Divorcing Her Mafia Family
Chapter 41

Miklos knew he was crushing her, but he was unable to let her go. The fears he’d had for the last several days making him want to hold her tight to him and never release her. He saw the gentle smile on her lips, and he kissed her face with as many k****s as he could.

Unsure of where it came from and unable to hold it back, he nuzzled close to her ear, “I love you, Dimitra. I love you so much.” He felt strangely as if tears were burning his eyes as he uttered the words in a way he’d never said to a woman before.

His heart clenched and quite possibly exploded in his chest when she curled even closer than he knew they could be and whispered, “I love you too Miklos.”

It was not lost. She was not lost to him. She loved him. Perhaps tomorrow in the fresh light of day she would hate him, but hope rang in his chest, and he couldn’t keep the energy suddenly zapping along every nerve ending at her words. He continued kissing the round of her cheek and whispering to her even after the little snore escaped her lips.

He rolled onto his back and slipped his arms and positioned her, so she was curled up against his chest. They were both soaked to the skin and the cool air from the overhead fan made her shiver. He needed to get her covered up or she’d be freezing.

He went to slip out of the bed and in her sleep, she clutched at him

“No, don’t go,” she mumbled in her sleep. “Don’t go yet.”

“I won’t go, my little wife but I need to get you covered up. You’re cold.” He stroked her cheek and her rubbed her arm where goosebumps had formed. He chuckled at the pouty lips she made as he got out of the bed and yanked the blankets out from under her. He studied her prone form and shook his head. She was wrecked.

He knew she’d had a hell of a day. He’d been terrified when he’d walked into his bedroom earlier to hear the sound of her wailing on the other side. It had taken everything in him to let her go on the date. He kept telling himself she needed to go out with another man to know nobody else would ever have the same connection with her he had, and he’d done everything he could to encourage her. Guilt had slammed him hard when he’d heard her cry, terrified he’d put her in harms way.

To hear the guy had choked on a churro made him happier than it should have. He knew he was a cold motherfucker but the thought the guy who had tried to wine and dine her, even knowing she had a husband, almost died had filled him with glee. What kind of man chases a woman who tells him straight out she’s married? One who deserves to choke on a churro, his mind mocked. A chuckle escaped his lips as he considered he owed Mrs. K a debt of gratitude for filling Dimitra’s head with thoughts of what happens if she crosses fate. Her meltdown from thinking she had caused the man’s near demise had been the catalyst to her agreeing to go dancing with him.

His wife could dance. He turned from her and made his way to the bathroom aware he was getting hard just thinking of the way she had spun in his arms. The seductive dance she’d put on to Doja Cat made him want to make it the only song his clubs ever played. She was the mistress of seduction, and he was a mere toy to her. She could probably put him on a leash when she moved like she had, and he wouldn’t argue. He’d follow her around on his hands and knees. An image of her in patent leather flashed in his mind and he g*****d. He needed to reign it in, or he’d be waking her up and she desperately needed sleep.

He cleaned himself up and then grabbed a warm cloth to take care of Dimitra. She might be sleeping but there was no way he could let her sleep in the mess in which she was coated. He rolled her onto her back and as gently as he could, he tended to her before gently slipping the blankets over her and tucking her into the bed.

He remembered doing this their first night together and the horror he’d experienced in seeing all the b***d. He’d been rough. Her telling him she’d worked in a s*x parlor had made him think she was far more experienced than she was and into the rough and nasty. She had kept up with him and he chuckled as he sat next to her on the bed and stroked the hair off her cheeks. Her earlier words about being reamed by him and surviving making him grin. She was feisty, his little wife.

He studied her and shook his head at the panic he’d felt when he’d seen the way she’d regarded her father at her beach house on Thursday. He could see the wheels turning in her head. She’d gone toe to toe with Vasili and had lost and she’d known it. Vasili had made it clear he was done with her pushing back against the family. He immediately was worried she’d declare war against her own father. It was one thing to taunt and torment him, but Vasili wouldn’t put up with it the same way. He’d have put her on lock down with armed guards and likely a beating to remind her of her place in the family, so he’d done the one thing he had to do. He chased her away. He wanted her to want him like he wanted to be with her. No more force. No more coercion. He didn’t care if he lost it all and Vasili and his father took all the business away from him. He’d rather start his life completely over alone than having her hate him because he and her father had turned her into nothing more than a possession.

He knew if he could get her away from Vasili, away from Darya and Magda and away from the comforts of home, maybe, just maybe he could get her to see him in a different light. It was only when he’d gone to his parents and spoke in confidence to his mother, and she’d yelled at him using his full name had the idea of playing his little game with her occurred to him. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

He kicked his legs sideways and slipped under the blanket with her and she immediately rolled into him as if seeking his presence out. Her muffled whisper of his name made him throw a silent prayer of gratitude to the heavens.

Had anyone said to him he would fall head over heels in a week with a woman he’d grown up most of his life treating as a sister he’d have laughed in their face. Yet, she’d come at him with guns blazing, both barrels and he knew he would never be the same. She had swept back into his life with a tour de force and he couldn’t imagine ever having a day without her making him crazy again.

The pinging of his phone in his jeans made him g***n and he rolled away from her to reach for them on the floor. His head hanging over the bed a flash of black under the bed caught his eye and he laughed in spite of himself. Little b***h had stolen his sandal. He pulled it out from under the bed and set it on the nightstand. He might threaten to spank her with it in the morning.

He pulled his phone from his jeans and noted the missed calls and g*****d. f**k. He was going to roll out of the bed to make the call, but she had inched closer to him, her arms wrapped around his middle, and he figured she had to be deep enough asleep he likely wouldn’t disturb her. He dialed the number and closed his eyes as he held the phone to his ear.

“Where have you been?” Vasili demanded. “Do you have any leads at all?”

“Vasili, I told you, if and when I found Dimitra, I would let you know.”

“Find her and bring her home. This has gone on long enough.”

“What if I replace her and she refuses?”

“Then you do what I told you to do. Knock her out and put her on the jet. I will deal with this show of disrespect when she is home.”

“What are you going to do, Vasili? She is your only child and your little girl.” He spoke lowly praying he didn’t wake up the topic of their conversation.

“None of this would have happened if you’d put your foot down.”

“She is a grown woman with her own mind and values, Vasili. She has decided she does not want to raise a child in a world where her husband and father are part of a criminal enterprise.”

“She has gone soft.”

“She has maternal instincts to protect her future children,” he corrected his boss and mentor, “your future grandchildren. She does not want to have a child with me. She knows any son of mine will have to take over the business. She does not want him snipping fingers at six or putting a bullet in someone’s head at thirteen.”

“What does she want? She wants to raise a p***y?”

“She wants to raise a child who will make their own decisions as to whether or not they want to follow in the family business.”

“Then lie to her and promise her you will do as she says.”

Miklos shook his head against the man’s arrogance. “Vasili, I will not. When I replace her, I will offer her a compromise –”

“A compromise? Be the f*****g man in your family!”

“I am the man in my family Vasili. I am man enough to know the damage I have inflicted on Dimitra is not a thing I can repair in a day. She despises me and with good reason. I will not enter in an attempt to fix our relationship starting with lies. I will not make her promises I cannot keep, and I will not lie to her on your behalf.”

“She has you by the f*****g balls,” Vasili chastised him.

“She does. She can keep them.” Miklos knew no shame. “Vasili, I hope you are prepared to put the bullet in my head if I come home without her. It is more likely than not. I won’t force her, and your threats are pissing me off.”

“She is my only child. I want her home. If you can’t replace her, you will suffer the consequences.”

“Vasili, if I cannot bring her home, then I don’t want to live. Do what you must. Send someone now to do the job.”

“You are talking as if you have already given up!” Vasili’s voice was surprised.

“What the f**k do you expect Vasili? You, the man I consider my second father, want me to drag your daughter, my wife, who may I add, hates my f*****g guts, back to the US against her will. You expect me to f**k her and impregnate her just so you can have a goddamn playmate and you have threatened to execute me if I fail. I love her. I have loved her since the day she was born, and I will until the day I die. If it comes down to me choosing whether to force her to be my wife or to let her live her life out in exile in the off chance she can replace happiness, then I will let her go.”

Vasili’s voice thundered through the phone, “you will not just let her go!”

“I will if I must, Vasili. I brought the divorce papers with me. They are signed. I will be giving them to her to do with as she pleases. Should she opt to file them, then I will not contest them.”

A stream of furious curses filled Miklos ear. “Where is she? If you cannot bring her back, her mother and I will make the trip.”

“I told you already I don’t know where she is yet. I have three different leads I am following. I have Ajax and his men at two other locations. I am at the third looking for her. There is no point in sending an army.” He blatantly lied.

“You had better hope you convince her to come home.”

“Vasili, I assure you, there is nothing I want more than my wife home with me. I want her at my side, running our businesses and doing whatever it is she does to make her happy. I will not bring her back kicking and screaming however and if she refuses, she can file the papers and I will not contest them.” He g*****d, “I’m tired. It has been a long day and I need rest to continue my search in the morning. Goodnight Vasili.”

“Miklos,” the man stopped him from hanging up, “I love you like my son, but she is my little girl. Bring her home.”

“I will do my best,” he rubbed his head in frustration and dropped his head back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling. The easy breathing of the woman beside him told him she had slept through the entirety of the conversation, and he was glad. The last thing he needed was her father stirring the pot.

His phone rang again, and he wondered whether the people in his world ever slept. He noted Ajax’s number.

“Hey.”

“I confirmed Agent Frye is in Puerto Vallarta. I’ve also confirmed he doesn’t have authorization to be there. He got in s**t for planting the bugs in Dimitra’s beach house. It seems the agent has a burr under his saddle where Dimitra is concerned. He has a couple of groupies in the bureau who will follow his every ingenious idea, so they went along with his plan to bug her illegally. He had thought when he’d had her in custody four years ago, he could turn her. He thought if he could get her to work for them, he could get her to spill secrets on her family. He wants the family bad and Miklos he’s doing whatever it takes. He was told to take a vacation instead of a suspension according to my guy in the office. He followed you down knowing you were after her. If he hasn’t seen her yet, it’s a matter of time. He is convinced he can get her to turn.”

“He’s a nuisance.”

“Also, I got a copy of the transcription of her interrogation four years ago.”

He closed his eyes, “how bad was it?”

“Bad Miklos. It was bad. She gave you the Cole’s notes version, but they were interrogating her on possible charges of espionage and treason and treated her the way they would any terrorist. They didn’t take it easy because she was a woman. I can tell you this. The fact she didn’t break tells me you won’t ever make her do something she doesn’t want to do. Not ever.”

He chuckled at Ajax’s words, “no s**t, my friend. She is the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”

“The transcription has repeated episodes where Frye threatens to call you and tell you how she turned on the family and how he was going to make her look like a sellout and even her own father would put a price on her head.” Ajax gave a snort of derision, “her response to one episode, and I am reading it word for word is ‘go ahead call him. You may as well tell him about the tooth fairy and Santa Claus being real because he’s more likely to believe in fairies than he is I made up lies about my family. My family are good people who have never done anything wrong. f**k yourself Frye.’”

He looked over at the woman now tucked into his shoulder and hugged her close to him and kissed her forehead. “I want him dead, Ajax.”

“He’s too close right now. Give us time.”

“Did you replace out who he was meeting with here? The photo she sent me had another man in it.”

“No. It’s the back of the guy’s head. It’s impossible to get a read. We even tried to see if there was a reflection anywhere to get his face from, but it wasn’t feasible. Our best bet is to have our guy replace Frye and get a better ID on the partner.” Ajax paused, “Miklos, he doesn’t have authorization to be there. He tailed you against direct orders.”

“Who is this guy? What the f**k has the family done to him he wants them so bad? I’ve had multiple agents over the years, but this is the first time I’ve heard of this guy’s name, and he’s clearly got beef. Why has he kept himself hidden from us but went right after Dimitra?”

“We’re looking into it. Maybe Vasili f****d his wife.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Miklos g*****d, “he f*****g called me not minutes before you did and ordered me to knock her out and bring her home.”

“Does he know you found her?” Ajax was concerned

“No and keep your mouth shut about it. I’m not ever forcing her home. If she comes home, she comes home willingly.”

“And how is the wooing going?” Ajax teased him.

“It is too soon to tell,” he looked down at her sleeping next to him. “It’s only a matter of time before I f**k up again somehow and she’ll want me dead.”

“Well, you are an a*****e,” Ajax laughed.

“I can’t argue with you.” He had a thought, “did you look into the people in the next room?”

“I did. They really are a married couple. Your suspicion they might have been feds was way off. On their fifteenth wedding anniversary. Seven kids back home. Ugly kids too. She bought her current face, and the kids look like her original face.”

Miklos couldn’t help the guffaw at his friend’s words. His noise made Dimitra grumble in her sleep and roll over. He grimaced at her moving away. He liked her all wrapped up in him. “Ajax, I’m going to let you go. Keep me posted on what you replace out. Keep your mouth shut that I found her. Not even my parents can know.”

“My lips are sealed.” Ajax ended the call

Miklos shoved the phone next to his sandal and rolled over and wrapped his arms and his leg around Dimitra and snuggled into her.

She whispered into the quietness, “you thought the loud sexy couple were feds?”

He closed his eyes as he realized she’d been eavesdropping, though it wasn’t her fault. “Yeah. I couldn’t imagine a real couple being together. Thought they were putting on a show.”

She turned back to face him and snuggled against his arm, her fingers woven through his chest hair playing with it and he grinned at her sleepy actions. “Miklos?” her voice was laced with sleep and curiosity.

“What is it, kopelia mou?”

“Do you think tomorrow we can talk more? Like we did today?”

“We can talk about anything and everything you want to talk about. I promise to listen.” He kissed the top of her head, “for now though, you need to sleep. You should fall asleep ahead of me or my snoring will keep you awake all night.”

“If you get too loud, I’ll put my headphones on. I have them all charged up for tonight already. I figured the old wizard vampire was going to make me nuts again tonight.”

“Wizard vampire?”

“Theresa said a European guy named Draco was staying next door. I immediately thought Harry Potter.”

“You are so weird,” he laughed at her. “Go to sleep.”

“I’m glad it was you and not a wizard.”

“I’m glad you’re glad,” he closed his eyes as she appeared to fall back to sleep in his arms. With luck and more conversation, he could keep this easy feeling going.