Dmitry's Closet by Nelson, S. (read people like a book .txt) 📕

speak the language of the natives for so long until I sometimes forget who I am and where I come from. Dmitry wanted to come to the states, but not me,” he said with a sigh. “I would like very much to go back to Russia when all of this is over.”

“For good?”

“I don’t know about all of that, but for a while, dah.” He pushed the seat back and stood up. “It’s long way down, eh,” he said, looking over the edge of the building one last time.

“Yes. So you should not tempt God by pretending that it’s not,” Dorian said,walking towards the door. “As I said before, the men are waiting on you.”

“And as I said before, let them wait,” Ivan said, taking another swig of his vodka.

∞♥∞

The limo pulled in front of Dmitry’s home at exactly 6:00 p.m. Royal had fallen asleep on Dmitry’s arm with her feet stretched across his lap. They were finally alone after many long hours of low chatter on the plane ride. When the driver opened the door, Dmitry rubbed Royal’s arm and woke her up. She grabbed her purse and followed Dmitry to the porch, where the bodyguard sat with his dog. Nightfall had set in and the large compound was quiet and still.

“Hey poochie,” Royal said, gesturing at the dog, who came over quickly and kissed her hand.

“He’s supposed to be a guard dog?” Dmitry asked,shaking his head. “Are you sure that he even bites?”

“Yes, boss. He bites,” the man said with a faint grin.

“Good,” Dmitry opened the door for Royal.

While Moscow had been beautiful and different, Royal could not explain the joy of walking back into their home. The familiar smell of vanilla and jasmine filled the airy atrium. She looked around in awe and hugged herself quietly. Kicking off her shoes, she headed up the staircase.

“Where are you going,” Dmitry asked,looking through the mail on the table.

“To take a bath,” she screamed down as she ran up the stairs.

“You’re like fish,” he said under his breath. “Always in water.”

The driver walked behind Dmitry and placed their lug-gage by the door, tipped his hat and left quietly.

Frustrated with the bulk mail he had been receiving lately, he shuffled through the pile and found a blue envelope with no return address. He picked it up and flipped it around, then slid his long finger between the paper to break the fold. There was a small white note inside the suspicious envelope that simply read in blue pen, “Call me as soon as you read this.”

Dmitry took a deep breath and looked up the stairwell. Royal had retreated to her bathroom, where she would surely be for hours. He tore up the small piece of paper and stuffed it deep into his pocket, then made his way to his study, where he closed the door and went to his desk.

The fire crackled in the darkness, illuminating the large room.

He sat down and sighed, then dialed the number slowly. The phone rang twice then picked up immediately.

“Hello.” The southern male voice sounded eager.

“How long has your note been sitting on my table?”

“One day,” the voice confirmed.

“What is the problem?”

“Your brother is planning to wage a war on you. Two of your council members are in cahoots with him.”

“Which ones?”

“Max and Nicolai.”

“Impossible.”

“Wanna hear the tapes? They met at Ginger’s Pub out in Arlington maybe a day after you were gone.”

There was silence on the phone.

“Leave Max and Nicolai to me,” Dmitry said finally.

“And your brother?”

Dmitry leaned his large arms over on the table and crossed his hands. “Use the information that I’ve given you, but trust me…you won’t need it until after.”

“About that,” the voice sighed.

“Yes?”

“He’s trying to connect you with over ten whore houses here, one of which is selling off teenagers. We don’thave proof right now. Can’t ever catch anyone in the act, but he said that he’d come in and give testimony against you and proof this week.”

“Teenagers?”

“Yep.”

“My brother has something else up his sleeve. He would never cooperate truly with the police anymore than I would.”

“Well, he’s your brother. So, I hope you know him well enough to know what he’s up to. You could just put this all on him and have him sent up to prison for a while.”

“No. We settle this among the Vory not among you.”

“Anyway you want it, chief. We just got word that you’ve arrived back in Memphis. Cops will be there soonwith a no-knock. You better get your house in order.”

“Fine. I’ll call my lawyer.” Dmitry rolled his eyes in aggravation.

“Everything’s circumstantial right now. You won’t even be held for even 24 hours. We don’t have shit really. The houses are yours on paper, but there is no direct connect between you and the girls.”

“How could there be? I’m not the one whoring them out; Ivan is. Have they been taken from the house?”

“The few that we could find. They’d been moved and not one of them is talking.”

“I’ll find out where.”

“You don’t have time. ETA is less than ten minutes.”

“Ten?”

“Yeah, so you best be on your way. Make your calls quick.”

Dmitry hung up the phone and reached into his pocket for the waded up paper with the number on it. Quickly, he threw it into the fire.

He had to make several calls before the police arrived. One to Anatoly to gather the council. One to Cory to watch over Royal. One to the head of his henchmen team. One to his lawyer. He wasn’t sure that he had enough to time. He picked up the phone and sighed. He had to try.

Chapter 23

When the police arrived to Dmitry’s estate in their heavily equipped SUVs and unmarked squad cars with their blue lights flashing, the gate was open for them so that they wouldn’t break it down. Regardless of the chaos that he caused, he despised unrest around him.

The police quickly rushed in and pulled around the long drive, parking in front of the large mansion in an