Dimitri

Dimitri THE SYNDICATE BOOK VIII CALA RILEY Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Epilogue Afterword Author Bio Acknowledgments Also by Author Copyright @ 2023 by Cala Riley All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, except for brief quotes used for reviews and certain other non-commercial uses, as per copyright laws. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Cover Design: Books and Moods Editor: My Brother’s Editor Formatting: Dark Ink Designs Demi Abrahamson and Jennifer Mercer for loving Dimitri enough to spend some extra time with him. Prologue FIFTEEN YEARS AGO I don’t understand why everyone is acting this way. Mommy would never have wanted all of these people to stand around being so serious. She liked to smile. Nik says Mommy had to go away and that she won’t be coming back. I’m not quite sure I know what he means though. Mommy would never leave me for good. She tells me all the time that if it wasn’t for Nik and me, she wouldn’t be as happy as she is. She wouldn’t want to be unhappy. She will come back. So instead of doing whatever these adults are doing, I’m sitting on the floor playing with my Barbie doll. “Yes, Mr. Ken. I will marry you,” I say, making the girl Barbie kiss the boy Barbie. I think that’s what they are supposed to do at least. I’ve never seen my mommy kiss my father, but he has friends that come over and kiss him a lot. I’m supposed to be in bed, but when they make loud noises, I can’t help but investigate. Nik says that he’s supposed to be my protector and that I shouldn’t seek out noises in the middle of the night. I don’t listen to him though. Mommy says that whatever boys can do, girls can do it too. Father tells me to be quiet and on my best behavior, but when he’s not around, Mommy lets me do all kinds of things. She even taught me how to throw a punch. She said even though I’m young, I need to know how to defend myself. So when Boris Makarov calls me over to the corner where he and his friends are, I don’t think anything of it. “Ivanna. Come here.” His tone is demanding, like the tone my father uses. Instead of fighting him, I walk over. My brother hates Boris. He calls him a lot of names I’m not supposed to repeat. I’m not scared of him though. Not only can I defend myself like Mommy says, but this is my home. My brother and father are around here somewhere. This boy won’t hurt me. “Where’s your brother, little Ivanna?” Boris taunts, getting some laughs from his friends. “I’m not his keeper. Go find him yourself if you want him.” I turn to walk away, but a hand pulls me back. “With a mouth like that, it’s no wonder your father hasn’t sold you off yet. Tell me, does he take a belt to you when you misbehave?” Boris glares at me, his fingers digging into my skin. “Father doesn’t touch me.” I hold my head up high. He snorts. “Maybe I’ll make an offer on you. Ask for early access. I’m sure by the time we marry, you will have learned your place.” He looks at his friends, laughing. “Mommy will never let that happen. She says I don’t have to marry anyone I don’t wanna. She said I will marry for love.” I barely withhold the “unlike her” Mommy always follows that statement with. She made me promise never to tell anyone that she doesn’t love Father. “Your ‘mommy’ is dead, little girl. She can’t do anything to save you. Your father will marry you off. If you’re lucky, it will be to a Russian.” I push him, trying to get him to release me, but his fingers only hurt me more. “You’re lying. Mommy isn’t dead. She’s gone for a while. She will come back.” I feel my eyes start to burn. “Who told you that lie? Your mother is dead. She’s in the ground. Did you not wonder why we were at the cemetery burying a casket? How dumb are you?” he sneers. My throat hurts now. Same with my nose. My face feels wet. “You’re a liar. Stop lying,” I yell before my fist flies into his face. The pain in my fingers hurts so bad, but I don’t care. It made him let go. I take several steps back from him, seeing the anger on his face. He’s going to hurt me. I keep backing away from him quickly, scared to take my eyes off him. Then I run into something. “What are you doing to Ivanna, Boris?” The voice is one I recognize. It’s not Nik, but the next best thing. His best friend. Dimitri Lukin. His hand comes down to my arm, making me wince at the bruise I know I’ll have from Boris. He glances down at me, his eyes dark and cold. He peels the arm of my dress up so he can see the red marks from Boris’s hands. “You’re going to regret touching her.” Dimitri’s voice is low. I want to tell him to yell at the boys. Tell them what assholes they are. Dimitri doesn’t though. Instead, he pushes me behind him. He’s only thirteen,