“Then answer me this: If I was in front of him, and you were too, and something bad was happening to you but he had the chance to take me out, do you believe he would sacrifice that to save you?”

My eyes water again, because I can’t honestly answer that. I don’t know what Dimitri would do.

“I can’t answer that, Hendrix, because I don’t honestly know. But I believe there’s a chance. I need you to let me have this.”

“And I’m giving it to you. Just don’t close your eyes, Jessie. Keep them wide open.”

I smile at his pet name for me—it’s been a while since he’s used it. At my smile, he smiles too and pulls me in for a hug.

“We’ve been worried about you. Indi has missed you.”

“I’ve missed her too. Tell her I’m okay. Tell her I said hi.”

“After she beats me, you mean?”

I giggle softly. “Yeah.”

We sit quietly for a moment, before I decide to ask him a question I’ve been needing an answer to.

“Hendrix?”

“Hmmm?”

“You weren’t out on the ocean. He looked for you, for two weeks . . . but you weren’t there.”

“I didn’t doubt Dimitri’s sources, Jessie. I knew he would be able to find me if he needed to, so leaving myself open was stupid. I needed to be smart and hit him on land—where he least expected it. I knew if he went out there and couldn’t find me, he would go back. So, I was tracking him. I kept myself hidden, but I have my contacts too. When he was heading toward Los Angeles, I knew he’d stop so I came too. I was tracking his location when you called.”

“I thought as much,” I admit. “I didn’t think you would have just left yourself open. Well . . . that’s not entirely true. There was a time there, when I saw all Dimitri’s weapons and contacts, I worried for you.”

He chuckles. “Don’t worry about me. I’m the ultimate, baby.”

I laugh. “I’m happy you’re here and I got to let you know I’m okay.”

“Me too, Jessie. Me too.”

Hendrix leaves after we eat something together. I hold back the tears as he walks out the door, promising to keep tracking me. He’s placed a device on my phone that will allow him to follow me if he needs to get to me at any time. He’s given me a month to change his mind, otherwise he’s coming back in to take me out. No doubt Dimitri too.

I sit on the bed and lean against the soft pillows. My mind won’t sway from Dimitri, and my heart won’t stop aching. He hurt me. He doesn’t realize how much. I know I have to call him, though, because he will turn this city upside down trying to find me if I don’t. I pull out the phone and stare down at the thirty missed calls on the screen.

With a deep breath, I lift the phone and dial his number, pressing it to my ear.

“Where the fuck are you?” he barks the minute he answers.

“If you’re going to talk to me like that, I’m not telling you.”

He’s silent and takes a deep breath. “Jess, where are you?”

I give him the address for the hotel.

“How did you get into a hotel?”

I hesitate. Shit, I never even thought of that.

“I, um, knew my credit card details by heart. They accepted it.”

“Yeah,” he says hesitantly. “Well, I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Okay.”

I hang up the phone and place it beside me, then I lean back into the pillows. I honestly don’t know what I’ll feel when I see Dimitri. My chest is constricting, my heart is pounding, and my head is telling me Hendrix is right. I close my eyes and focus on taking a few deep breaths. It’s important I don’t break down, that I approach Dimitri right about all this.

Or I’ll fail—and failing isn’t an option.

“Jess!”

I jerk my eyes open, and it seems like half an hour has passed in a blur. I must have drifted off. I stumble out of the bed and hurry to the door, swinging it open. Dimitri is standing, wearing a pair of faded jeans, a tight black tee, and unlaced boots. It looks like he’s just thrown some clothes on and run out. I stare up at his face, and gasp. His eye is black and his jaw is bruising.

“You’re hurt.”

He shrugs. “It happens. Can I come in?”

I nod, pushing the door open. He steps in, glancing around the room before turning to me.

“We need to talk.”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I know.”

I sit on the edge of the bed and he stands in front of me, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“I fucked up, Jess.”

I look up at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“I said I fucked up. I should have killed that son of a bitch without hesitation.”

I look away, feeling my cheeks heat. “Your revenge came first, Dimi.”

“Yeah, but I said I fucked up.”

I look up at him, and he stares right into my eyes. I can see the regret there. I sigh and rub my hands over my legs.

I hesitate for a moment, but I know this might be the only chance I have of getting things out of Dimitri that I haven’t been able to before. “Can I ask you something?”

He takes a step forward and sits beside me. “Yeah.”

“Will you answer me honestly?”

He sits on my question for a minute, before answering, “Yeah.”

I gather my courage and then I speak. “If I was in front of you, and I was in trouble, and Hendrix appeared too, what would you do?”