I was lucky that I got my second chance, that Sadie found me, or I’d likely be dead.
Sadie is quiet and contemplative. “What about Antonio? Do I need to worry about my daughter? Should we be considering leaving New York for someplace else? I don’t want to live somewhere woodsy where there are grizzlies, but Chicago or Los Angeles would be safe.”
I reach for her hands, intertwining our fingers together. “You don’t need to leave the city. I told you that I’d protect you.”
“You can’t be around every minute, Dmitri. I need to know that the mafia isn’t hunting down my daughter.”
“Marry me.”
“What?”
I smile and laugh at the horrified look on her face. “Relax.”
“Now you’re going to suggest we have a fake marriage?” She shakes her head. “You’re too much.”
“That wasn’t what I was going to suggest.” I do want to marry her. One day. It’s too soon to jump in, but I want her to know that my family will protect her. And I need the Italians to see that she belongs to us.
“Well?” She waits for me to elaborate.
“You and Allie move in with me. I live at the compound with other members of the bratva.”
“Dmitri, no.”
“Just hear me out,” I say, taking her hands and giving them a gentle squeeze. “They are my family, and they will protect you. They’ll die for you. And more importantly, Antonio won’t come anywhere near the house.”
She exhales a heavy breath. “You two are enemies?”
“That’s right. And between you overhearing the hit and him discovering we’re together, you will be a target. I can continue to keep a security detail watching your apartment, but I can’t promise that he won’t come and harass you. I’m sure he knows where you live since you work for him.”
“Oh, he definitely knows where I live. He met my daughter,” Sadie says with a grimace. “I stupidly let him inside my home to use the bathroom.”
“You did what?” My hands clench into fists as I stand and pace the length of the small plane. “He met Allie?”
“Briefly,” Sadie says. “I didn’t think anything of it.”
“He could have put a surveillance bug in your apartment. I’ll have one of our men sweep the building as soon as we’re back. Unless you’re willing to join me and live under my roof.”
She purses her lips, considering the request. “It’s just a bunch of grown men? That doesn’t sound healthy for Allie.”
“There are other families living in the compound. Some of them have children. Allie will be the oldest of the kids, but I’m sure she’d fit in. She’ll have her own bedroom, and we’d share a room.”
“And your boss would be okay with that?”
“He would if we were engaged,” I say.
Sadie opens her mouth, and I swear she’s about to protest.
“We don’t have to set a wedding date,” I say. “But our engagement should be enough for me to convince Mikhail to bring you and Allie home with me.”
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course. But I want you to know,” I say, bending down in front of her seat and taking her hands in mine. It’s not a proposal. I don’t have a ring, and I doubt she’d say yes. “I’m doing this because I love you and want to spend my life with you and your daughter.”
FIFTEEN
Sadie
If Dmitri had proposed, I’m not sure I would have said yes. But I care about him more than I should for a fake relationship.