Betrothed (currently being edited)

Chapter 78-And the Truth Will Set You Free

She had managed yet again to impress everyone with her firearm skills.  One of Dimitri's men asked if he could ask her a question.  Dimitri looked to her and she said why not.  "When you were kidnapped how did you manage to get off two accurate shots.  They said both were head shots."  Well she knew sooner or later she would be asked so she was honest.  "I had grabbed onto the door jam at the club and was putting up a pretty good fight, so they hit me on the head just hard enough to make me compliant and get me into the car.  They were stupid enough to assume because I was a woman that I wouldn't be carrying so they didn't check for weapons.  I knew if they completed their task and got me to where they were taking me I wouldn't stand a chance.  So I buckled my seat belt..."  The same guy asked another question.  "Did they wonder why you did that?"  I started laughing.  "Yeah the passenger asked me what the fuck I was doing." I stopped laughing and continued.  "I told him it was unsafe to be unbuckled, pulled out my gun and shot him in the head; the driver tried to fight me while he was driving, I managed to kick him in the arm pretty hard and got another shot off."  The men looked stunned.  Another man asked a question.  "How did you learn to shoot?"  "Well I think my father was secretly wishing for a boy when he taught me to do things that I believe every woman should know how to do.  Protect herself from physical attacks, how to use a firearm, disassemble, reassemble, clean it, load it and shoot with accuracy, work on vehicles and be able to take care of her man in the kitchen and the bedroom."  This got lots of hoots and hollers and Dimitri just shook his head as I stood there and grinned at him.  "Okay" he said.  "Question and answer time is over.  I would like my wife back if you all don't mind."

Dimitri said he was going to fix us lunch and asked where I wanted to eat.  I told him I would like to eat on our balcony so I went ahead to our room and took my socks and boots off and went out to the balcony for a cigarette, my mind was running all over the place.  I had decided that now was as good a time as any to ask Dimitri what happened, a detailed account.  I wanted honesty and nothing left out.  I was deep in thought when my husband returned with sandwiches, chips and beer.  I never realized he was in the room much less on the balcony until I heard him call my name.  "Carina" he said.  I looked up at him, his face a little worried.  "Hey sorry" I said as I took the beer from his hands and sat it on the table.  "Where were you?" he asked.  I shook my head and said "Some place I didn't want to be but I have to know.  I'm ready to hear what you have to say about last Monday.  I want your honesty and don't leave anything out because you are trying to spare my feelings.  I hope you know I'm pretty strong and can handle the truth."  He pulled his chair out slowly and sat down.  "Is it okay to talk while we eat?" he asked softly.  I nodded and picked up my sandwich, taking a bite.

He started from the beginning.  "The night we were at Zeus and that man grabbed you on the dance floor, he was sent by a man named Yuri Asimov, the sperm donor otherwise known as your biological father."  That got my attention.  I swallowed hard as Dimitri continued.  "He was taken to one of my abandoned office buildings, tied to a chair and I beat the shit out of him for information."  Boy he wasn't softening the blow was he.  "It took about an hour before he broke.  That's why my hands looked like they did when I came back to the hotel.  When I felt like he'd told me the truth and left nothing out, I slit his throat, he died and we got rid of the body."  Okay then.  "Asimov was bound and determined to get his hands on you.  He is the one that had your mother killed and for that I am truly sorry Carina.  She died keeping you safe from him.  In his twisted mind he didn't see you as an heir or even his child, you were a threat and one that needed to be neutralized.  He was an alcoholic and a gambler.  His mind had been fried with alcohol a long time ago.  He wanted you gone, pure and simple.  When the kidnapping attempt failed that set him off.  We had reliable sources that told us he was going to set bombs off at Fusion killing you and anyone else who was there and he had hoped that he would get me to."  He stopped a moment to let his words sink in and then continued.  "I couldn't chance that he would go through with this so we devised a plan."  I interrupted him.  "When you say 'we' who are you talking about?"  "Marco, Mattias, Liam, Adriano and Alessio and of course me."  "Uh huh" I said.  He continued.  "We put the word out that I was coming after him, hoping that he would slip up and make a mistake.  He did.  A routine sweep of my car found a device.  Liam rigged a remote to the bomb and he detonated it via remote control; this was done to buy me two days worth of time to go to him and finish him off."  "So who was driving your car?"  I asked confused.  "Liam, via remote control.  That's why I had him 'drive' me that day instead of Mattias.  I needed his brain to pull this part of the operation off.  Asimov was four hours away, we tracked him down, subdued him and then after a few hours with him I ended his miserable life.  I kept in contact with Marco via a burner cell.  I only called him twice.  The first night it happened and the night you woke up and found me in our room."  

I looked at my husband with wonder and amazement.  The rational part of my brain understood why he did what he did, but my heart was still reeling from what I'd been put through for two days.  "Carina?" I heard him say my name as I just continued to stare at him.  He slid his hand over to mine and grasped it.  I didn't try to move it away or act repulsed; I grabbed it and squeezed then got up, left my chair and placed myself in his lap and put my arms around his neck, his arms going around my waist and just stayed like that for a while.  "That's why you were acting so weird the weekend of my birthday and Monday" I said sniffing.  "Yes" he said his voice thick with emotion.  "It was killing me knowing what I was about to do but everything had been set in motion and I wanted him gone, I didn't want you living the rest of your life looking over your shoulder.  I wanted you safe and I'd hoped and prayed that when it was over, when you'd heard the truth, you could forgive me."  I brought my mouth to his and said before kissing him "There is nothing to forgive.  It's over and done.  I don't want to talk about it ever again."  His body and mine relaxed as we sat there kissing each other with reckless abandon and leaving each other breathless.