Trapped (Sinners of Boston #5)

14. Delilah

FOURTEEN

DELILAH

Men .

Just when you needed them the most, they disappeared. I hadn’t heard from Santino in days. I expected him to get bored eventually, but with Ivan accosting me in broad daylight, hinting that Dimitri was closing in, it was bad timing. I needed to be close to Santino when my ex found me.

And he would find me.

I still hadn’t told Santino about Ivan, even though I should have. Santino had this way of making everything feel… manageable. He was turning into the one steady thing in all this chaos. But did that make him less of a threat? Maybe not to my body, but definitely to my heart.

Santino wasn’t Dimitri. He didn’t control me, didn’t hit me, didn’t treat me like garbage. He listened to me, and he made me feel safe. But what if that safety was just the bait?

The keys still messed with my head. He obviously wanted more. A stupid part of me didn’t hate the idea. But guys like him never gave without expecting something back. The keys were just another way to own me. I couldn’t let that happen again.

He acted like he didn’t care about getting me knocked up. In what world was that normal? If I got pregnant, he’d take this obsession to another level. Thankfully, I’d taken a test, and it was negative. That didn’t rule out a pregnancy completely, but I’d messaged my doctor and had her rush a delivery of birth control pills. Uncertainty gnawed at me. I paced the living room, back and forth past the packed boxes of inventory. My pride faltered, and I sat down on the sofa and texted him.

When am I seeing you again?

His reply came a minute later.

Santino

You told me to back off.

If you want to see me, ask.

I pursed my lips.

Great. He was probably still pissed about the other day. Maybe he was busy. After all, he ran half of Boston’s underworld. Or maybe he was with someone else. That gnawed at me.

I forced myself to stand again, knees wobbling. I needed to think. I had to stay calm and figure out my next move. Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady the whirlwind of emotions inside me.

The phone rang.

I answered with a grin. “Hey, Santino.”

“Santino?” my ex’s voice growled from the speaker.

My fingers clenched around the phone. “How did you get this number?”

“Who the fuck is Santino?” Dimitri snarled.

“He’s a good friend.”

I couldn’t hear anything, not even his breathing, but he was there. Seething. Connecting the dots. Silence used to be his favorite weapon. He’d come home sometimes, fists balled, his steel gaze sweeping over me. We’d pass a whole dinner in silence before I’d beg him to tell me what I did wrong.

Dimitri let out a low laugh. “You’re baiting me.”

“Nope. It’s the truth.”

“Where have you been, Delilah?”

I swallowed the bile in my throat. “I don’t owe you the answer to that question.”

“You stood me up at our wedding.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. That does merit an explanation.” I blew out a breath. “How long did it take before you figured out I’d left?”

He laughed again. “I’ll have to see if you’re this funny in person.”

My head throbbed. “Where are you?”

“Here.”

“What does here mean?”

“I’m around. That’s all you need to know.” Dimitri’s oily tone hinted at impatience, not rage. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

“I wish I could say the same.”

He clicked his tongue. “That’s not a nice thing to say to a fiancé you haven’t seen in two months. You should be more grateful for me. There aren’t many guys who’d put up with you.”

“Poor thing,” I mocked. “How many black eyes did you have to cover up with makeup?”

He paused on the other end of the line. I could picture him, jaw clenched, that one crazy vein in his neck pulsating. “You always had a sharp tongue. I’ll have to remind you what happens when you use it.”

“You’ll never see me again.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, kotyonok . Maybe I’m waiting outside your door right now. Or maybe I’m giving you a chance to come to your senses. To be the good girl I know you can be.” An erotic tone entered his voice, flooding me with nausea. “Come to me now, and I’ll go easy on you. I’ll let you pick your punishment.”

“Go to hell.”

“Mhm. I’m at the Hilton in Back Bay in case you change your mind.”

He’s in Boston .

My spine went rigid. “Stay away from me.”

He chuckled. “Still afraid of me, huh?”

The taunt jabbed at me. Our engagement had only lasted a few weeks, but he’d controlled me since the day my father introduced us. Months before we became official. My father hadn’t warned me in the slightest about Dimitri. He’d tossed me to a wolf without a second’s hesitation.

“I’m done with you, Dimitri.”

“We both know you can’t run forever.”

“I’ll die before I go back to you.”

A long pause. Then he laughed. “You always were dramatic. You love the thrill of the chase. That’s why you ran, to see if I’d follow.”

My pulse quickened. “I ran because you’re a monster.”

“I might be, but I still own you?—”

I ended the call, throwing the phone onto the bed like it burned my hand. He was too close. I could feel it. If I stayed, he’d find me.

I had to leave.

I grabbed a bag, my mind racing. In went my Fred Perry polos, skirts, and dresses that Dimitri complained were too low-cut. I carefully packed the most valuable vintage pieces and essential documents. Each item stowed away was a piece of the future I was determined to salvage. It killed me to leave behind my vinyl, but I couldn’t fit everything in the bag.

Then I took a taxi to a hotel where Santino had a standing reservation. I raided the minibar as soon as I checked in. Santino would notice it on the bill, but I didn’t care. I needed to steady myself. Once the headache throbbing in my temples disappeared, I dialed Santino.

He picked up on the second ring. “Hey.”

His smoky voice rolled over my ears, calming me instantly.

“Where are you?”

“At an event right now,” he said, the noise in the background dimming. “Boring work thing.”

“Oh, I see.”

Static crackled.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I bit my lip. “Why does something have to be wrong?”

“I hear it in your voice.”

My heart pounded as Dimitri’s words replayed in my head. Still afraid of me, huh? The bastard was so smug. Like terrorizing women made him such a big man. I didn’t want to run to Santino. I wanted to handle Dimitri myself.

And I knew exactly what to do.

Sighing, I carefully gathered my thoughts. “I don’t like how we left things at the ring. I want to see you.”

Santino paused. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”

Relief hit me hard. Santino wasn’t the type to leave me hanging. He’d show up, and just knowing that made my chest feel lighter.

“I’m at the hotel right now. I needed a change of scenery.”

“I’ll meet you there and bring you to the event.”

“Where am I going?”

“A charity gala for the Boston Hope Initiative. It’s at a museum on the wharf. Get dressed and meet me downstairs.”

“Alright.”

Santino didn’t say anything for a while. “And if anybody’s bothering you, tell me. I need to know.”

It was easy to fall for Santino’s gestures—the way he protected me, took care of me, made me feel wanted. It was intoxicating. But wasn’t that how it always started? A few whispered promises, and suddenly, I was back in a cage. How long until the man I relied on became another monster?

I wanted to trust Santino, but the more I believed it, the more that voice in my head insisted that I was setting myself up for heartbreak.

I twisted a strand of hair around my finger. “I’m fine.”

He sighed. “See you soon.”

Guilt nagged at me as I hung up.

But then I kept replaying the words of that smug asshole. Dimitri was so sure I’d run back to him. That I hadn’t moved on with another man. I could’ve told him, but the ultimate revenge would be showing him.

I texted the number Dimitri called me from.

I won’t come to you, but I’m willing to meet.

UNKNOWN

Where?

I forwarded the address for the museum.

I would survive. I would find a way to live my life free of Dimitri’s shadow. No matter what it took, I’d never let him control me again.