"What about the truce?" she asked. She looked over at Dorian for answers.
"He is right about one thing. There can be no truce," Dorian explained. His face changed. He no longer looked trusting. "Because he will never stop and I will never forgive."
"He planted it on our jet, Royal. He plans nothing more than to eliminate our family, and if you are not compliant to eliminate you," Dmitry said, standing strong. "Look around, Dorian. While your men scatter at the very sight of this contraption that you yourself built, my men are ready to die… to stop this now. And we will die. I came here to stop you for good. And as much as I love my wife, if I have to take her with me to stop this, I will. You will not have her or my daughter or my son. You will not destroy another life like did with your half-sister, Ari."
Royal put her hands on her head and looked down at the floor. So that was the connection. Ivan's dead wife was Dorian's sister. It would explain why Ivan was sexually fixated with her. It would explain why Dorian wanted her here. It would explain why this had to end, why it would not stop. She sighed.
"I didn't destroy her. You did when sent Ivan to kill me, when you killed her, when you killed your own brother," Dorian shot back.
"So much of a holy man, yet so out for revenge," Dmitry noted. "Hypocrite."
"An eye for an eye, Dmitry," Dorian said. "If it's of any consequence, I have no plans of hurting her. And I think I'll make a fine father."
Falling to her knees, Royal cried out.
"You lied to me, Dmitry. You said you that you would never return," she said on the ground in tears. "Now look at all that you've caused again!"
"I am sorry, my love. I only did this for the family. I had no desire to return."
"Why couldn't you just walk away?"
"Did you think if this deal went down, even if I did not participate that it would not affect our family? This is about him and his vendetta."
"You lied to me," she cried. "You lied!"
Dorian walked over to her. He placed a hand on her exposed shoulder. He felt for the confused woman. She had been doubly deceived.
It was never his intention to form a truce. It was only his intention to expose Dmitry as Ivan had failed to do and take her away from the life that she hated, where she was guarded and unable to even have her own name. Plus, it was an eye for an eye. A wife for a wife. A life for a life.
"I will give you the life that you deserve," he said softly to Royal. "You and your beautiful daughter. I will listen to you. I. Will. Love. You.," he said convincingly. "I will not deny you a full existence. He will. Can't you see that now?"
The sight infuriated Dmitry beyond control. He howled out. "How dare you! I will kill the very thought of you! This is my country! This is my shit! That is my fucking wife! And you, you are not without blame. You have killed, murdered, destroyed no differently than me. Now you feel entitled to my life?" He foamed at the mouth like a mad dog. "The only mistake I ever made was not killing you myself, but I'll rectify it tonight."
Dmitry's men prepared to strike, guns pointed, eyes focused. The other men scurried to the door, some snuck out quietly, running away from a sure detonation.
"I will blow this entire city to high fucking hell, and I will laugh as I do it before I let you take her and destroy her anymore than she has already been harmed by my sick-ass brother, or your whore of sister, or my own sins."
"Ah, now the truth comes out, brother." Dorian laughed. "You are jealous."
"You and Ivan were a monstrosity!" Dmitry screamed. "The both of you! Worthless men who would hide their hand after throwing a rock. Scared little boys, the both of you. Both unworthy of living. Well, one is dead. One is left."
"Stop," Royal cried.
"And you the big bad wolf that never hid anything but his money. How are you so different?"
"When I kill a man, I do it face-to-face. I never hide behind bomb. I never hide my fucking hand."
"But you could so easily hide everything else," Dorian countered. "Even from the woman that you claim to love."
"He's right, Dmitry," Royal cried. "I'm tired of being something that I'm not. You lied. How can I trust again? We are not even married. I am a fraud. This marriage is a fraud. This man has offered me peace. He has offered me a new life. And you would rather kill me than see me happy."
Dorian smiled. He was happy to have her feed in although she was so terribly wrong.
"Royal?" Dmitry whispered her named. "Royal, what are you saying? Do you know what he will do to you? He will destroy you. He will destroy our child, our dreams. I love you. You are my wife. You are my entire world!"
"Lies! All lies!" she screamed.
Still on her knees, she placed her hands firmly on the ground under the bottom of her long, flowing black dress and rocked herself while Dorian looked over at Dmitry, satisfied with how her words had dismantled him. She cried aloud, cried for the pain, cried for the rape, cried for her daughter, cried until she was nearly invisible in the room.
"That's it, motherfucker," Dmitry said, headed for him.
Dorian welcomed it. He braced himself for the rush.
Then sly, curled up on the floor, Royal pulled the gun from under
