3 hours in and still no word. They were waiting on the border of Olivewood and No-mans-land. Dimitri lit up another cigarette and steps out of the Maybach, growing more frustrated by the minute. He knew these types of extractions took time, he only managed to get his mother out 3 days after she was kidnapped. But Amaranthe did not have that kind of time. She was being tortured, had a weak heart, and a child in her womb. That was if the child was still alive. His wife was tough, she knew how to defend herself. This was why her getting taken surprised him so. Was she distracted that morning? Had she given up? He stopped questioning Amaranthe’s motives and raked his fingers through his hair, annoyed at the silence. The Maybach door opens, “Sir,” Michael calls to him and holds out his phone. “Russo is on the line.”Dimitri drops his cigarette and takes the phone from him. “Russo, please tell me you have her.” He urges, the desperation in

AmarantheHer eyelids felt heavy.Amaranthe opens her eyes to a dimly lit room. “Where am I?” She thinks, her mind muddled and vision blurred. As she attempts to focus her eyes and move, she felt her arms pinned down. Her memories start to resurface. To her horror, the scent of blood hit her and she realized that she was still in the basement. With the Enforcer holding her down so he could make her dirty - destroying her last bit of dignity. “NO!” she struggles to scream out, but he stifled it. “LET ME GO!!” She cries however no words come to the surface. Her body screamed out in agony while trying to get away from him. Then she felt the tears roll down her cheeks and her heart plummeted; her rescue had merely been an elaborate escape mechanism.“Amaranthe!”Why did that sound like Dimitri? Was she losing her mind again? “us

DimitriDimitri stares at his screen, contemplating his next move. The Irish back home were retaliating after he took out their Moscow section 6 months ago. His Brigadier in Russia was handling it as much as he could, but he knew they would go over to Russia soon. Truth be told, he hated New York, Moscow was his home. New York had no pull for him, but his infamy here had been growing even without Viktor Baranov to lead.He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. Move to Moscow or continue in New York?“Lyubov’ moya?” Came the voice of Amaranthe as she knocked on his study door. He smiled at her singsong voice and told her to enter. She opens the door with a smile on her face, and Dimitri’s wind gets knocked from him again. Her beauty was unparalleled, even if she only saw herself as ordinary or plain. That she had grasped his mother tongue meant more to him than he would ever show.

Dimitri“Amaranthe, you are beautiful. So much so, that women in your presence are intimidated. You are a queen. Now, please hurry, our guests are expecting us.” Dimitri drawls, exasperation evident in his voice. His wife felt insecure this evening, and he learned why. Her cane made her feel even more insecure than before. “And if anyone tries to say something about your cane, beat them with it.”“Dimitri!” She exclaims and smacks him on his shoulder, but giggles nonetheless. He held her in his arms, “You are exquisite, moye solntse,” He starts, cupping her face in his palms. “Whenever I see you, you take my breath away. What everybody else thought of you should not bother you. You are a Bratva Queen, they are nothing but lowly peasants compared to you. I will keep reminding you of this until you believe it.” He asserts, kissing her forehead. A smile passed over her lips and her shoul

DimitriDimitri watched Kieran as his entourage filled the study. It was only him and his three men. Dimitri had Sergei, Lev, and Boris so they were equal.“Now, Teague.” Dimitri starts and sits down at his desk. “You spoke of a truce. Why should the Bratva trust the Irish when they were the ones who murdered our Pakhan?” Dimitri starts the negotiations without skipping a beat. He had to start before the Irishman got even more on his nerves. Kieran already tried to set him off by flirting with Amaranthe, so he was already on edge.He sat down opposite Dimitri and leaned backward. “You have to admit this will be mutually benefitting to the both of us. There are places in Manhattan that Bratva fingers cannot reach. The same with me. The upper east side and Brooklyn are off-limits to us. I am sure if we came to an accord, we could make each other a lot of money.”“Money is the last thing on my mind,