Dimitri

  "You were lucky, Johnny. They could have killed you."

  Wearing an embarrassed expression, he asked, "Does Benny know about the car?"

  He nodded. "Two detectives were at my door around sunrise. One of them knows you two well."

  Johnny's eyebrows drew together. "Wait. Eric Santos?"

  "That's the one."

  "Was he hard on Benny?"

  "No."

  "Is she really mad about the car?"

  Behind them, Yuri snorted. Dimitri ignored his friend's subtle outburst. "She wasn't happy about it. There's a bigger issue now. That building you damaged? It belongs to Jonah Krause."

  Johnny paled. "You're joking."

  "I wouldn't joke about that. He came by the bakery to try and force Benny to sign an awful deal for the building. When she turned it down, he threatened to sue over the building and ruin her chances of ever opening the bakery again. He says he's got a private investigator looking for you."

  Yuri swore softly. "Then we'll move him tonight."

  Dimitri glanced at his friend. "Agreed."

  "Move me? Where?" Johnny's worried gaze jumped from Dimitri's face to Yuri's and back again. "How long are you sending me away?"

  "This isn't the kind of thing that blows over in a few months, Johnny. Your crew was at the bakery this morning trying to get answers out of Benny. I told them you'd been taken care of, Johnny."

  "So you're sending me away forever?"

  "Do you want to take your chances on the streets? Think carefully, Johnny. If you leave this boat, you're on your own. I'll do whatever it takes to protect Benny, even if that means taking her out of Houston to some place where she doesn't have to look over her shoulder."

  "I don't want Benny to get hurt. I never wanted Benny to get in trouble." Johnny rubbed his face. "I don’t know what to do, Dimitri."

  Yuri cleared his throat. "Can you swim?"

  Johnny frowned. "What?"

  "Can you swim?"

  "Yes." He pointed to the sling supporting his arm. "When I'm not in this."

  "Are you a hard worker?"

  "I can be."

  "Can be or will be?"

  Johnny swallowed. "I will be."

  Yuri caught Dimitri's eye. "I'll give him a trial run on the yacht."

  "You want me to work on your boat?" Johnny looked taken aback. "I've never worked on a boat. I wouldn't know what to do."

  "You'll be on the bottom rung, Johnny. Think lots of housekeeping and errand running. If you do a good job, there's room for advancement." Yuri lifted a warning finger. "If I get one report of any theft or criminal bullshit, I'll have them throw you overboard. Understood?"

  Johnny nodded weakly. "Yes, sir."

  "Good." Yuri turned for the door. "I'm going to see if we can get someone out here to cover up that shit on his neck."

  As Yuri disappeared, Johnny touched the gang tattoo marking him as an Hermano. Regret flashed across his face. "You think I'll ever be able to leave this behind?"

  Dimitri felt such strong compassion toward Johnny in that moment. For the first time in such a very long time, he sensed Johnny actually understood the enormity of his unwise decisions.

  "Listen, you know Ivan, right? He's like you. He did some really stupid shit when he was younger. He paid for those mistakes. Hell, in some ways, he's still paying for those mistakes but he made a clean break, Johnny. He said no more and he stuck to that. Even when it came to defending and protecting Erin, he didn't cross that line. He toed right up against it but never stepped across."

  Johnny blew out a noisy breath. "I don't know if I'm that strong."

  "You are. You have to be. There's no other choice." He gripped Johnny's hand and drew his full attention. "This is a once in a lifetime chance. You get to start over, Johnny. You're getting out of a gang without having to kill someone. Don't fuck this up."

  "I won't." He said it as if he were swearing to it.

  Dimitri released Johnny's hand. "This won't be so bad. You'll get to travel and see the world and make money doing it."

  "Unless I get picked up on an outstanding warrant," Johnny interjected. "What if Santos gets the district attorney to put out a witness warrant for me? I knew a guy who had one of those. He got picked up crossing the border at Laredo."

  "Yuri and I talked about this last night. If something like that happens, you'll have to stay away from countries with extradition treaties." Dimitri waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. The crew will take care of you. Believe me. You're not the first person to choose a life at sea to outrun a shady past."

  "And what about keeping Benny safe? Ivan managed to keep Erin and Ruby alive because he was able to give back what was taken and negotiate a peace. If you send me away, you won't have anything to offer."

  "I don't need to offer them anything. They know who stands in my corner—he's a hell of a lot more terrifying than anything they could possibly use to threaten us."

  Johnny's face showed some surprise. "So it's us now?"

  Dimitri's stare didn’t waver. "I love Benny. I'm not going anywhere unless she tells me it's over."

  Johnny returned his stare. "She won't. She's loved you a long time." His jaw tightened and he narrowed his eyes. "You better not do her wrong, Dimitri. I swear to God I'll swim my ass back to Houston if you hurt her. She needs one man in her life she can count on and that obviously isn't me."

  He heard the pain in Johnny's voice. It was good that Johnny's newfound self-awareness allowed him to see how badly he'd managed things over the last year. Dimitri hoped this was the start of a new outlook for the kid.

  "You don't have to worry about Benny. I'll take care of her."

  "Get her out of that house, cuñado."

  Dimitri laughed. "Oh, we're family now, huh?"

  Johnny gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Let's be real, Dimitri. You're going to marry her. I may as well get used to calling you my brother-in-law, right?"

  Dimitri nodded. "Yes."

  "I'm serious, Dimitri. Get her out of that damn house. It's nothing but memories. It's not healthy for her. She's got to learn to move on from all that. Mom's gone. Dad's gone. Abuelito and Abuelita are gone. That house is full of ghosts—and the bakery building, too."

  Dimitri sat back. "Is that what this is all about? You wanted to force her to sell to save her from—what?"

  "She's going to work herself to death." Johnny shook his head. "She's so fucking stubborn. When Mom and Dad were killed in that wreck, she wouldn't let anyone else do the funeral arrangements. She was fifteen! Grandpa dropped dead of a heart attack in the bakery and who was there doing CPR to try to save him until the paramedics showed up? Benny! And then when Abuelita was dying of cancer, it was like Benny thought if she just prayed harder and worked harder and researched more, she could save our grandma. But she couldn't, Dimitri. That bakery? It's going to kill her."

  "I'm trying to get her to cut back. I got her to go out for dinner and dancing last night."

  His eyes widened. "Benny? You got Benny to go to a club? Damn! She must really love you."

  Dimitri chuckled. "Apparently so."

  Serious now, Johnny said, "Promise me that if you help her restart the business, you won't let her work these eighty and ninety hour weeks. Make her rest. Make her live."

  "I will, Johnny."

  The kid extended his hand and Dimitri gripped it tightly. "I know thank you isn't enough for all you've done for me, but it's all I got."

  Dimitri squeezed Johnny's hand and nodded. "It's enough."

  Chapter Fifteen

  I'd always wanted to snoop around on a luxury yacht but I'd never thought it would be like this. Under the cover of darkness, and after two car and driver switches, Dimitri slid his arm around me and hustled me toward the gleaming white yacht on the very end of the exclusive marina slip. I was quickly led onto the ship and into a beautifully decorated living area.

  "Benny!" Yuri grinned and opened his arms as he came toward me. He engulfed me in a bear hug and pecked my
cheek. "It's good to see you again. I'm sorry the circumstances are less than ideal."

  I held tight to his hand. "Thank you for this, Yuri. I don't how I'll ever repay you."

  "Don’t worry about it. I owed you."

  I frowned. "Owed me? For what?"

  "You helped me smooth things over with Lena."

  My eyes widened with surprise. "She accepted your job offer?"

  He laughed. "No, but she did follow me back on Twitter this morning. That's progress."

  "Um…sure." Was this how romantic overtures began in the era of social media?

  He smiled and gestured toward a slightly ajar door. "Johnny's waiting for you. Why don't you take a moment with him before the lawyer gets here?"

  I glanced at Dimitri. "What lawyer?"

  "Johnny wants to sign over his interests in the house and bakery. We need to get that taken care of before he leaves."

  I didn't like being in the dark about the lawyer situation but wasn't going to argue with Dimitri here. Later, in private, I'd let him know that while I enjoyed him taking care of things, I also wanted to be kept in the loop when it was this important.

  Stepping away from Dimitri and Yuri, I entered the other room. Johnny sat in a low chair near a big, wide window. The view of the night ocean was stunning, especially with the moonlight reflecting on the smooth surface. He smiled at me and beckoned me closer.

  I knelt in front of him and hugged him carefully. "You look so much better."

  "I feel better."

  My gaze moved over him slowly. I wanted to reassure myself that he truly was all right and would make a full recovery. I spotted something new on his neck. "What's this?"

  He winced as he pointed to the spot where he'd once had that ugly Hermanos tattoo. "Yuri wanted it covered up. He says the clients he brings onto the yacht don't mind tattoos in general but the obvious gang tats make them nervous."

  I studied the dramatic angel wings the tattoo artist had applied over the numbers and letters. He'd skillfully hidden the gang mark. I glanced at Johnny with some surprise. "Angel wings?"

  He shrugged. "Yuri saw my full name on my license and passport when Dimitri brought them earlier this afternoon. The guys I'm going to work with are already calling me Johnny Angel."

  I squashed a smile. "Sorry."

  "I think this is karma."

  I moved to the empty chair next to him and held his hand. "Santos came by this morning. He wants you to come in, presumably so you can finger the shooters who killed your friends." I hesitated before asking, "Are you sure you want to run?"

  "I don't want to, Benny, but I know it's the only way to survive. I've done some stupid shit in the last year or so but I've never done anything violent. Last night? Getting shot and watching my friends get their brains blown out right next to me?" He shook his head. "I can't live that way anymore. I can't put you at risk either. My crew will expect me to pick up a gun and go after those bastards. The other gang? They're going to want to kill me to keep me quiet."

  He wasn't saying anything I hadn't already considered. I'd hoped it would help to hear him say it but it didn't. "I'm really going to miss you, Johnny."

  "Yuri says you'll be welcome to visit whenever you want. If I do well on this ship, he'll move me to the crew on his big yacht. They sail the Mediterranean with that one. That would be a nice vacation, right?"

  "Sure." I nodded, teary-eyed now. "I just wanted so much better for you."

  His dark eyes shimmered. "I did this to myself, Benny. This wasn’t your fault. God knows you tried to keep me in line."

  Holding my brother's hand, I tried to keep my grief at losing him in check. If I started sobbing, I might never stop. Beside me, Johnny shifted in his chair. He gently tugged his hand free from mine and reached into the pocket of the new jeans he wore. I realized someone had picked up new clothes for him. Dimitri? Yuri? Kostya? I wasn't sure who I owed a thank you.

  Johnny darted a nervous look at the doorway. Assured it was clear, he thrust a phone into my hands. "Keep this hidden. Give it to Santos when you see him."

  I shoved the phone into the pocket of my jeans and lowered my voice to a whisper. "Why?"

  "It's Diego's phone. He was making a video of some hot girls right before that SUV pulled up next to us. He caught all of it." He grimaced. "Don't watch it, Benny. Just give it to Santos. He'll know what to do with it."

  I licked my lips and considered what I knew of police procedures from TV shows and books. "I don't think they can use it as evidence, Johnny. I'm pretty sure they require someone who was there to validate it."

  "It's the best he's going to get. Ain't nobody gonna talk, Benny. At least this way, the cops will know who did it. They'll be able to watch them and maybe catch them before they hurt someone else."

  Movement near the door caught my attention. I nodded at Johnny, letting him know I'd do as he'd asked. Dimitri entered the room with a couple of men I didn't recognize a few steps behind him. Dimitri stood next to my chair and put his hand on my shoulder. He gently rubbed my back and smiled down at me.

  Yuri came into the room and shut the door firmly behind him. He clapped his hands together and grinned. "Let's get down to business. Peter, I'd like to introduce you to Benny and Johnny Burkhart. Benny, Johnny, Peter is a lawyer I trust a great deal. This is his associate, Hank. He's a notary. They've agreed to help us out with this sticky little situation."

  I caught Yuri's use of the word us. "And who exactly is us?"

  "You, me and Johnny," Yuri said while gesturing between the three of us. "You are going to sell me that building."

  "What?" I looked at Johnny who seemed just as surprised.

  A glance to Dimitri revealed the same shock on his face. He frowned and addressed Yuri in Russian. I caught Jonah's name but nothing else. It occurred to me that I might need to seek out Vivi's services in the same way Erin had.

  Yuri just shrugged and said, "I'm bored. The idea of rattling his cage amuses me."

  I didn't know whether to laugh or scold him. "Yuri, you don't want to get involved with this guy. He's a jerk. Anyway our building isn't worth that much now. That whole area has been zoned for this retail development. You wouldn't be able to sell it to anyone but him."

  "I know. That's what makes this whole thing so entertaining. Can you imagine the look on his face when he realizes he has to negotiate with me?" He grinned evilly and laughed harder. "But it's not about the money to me. It's about reminding someone who has been very lucky in business that he should remember where he started." Yuri pointed to the floor. "At the very bottom."

  "How much?" Johnny asked rather indelicately.

  I gawked at him. "Johnny!"

  "What?" He shot me a look like he thought I was crazy. "It's bound to be more than Jonah Krause offered. You need that money, Benny. If you're going to start over, you need cash. If he's going to sue you because I drove into his building, you'll need money so you can settle out of court. I'm just asking how much Yuri's putting on the table."

  The lawyer, Peter, cleared his throat and turned a notepad toward us. The number written on it was a fair price. It was only a few thousand less than I would have asked as a starting point in negotiations with anyone else.

  Before I could even consider it, Johnny stated, "We'll take it."

  I snapped my gaze to him. "No, we won't. We have to discuss this."

  "Benny, for once in your damn life, will you just take the money and run? You don't have to think everything to death. Say yes and let's be done with this. Let's cut Jonah Krause out of our lives for good."

  I swallowed hard. Maybe Johnny was right. Was there anything to consider here? Yuri was offering me a decent price for the building. It was enough to clear all of the debt and get us set up in a new place. A better, more vibrant neighborhood where our bakery and the deliciously authentic food we created would be appreciated.

  Finally, I nodded. "All right. We'll take it."

  I felt Dimitri's sigh of relief. His hand relaxed on my s
houlder. He bent down and kissed my cheek. I could tell he was just as happy as Johnny to see this chapter closed.

  "You can stay in the building until you get a new location ready." With a teasing smile aimed at Dimitri, he added, "But your rent just went up."

  As Yuri and Dimitri joked with one another, Johnny and I read through the contract and the legal papers giving me control of Johnny's shares of the building, the business and the house. Even though I trusted Yuri not to cheat me, I read the pages of legalese twice. It was straight-forward and I understood everything clearly.

  We signed our names, and in twenty minutes, it was all done. The lawyer and his notary left. Yuri's crew brought in a nice dinner. The kind gesture let me spend more time with Johnny—but it wasn't enough.

  Soon, it was time to go. The yacht was leaving Texas waters that night for the Caribbean. As much as I didn't want to leave Johnny behind, I wanted him safe and happy more.

  "I love you, Johnny."

  He squeezed me so hard I couldn't breathe. "I love you, Benny."

  "Be safe."

  "I will."

  "And call me."

  He laughed. "I will."

  Reluctantly, I pulled away from him. Dimitri shook his hand and gave him a clap on the back before sliding an arm around my waist. Our tearful parting tore at my gut and left my heart aching and empty. Only Dimitri's strong arms wrapped around and supporting me kept me from collapsing onto the pier and sobbing.

  Safe inside the private car, Dimitri tugged my seatbelt into place and dragged me as close to him as possible. I buried my face in the warm crook of his neck and cried softly as he stroked my hair. He whispered sweetly and assured me that this was the best thing for Johnny. It was his chance to start over, to see the world, to grow up and become a man. I prayed that was true.

  By the time we reached his apartment, it was nearly two in the morning. All cried out, I experienced such sadness now. For nineteen years, Johnny and I had been joined at the hip. Lately, things had been tense between us but there had still been good times. The idea of never seeing him over the breakfast table or playing video games until we passed out on the living room floor left me nearly breathless with grief.