“I can shoot him,” Roman said, his voice sounding almost inhuman as he pressed the gun harder against Sam’s temple.
Sam flinched.
Only the barely noticeable tension in Dominic’s jaw betrayed that the possibility bothered him. “You could,” he agreed, in the same creepily amicable tone. “But if you do, I’ll slit your boy’s throat.”
Roman gave a laugh. “It’s an empty threat, Bommer. If you’re an MI6 agent—and you probably are—you won’t.”
Dominic’s expression didn’t change. “I’m not an MI6 agent anymore. No one is monitoring me.” His lips twisted into something vaguely resembling a smile. “Was that Nietzsche who said that you can become a monster yourself if you fight monsters for too long? If you think I’m incapable of killing, you’re delusional. I’ve likely killed more people than you have.” He looked Roman in the eye, his gaze cold but his tone mild as he said quietly, “I can kill everyone in this house and make it look like an accident. It’s nothing I haven’t done before. But here’s the thing. I don’t give a fuck about you, Demidov. I’d rather not get more blood on my hands than I already have. I came for what’s mine. Let the boy go and we’ll all forget about it.”
Frowning, Sam eyed Dominic in confusion. Was he being honest? Surely Dominic hadn’t quit MI6? He loved his job!
The Russian gave a snort. “And you think you can threaten me, walk out of here, and go on with your life?”
He sounded amused, but Sam knew he didn’t really feel amused. He could sense the incredible tension in Roman’s body. For the first time, Sam considered the possibility that the seemingly heartless Russian might genuinely love Luke. There was no other reason for him not to shoot Dominic. He had a gun to Sam’s temple and security guards only a shout away. He had all the advantage in the world.
But it seemed the knife pressed to Luke’s throat negated all the advantage he had.
“I’m not threatening you,” Dominic said, his expression as cold as Roman’s. “I still think people like you belong in prison, but I have no interest in hunting you down. I’m not MI6 anymore and I’m no vigilante. The only thing I’m interested in is keeping people I care about safe.” He glanced at Luke before leveling his gaze back on Roman. “I’m sure you understand. Now kick the gun over here and let the boy go.”
There was a long, tense silence as Dominic and Roman stared each other down.
“Roma,” Luke said, breaking the silence. “I feel a bit dizzy.”
There was a small trickle of blood running down his neck. It didn’t look dangerous yet, but it seemed it was enough to sway Roman. Hissing something in Russian, Roman dropped the gun and kicked it toward Dominic before shoving Sam in that direction, too.
Sam stumbled and nearly fell, but Dominic’s hand caught his arm in an iron grip. Picking the gun up, Dominic all but dragged Sam out of the room.
The last thing Sam saw before the door closed after them was the look of relief on Roman Demidov’s face as he examined Luke’s neck, his other arm tight around his lover.
Maybe that man did have a heart, after all.
Chapter 33
As soon as he and Dominic were alone, Sam realized there was something off about Dominic. If it were not for the tight grip on Sam’s arm, Dominic paid him no attention, his dark eyes roaming up and down the corridor and looking anywhere but at him. Sam would think Dominic was just looking out for danger, but he could feel that it wasn’t just that.
“Nick?” Sam whispered uncertainly.
A muscle twitched in Dominic’s jaw. He ignored Sam.
His throat uncomfortably tight, Sam took the hint and shut up, following Dominic in silence.
To his surprise, Dominic headed for the front door.
“There’s security there,” Sam murmured.
Dominic said nothing. Realizing that Dominic had tucked the gun and the knife under his coat, Sam frowned. “Roman probably told them to stop us from leaving.”
Dominic continued ignoring him.
Sam glowered at him, starting to get pissed off, too. Yes, he had fucked up, but he’d almost succeeded! It was pure chance that Roman had returned home. Why was Dominic treating him that way?
Why won’t he look at me?
Sam was so upset by that that he couldn’t even feel vindicated when four armed guards met them by the front door.
Dominic just sighed in annoyance. Ignoring the guns aimed at him, he said, “Call your boss and let me talk to him for a few moments.”
The guards exchanged looks before one of them finally pulled a phone out. He said something in Russian before handing the phone to Dominic.
“If I don’t return within the hour, you’ll have MI6 knocking on your door,” Dominic said into the phone. “I’m sure you have better things to do on Christmas than answer uncomfortable questions.”