Page 25 of Savage Little Secret

I continue on slowly, crossing the threshold between the living room and the large foyer, the tall ceiling seeming to tower over me even more now.

My hand reaches out toward the doorknob and my ears strain to try to hear if anyone is outside, but there’s only silence. Maybe escaping is actually possible.

When I shift my weight, the floorboard creaks. I stop breathing.

Dmitri wakes with a start, his head turning every which way until his tired eyes land on me. We make eye contact for a second, but it feels like an eternity.

I’m so dead.

“Cara!” Dmitri shouts as he hauls himself off the couch.

I whip around to face the door again, my hands clumsily trying to unlock the deadbolt as his loud footsteps thunder toward me. My adrenaline goes into overdrive, making my hands tremble but I manage to get it unlocked.

I twist the knob and throw open the door, preparing to launch myself out and run as fast and as far as I can go.

His hand clamps around my arm and yanks me back hard enough that my ass hits the floor in the foyer. The door slams shut and locks, the loud sound echoing throughout the entire penthouse.

Dmitri looks even more pissed off than he was earlier. He steps toward me, his face reddening with fury. “You really thought you could just walk out?”

I crawl backward away from him as my heart threatens to slam its way out of my chest.

“I didn’t want you hurt!” I choke. “I didn’t! I was just following orders!”

“Bullshit! If you cared, you would’ve told me the truth!” Dmitri shouts at me as he follows me, his shadow falling onto me.

I crawl away until my back hits the wall, making my chest tighten. I might’ve gone too far. I might’ve really sent him off the edge this time. “I was scared!” I shout. “I was trying to protect both of us!” Softer I add, “I cared about you, and know that you feel something for me too!”

“Doesn’t matter what I felt,” Dmitri growls at me. “I felt things for a woman that doesn’t exist!”

“I am that woman,” I argue, tears pricking at my eyes. “I’m the woman who saved your life during the shooting!”

Dmitri rolls his eyes. “You saved me so you could keep playing me.”

“I saved you because I didn’t want you to die! Because I had started to care about you more than the mission!”

Dmitri shakes his head, something flashing in his eyes that I can’t make out. Pain? Anger? Hope? I can’t tell. I can’t read him anymore! “There was no reason for you to care about me. I’m nothing but your father’s enemy.”

“Do you think I meant to fall in love with you?” I ask him as tears roll down my cheeks, my heart aching so badly that it takes my breath away. I didn’t think that I would admit that out loud any time soon or ever, but he should know the truth.

Dmitri goes completely still, only his jaw ticking. Then he even takes a step back as if I’ve struck him. “Don’t.”

“It’s true,” I whisper, my voice shaky as I fight back a sob. It’s been hell being at odds with him. I’m not used to him looking at me with such hatred in his eyes.

Dmitri shakes his head. “You’re lying. You’re still trying to fuck me over. You’ll get no sympathy from me, Cara.”

“I don’t care about doing what my father wants anymore! And I don’t want your sympathy,” I spit out, my emotions spilling over. “He ordered me to kill you. I refused.”

Dmitri narrows his eyes at me. “Stop with the fucking lies.”

“I’m done lying!” I tell him. “When I say that I didn’t have a choice, I mean I didn’t have a choice. You know how cruel my father can be.”

“You’re his daughter,” Dmitri says.

“He doesn’t see me that way. I told you that,” I reply. “I’m nothing but a pawn. He used me to get what he wanted, and he wanted you to suffer. Then, he wanted you to die because I got close to you.”

Dmitri turns away from me, his jaw tensing as he thinks to himself. “I can’t believe anything you say. I’m going back to Brendan. If he doesn’t support your claims, someone is still lying. Someone might need their tongue cut out for that.”

My eyes widen in horror as he walks toward me. “No, wait!”