Ivan 2 (Her Russian Protector #9) - Roxie Rivera Page 0,57

stop to the grappling happening on the mats. Barefooted, he stepped onto the mats and tapped the shoulder of the newest fighter to join our camp. Davor had come to Houston with his older brother Dragan who had signed to play with the Rockets. Both brothers were big. Dragan, the basketball player, was taller than Ivan, Sergei, and Ten. He sometimes came to the Warehouse to work out or watch Davor train.

Cody, the fighter who had been training with Davor, took a water break. Ivan slipped into his place and began to teach and correct Davor. In moments like this, watching the way he patiently explained and practiced with his fighters, I saw a glimpse of our future as parents. Ivan was so ready to be a father, and I hoped with every fiber of my being that someday I would stand here on the edge of the gym floor and watch him teach our son or daughter how to defend themselves.

I spotted Ruby coming out of the utility room with a stack of freshly laundered towels. She placed them on the shelves outside the locker rooms and took the hamper crammed with dirty towels back to the washers. Pleasantly surprised to see her working so hard, I made my way across the gym to the office.

My feet were aching, and I dropped into my desk chair and kicked off my red suede pumps. They were a gorgeous pair of shoes, but they murdered my arches and pinky toes. I flexed my feet and sighed with relief, all the while wondering if I could convince Ivan to rub my feet later. Of course, he would start with my feet and end up with his hands somewhere much higher.

“Hey! You’re back.” Ruby swept into the office. She picked up my purse from the chair where I had left it and sat down with it on her lap. “How were all your meetings?”

“Boring, but at least, I had Kir with me for entertainment.”

“He’s funny?”

“He is.”

“He talks?” She narrowed her eyes. “Like actual words?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? Because when I met him the other day, he grunted and that’s it.”

I shrugged. “Sounds like that’s more on you than him.”

“What could he possibly have to talk that you would find interesting?”

“Ancient astronauts.”

“Oh, come on!” Ruby laughed. “Really?”

“Yep. He’s sending me some links later.”

“Oh, lord! Please promise me you’re not going to turn into one of those Area 51 loonies!”

“No promises. He had some convincing arguments.”

She shook her head. “And so it begins.”

Laughing, I signed into the gym’s email and started sorting through my inbox. “What do you think of working here?”

“It’s okay.”

I could tell she was trying to play it cool so I didn’t push. “Nobody has hassled you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ivan laid down the law.”

I grinned. “Yeah, he’s like that.”

“Overprotective?”

“Yes.” I tried to concentrate on the emails in my inbox, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Teague. Needing to tell someone, I said, “I saw Teague.”

She frowned. “Where?”

“At Mueller’s office.”

“Teague was with that Himmler wannabe?”

“Yes! I mean—that's weird, right? Did you ever...? Like...did I just not see it?”

“I told you he was trouble. Do you remember? Your second date, right? I told you that he was hiding something, and you wouldn’t listen.”

“To be fair, your judgment wasn’t exactly the best at the time.”

“Neither was yours considering how Teague turned out,” she shot back.

Instead of being mad, I smiled. “It’s kind of nice to sit here and have you snark back at me.”

She rolled her eyes. “You are so sappy.”

“And?”

“Don’t expect me to start talking about my feelings.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

She stood up, put my purse back on the seat, and wandered over to the security system monitors. “Do you think he’s in on it?”

“Who? Teague?”

She nodded. “You told me knew what those men said to you in the parking lot attack. He wasn’t there, obviously, because you would have recognized him, but he may know the guys who did it. Maybe they’re Mueller’s guys, too.”

“Maybe,” I said, thinking she was probably right. “Do you think the guard who hurt you—Kavanaugh—is part of Mueller’s organization?”

She turned away, putting all of her attention on the monitors. After a tense moment, she said, “He has a pair of lightning bolts on his chest and 1488 on his neck, under his collar. There was something else on his leg, but I never got a clear look at it.”

She never got a clear look at it while she was being raped.

My heart broke, and my stomach ached painfully