink on his neck and
arms told me he was bad news. I probably should have been a bit more diplomatic but I
didn't want him to know how much he frightened me.
"Have you seen Johnny?"
I shook my head. "No."
"You sure?"
"Are you calling my girlfriend a liar?" Dimitri took a step forward and they all
stepped back. He towered over them by half a foot and had the bulk of so much lean
muscle on his frame. These gang members were all thin and wiry. They couldn't take
Dimitri in a fist fight but he'd be defenseless against a gun. I gripped Dimitri's hand
tighter, afraid he would get badly hurt.
"No way, man." The Hermanos member put up both hands. "We're just trying to
find our guy. We don t want any trouble with any of Nikolai's friends."
"Then get the hell out of here!" Dimitri gestured to the road. "You don't need to
worry about Johnny. He's been taken care of."
The gangbanger's eyes widened. Dimitri's statement could be interpreted many
ways. The guy didn't stick around to ask which one it was. He whistled and his men piled
into the SUV and sped out of the parking lot.
Dimitri grasped my arm and tugged me toward his truck. He unlocked the door and
basically tossed me onto the front seat. His gaze moved around the parking lot, as if he
expected trouble. When he got into the driver's seat, he didn't even bother buckling his
seatbelt before he gunned it and got us out of there.
It wasn't until we were idling at a red light that he buckled his belt and glanced at
me. He reached for my hand and brought my knuckles to his lips. He kissed them softly.
"I'm sorry I was so abrupt back there. I wasn't sure how to read that crew. I couldn t be
sure they weren't going to circle around and shoot at us."
"God, Dimitri, is it ever going to be normal again for us?"
"Soon," he promised and eased on the gas as the light switched to green.
"What did you mean about taking care of Johnny?"
"What I said," he answered matter-of-factly. "He's taken care of. They don't need to
worry about him. Hopefully, they'll tell the other gang the same thing."
"But you made it sound like he was, you know, dead."
Dimitri's hand tightened around mine. Regret filled his voice. "Benny, for all intents
and purposes, Johnny will be."
My heart stuttered, and my eardrums throbbed. "What do you mean?"
Dimitri winced at my squeaked question. "I mean that Johnny probably has a hit out
on him. Both sides of this mess will want to shut him up before the cops find him. They
already know Detective Santos and his partner were at my apartment. You can bet on
that. They'll watch you and hope you lead them to him."
"I wouldn't!"
"Not on purpose," he replied, "but it's easy to accidentally let something slip,
especially if he stays close by." With a shake of his head, Dimitri said, "No, Benny. He has
to go away."
"For how long?" The thought of losing Johnny left me feeling so empty. My heart
ached so badly.
"Forever."
My jaw dropped. "No, Dimitri!"
"Benny!" He said my name in that forceful, calm tone of his. "You have two choices
here. Johnny stays nearby or he leaves. If he stays, they're going to find him and clip him.
So you need to decide, lyubimaya. Do you want to visit your brother in another town or in
a graveyard?"
When he put it like that, there wasn't really a choice to be made. Lower lip
wobbling, I whispered, "Send him away, Dimitri. Save his life."
* * *
Hours later, Dimitri sat at one of the corner tables in the bakery's small café. He
sipped iced tea, put out fires at Front Door and worked on scheduling conflicts. His gaze
moved from his paperwork and laptop screen to café's interior.
His stare lingered on a framed photograph of Benny and the bakery employees
taken after one of last year's summer softball league games. He'd watched her play a few
times. She was actually very good. For someone so small, she could hit a softball like a
powerhouse. It wasn't surprising that she'd gone to school on a softball scholarship those
first two years.
His gaze skipped to the door and windows. Coming out to find Hermanos thugs in
the parking lot that morning had rattled him. It drove home the point that it was time to
move. Though he'd been toying with the idea for months, he'd delayed pulling the
trigger because of Benny. He'd liked being so close to her and the thought of moving
away from her had gutted him.
Now that they were a couple, he saw no reason to delay. Benny would probably be
selling the building sometime in the next few weeks. He'd be evicted as soon as the new
owners got the keys.
But more importantly he wanted a place he could easily protect. When he worked
nights or if he accepted Yuri's offer to go into business together and had to travel, Dimitri
wanted to know that Benny was safe and secure in their home.
Last night, he'd spoken to Ivan about the upscale, cloistered neighborhood where
he'd built his impressive home. Despite that brazen home invasion, Ivan's neighborhood
still ranked among the safest in the city. There were now more paid guards patrolling the
grounds. Dimitri was familiar enough with the area to feel comfortable moving there.
Would Benny move in with him? That was the big question. She'd probably say no
the first time he asked. He had some pretty good ideas for coaxing her to accept.
His gaze drifted to her sweet face. Her eyes were tired but she smiled and chatted
with every customer that came through the front door. The Sunday draw seemed busier
than usual. Maybe it was the growing sense that the end of an era was upon them. Or
possibly it was the desire to come down to get the best gossip.
After they'd dealt with the nightmare down at the police department and her
insurance agent, he'd tried to convince her to take the day off but she couldn't be
persuaded. She'd made the point that working would keep her busy and her mind off
Johnny. He'd given in finally but only on the condition that she let him take up residence
in a corner of the café to work and keep an eye on her.
Their gazes met and held across the café. He smiled at her. She grinned, the sexy
curve of her mouth a smile for him alone. He'd meant what he said earlier. He didn't
begrudge Benny anything. He'd made the decision to help Johnny knowing full well that
the blowback could engulf him. To protect her? To keep her happy and safe? Dimitri
would brave those flames without a second thought.
Her gaze jumped to the door. An annoyed frown deflated her smile. He glanced
over and spotted none other than Jonah Krause entering the establishment. Fighting the
urge to jump out of his chair, Dimitri cast a wary eye on the man. Though he wanted to
run to Benny's aid every time she faced something upsetting, he knew better than to
undermine her in that way. She was a capable young woman. She could handle this.
And if she did need his help, she'd let him know.
Chapter Fourteen
I plastered a smile on my face as Jonah Krause crossed the bakery but inwardly I
groaned with despair. Of all the days for him to come see me, it just had to be today!
He didn't have the slick look of his hired muscle, Carl. No, Jonah Krause looked like
a soccer dad. His striped polo shirt and khakis lent him a friendly air but I knew better.
I'd talked to my neighbors as they slowly sold out to this man. They'd fallen like dominos,
each one taking a slightly lower price for properties than the next. I wasn't quite that
desperate yet.
"Miss Burkhart!" He grinned like a fool and extended his meaty hand. "I'm sorry to
drop in on you unannounced but I wondered if we might have a chat."
"You do seem to love trying to catch me off guard, Mr. Krause."
His smile slipped fractionally but he quickly recovered. "About that I wanted to
apologize for Carl. He misunderstood my directions. I assure you I don't conduct business
in that way."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. With a flick of my fingers, I stepped away from the
counter. "We can talk in my office."
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