I slump down on the seat of the boat, hopelessness threatening to overwhelm me.

As the sun moves across the sky, I can’t bring myself to move. I stare blankly ahead of me as I process the past twelve hours.

Eventually, a weird calm settles over me.

It’s up to me to save myself.

But how?

I’m no match against Demitri.

I’ll have to try to catch him off guard, but not before I find the keys for the boat.

Sucking in a deep breath of air, I slowly turn my eyes toward the house.

The only thing I know for sure is that I won’t go down without a fight.

Chapter 5

DEMITRI

Giving Ariana time to process everything, I leave the front door open so she can come back inside when she’s ready and begin to make mac and cheese.

I have no idea what I’m going to do to keep myself busy while we’re here. Workouts. Checking the underground chatter. Chopping wood because the nights are cold out on the lake with winter right around the corner.

That’s it.

Fuck, I might just die of boredom before this is all over.

As I plate the food and grab two bottles of water from the fridge, I hear Ariana come inside. Instantly the atmosphere changes, her fear tensing the air.

Picking up my plate, a fork, and the water, I head to the living room and take a seat on one of the couches. “Come eat,” I tell Ariana before I bring a bite to my mouth.

Minutes pass with only silence behind me, but I can feel her eyes burning on the back of my head. Finally, I hear her pick up the plate, and a couple of seconds later, she comes to take a seat on the other couch.

I keep my eyes on my food, highly aware of every movement she makes. I won’t be surprised if she tries to attack me with the fork.

When I’m done eating, I place the plate on the coffee table, and taking a sip of water, my gaze settles on Ariana.

Her eyes keep darting to me, her body tense. Again I take in the unique hazel color of her eyes, giving the impression of liquid gold bleeding into the green ring around the irises.

She only eats a quarter of the food and finishes most of the water, then she gives me an apprehensive look. I raise an eyebrow at her, and it has her asking, “What about my mom?”

“What about her?”

“There’s no reason for you to go after her. She’s in a nursing home. She has Alzheimer's.”

Even though I know it’s a waste of time because Ariana won’t believe anything I say, I try to reassure her. “We’ll be notified if a hit is taken out on her. She should be safe for the time being.”

“Usually, if people like you try to take down a member of the Bratva, you eliminate the whole family,” she says, her voice trembling.