LITMIR.BIZ

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diminished.”

      “Why did you not kill him when you discovered he was responsible for the death of your mother?”

      Dimitri lifted his brows, startled by the blunt question. “He was a powerful nobleman and I was a mere boy,” Dimitri reminded her, his tone dry.

      “I cannot believe that is what deterred you.”

      “You think I was born a bloodthirsty criminal? Or perhaps you assume all bastards are without morals?”

      A blush stained her cheeks, but she refused to be cowed. An unfortunate habit.

      “I think you loved your mother and would move heaven and earth to avenge her death.” She narrowed her gaze, studying him with unnerving perceptiveness. “So why do you hesitate?”

      “Because death is not enough,” he roughly admitted. “I want to make certain that Count Nevskaya and his cronies publicly suffer for what they have done.”

      The hazel eyes darkened. “And how many girls have been hurt because you were more concerned with humiliating your father rather than making certain he was unable to abuse helpless children?”

      For perhaps the first time in his life, Dimitri Tipova was struck speechless as Emma turned on her heel and left him standing alone in the grotto.

      THERE WAS A HEAVY, gray chill in the air as Dimitri left his horse in the shadows of a high hedge, and walked toward the plain black carriage that waited on the elegant street corner.

      Wrapped in a heavy coat and muffler that served as his disguise, Dimitri cast a sour glance at the brooding clouds. Although St. Petersburg would always be his home, he often wondered if Czar Peter regretted his fierce determination to create an empire out of this wet, frozen landscape. The emperor had, after all, sacrificed an enormous number of his people, not only to the cold and disease and wolves as the city was being built, but also to keep his throne from a land-hungry Charles XII as well as uprisings from the Cossacks and even his own son, Alexei.

      With a shake of his head, he dismissed his inane thoughts and paused at the side of the carriage. Covertly glancing up and down the quiet street to ensure there were no prying eyes, he tugged open the door and climbed inside.

      He settled on the leather seat across from Josef, who kept his gaze trained on the window that offered a perfect view of Pytor Burdzecki’s town house.

      “Well?” he demanded.

      Attired in rough wool clothing more suitable for a dock-hand than a man who had acquired a small fortune over the past years, Josef grimaced.

      “Not so much as a leaf has stirred.”

      “And there has been no word from the others?”

      “Nothing.”

      Damn. He had commanded two dozen of his most trustworthy cutthroats to keep watch on the homes of those gentlemen he suspected were involved in his father’s nefarious amusements. The notes he had stumbled across had specifically mentioned noon, but unwilling to take any chances, Dimitri had demanded his employees hide themselves near the various homes before the crack of dawn.

      “You made certain the household servants were to be followed?” he demanded.

      With an offended expression, Josef reached for the nearby bottle of vodka and a large glass.

      “You do not pay me because I am careless.”

      Dimitri could not argue. Josef possessed a meticulous cunning that had made him a successful thief long before Dimitri had taken him beneath his wing.

      “Forgive me, Josef. I had convinced myself we could catch the bastards in the midst of their foul deeds.” He clenched his hands, needing a means to vent his simmering frustration. “Now it seems they are to elude me yet again.”

      Josef gave a lift of his shoulder. “The messages you discovered had no date. It could be they mean the next Friday.”

      “Or a Friday long past and once again I am too late,” he snapped.

      “Here.” Pouring a large measure of the vodka, Josef shoved a glass into his hand. Dimitri swallowed the potent liquor, grunting as he lowered the glass and Josef leaned forward to refill it. “Another.”

      He arched a puzzled brow. “Is there a reason you are plying me with vodka?”

      “I hoped it might sweeten your foul mood.”

      Dimitri scowled. “Of course my mood is foul. I do not appreciate being outwitted by a collection of aging reprobates.”

      “Those aging reprobates possess enough power to alter the course of history as they have too often proven,” Josef said, his voice harsh with disgust. Many of the noblemen were personally responsible for squashing Alexander Pavlovich’s attempts at reform in the early days of his reign. “Keeping a handful of peasant girls hidden would be a simple matter with a dozen estates and serfs who are too terrified to reveal the truth.” Josef leaned back in his seat, his gaze watchful. “And your mood has been foul since you last met with Emma Linley-Kirov.”

      Dimitri grimaced, swallowing his instinctive denial. Why bother? Anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path since Emma had abandoned him in Vanya’s grotto was painfully aware of his vile temper.

      “She holds me responsible for her sister’s abduction.”

      Josef sucked in a sharp breath. “Is she daft?”

      Dimitri polished off the last of the vodka. He had spent the night trying to comfort himself with the notion that Emma Linley-Kirov was a provincial spinster who was too naive and too stupid to comprehend the complexities of his revenge. A wasted effort. Nothing managed to ease the nagging sense of guilt.

      “She is annoyingly stubborn, headstrong and beautiful beyond reason, but I would never consider her to be daft.”

      “She must be if she would accuse you of harming children.”

      “She did not suggest that I personally forced a child into my bed, but rather that I stood aside and allowed others to continue with their loathsome deeds.”

      “What would she have you do?”

      “Kill them.”

      Josef blinked, staggered by the thought of a sweet, innocent maiden harboring such bloodthirsty desires. Then he lifted the flask to take a large swig of the vodka.

      “If she is so anxious to be rid of the bastards, then why does she not tend to the duty herself?” he muttered.

      Dimitri’s brows snapped together, a chill shivering down his spine. “Good God, do not say such a thing in her presence. She is quite capable of attempting murder if she thought it would save her precious sister.”

      “Perhaps she would discover it’s not a simple matter to rid society of its vermin.”

      Dimitri tossed aside his empty glass, casting a jaundiced glance out the window of the carriage.

      “Not simple, but not impossible, either.”

      “You have allowed the female to rattle your wits.”

      A humorless smile twisted his lips. Emma had rattled more than his wits. His long night of pacing the floor had not been solely due to her accusations. He had been hard and aching to bed the wench since she stormed into his office.

      “Rattled wits or not, she was not mistaken. My desire for revenge has allowed my father to continue his debauchery.”

      Josef muttered his opinion of overbearing spinsters and the stupidity of men who allowed them to interfere in his business.

      “The count is the villain, not you,” he at last snapped. “How many women have you taken under your protection over the years? Only an arrogant ass would believe he could rescue them all.”

      Dimitri turned back to meet his loyal servant’s scowl. “I can always depend upon you to keep

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