Ivan 2 (Her Russian Protector #9) - Roxie Rivera Page 0,54
she neared the mats where two of his fighters grappled and signaled for her to join him. She stopped at his side and watched them. He glanced down at her and asked, “Do you want to learn?”
Seemingly stunned by his question, she stared up at him with confusion. “What?”
“Do you want to learn to fight?”
She looked around as if she thought she were being set up for a prank. “But...you don’t train women.”
“You’re family. It’s different.” He kept his arms crossed, and his jaw set. “It would be good for Erin to have a partner closer to her size.”
“Why?”
“Why does Erin need a smaller partner than me?”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Why are you offering to teach me?”
“Because you need to know how to defend yourself.”
“From?”
“Anyone stupid enough to try you,” he replied, glancing down at her with a wry smile.
She returned his grin. “Okay. I’m game.”
He nodded. “Good. We’ll start in the morning.”
Chapter Fourteen
“You sure you want to go in there alone?” Kir asked as we rode the elevator to the top floor of James Mueller’s headquarters.
“Yes.”
Kir looked uneasy. “I promised Ivan I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean that literally.”
“I’d rather not find out if I’m wrong.”
“I’ll be fine,” I assured him. The hulking fighter and enforcer for Nikolai grunted unhappily at my decision, but he didn’t argue further as we stepped out of the elevator and into the reception area of the firm. After I spoke with the receptionist, he directed us to a private waiting area outside of Mueller’s office.
Just as we sat down on the sleek sable leather chairs, an indignant shout penetrated the office door in front of us. Kir and I exchanged surprised glances as the angry shouts continued. I wasn’t able to decipher any of the actual words. The room was too well constructed, and the door was thick and heavy. Whatever was being said, it wasn‘t good.
The door burst open suddenly, and I was stunned to see Teague storming out of the office. He must have been just as shocked to see me because he froze right there in front of the open door. I took in the sight of his wrinkled suit and stained shirt. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot with deep circles. He seemed on the verge of his losing his mind.
When Teague stepped toward me, Kir instantly rose from his seat and moved between us. With a click of his teeth, Kir gestured to the elevator. “Keep walking.”
Teague didn’t have the energy to argue. He dropped his gaze like a beat dog and left without a word. I stared after him, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into and what it had to do with Mueller. The idea that Mueller might be connected to the attack on Zoya and me began to grow. Was that how Teague knew what was said to me during the attack? Had Mueller ordered it? Or was there some other shadowy hand at work?
I didn’t have time to think of all consider all of those possibilities. The doors to the elevator had just closed when Mueller walked out of his office to greet me. His gaze jumped to Kir and then back to me. He extended his hand toward me and apologized. “I’m sorry about that. Teague is having a rough couple of weeks.”
“Clearly,” I replied dryly. “This is Kir. He’s a good friend.”
“Kir.” Mueller extended his hand and flashed the briefest wince as Kir clamped his hand in a vise-like grip. He stepped aside and gestured for me to enter his office. “Whenever you’re ready.”
I didn’t miss the way he tried to hide the flex of his fingers at his side. Hopefully, Kir hadn’t actually broken any of them. Giving Kir a look, I indicated the seat he had just vacated, and he reluctantly sat. I walked into the office and was instantly drawn to the floor to ceiling windows overlooking Discovery Green. “This is quite a view, Mr. Mueller.”
“James,” he insisted. “And, yes, it is.” He stopped next to me to enjoy the view. “I walked into this room, looked out these windows and decided I didn’t need to waste time looking at any other buildings. This was the perfect one for my Houston expansion.”
“You chose well.”
“A smart man takes what he wants when he sees it.”
A shiver of unease coursed down my spine. I studiously ignored his sidelong glance, not wanting to confirm my suspicion about his meaning. If