Ivan 2 (Her Russian Protector #9) - Roxie Rivera Page 0,14

secret to anyone in the room that Ruby was the weak link.

“There’s nothing to worry about there,” Nikolai decided. “She’s nothing to me or any of my soldiers and captains. Whatever she thinks she knows is complete and total bullshit. If she spins a tale for Eric, let him waste time chasing it down.”

“What about Zoya?” Yuri relentlessly prodded, bringing up yet another complication.

“She knows more about keeping quiet than most of us,” Nikolai remarked. He didn’t have to say anything more than that. They all knew the terrible story of Zoya’s mother.

“Other than chasing down some leads, what else can we do to help, Vanya?” Dimitri asked. “Do you want me to send some of my men to guard Erin? Have them tail her if you’d rather keep it low-key?”

He rubbed his face and admitted, “Erin will lose her shit if I hire a bodyguard without asking her. I wanted to call you at the hospital and hire someone right then and there, but I didn’t want to upset her.”

“Talk to her,” Dimitri urged. “If she’s agreeable, we can find someone she likes.”

“I will.” He already knew what her answer would be. “The most important thing to her is getting back her rings.”

Dimitri winced. “I doubt that’s possible.”

“I know,” he agreed, “but I have to try. I’ve already spoken to Besian. He used his pawn shop connection to get the word out that I want them back. If someone tries to get rid of them at a pawn or gold shop in town, I’ll find out about it.”

“If those assholes are smart, they’ll melt them down or throw them away,” Yuri warned.

“If they were smart, they wouldn’t have attacked the wife of one of my best friends.” Nikolai glanced at his watch. “Speaking of wives, I need to get mine home.”

Dimitri followed Nikolai’s example and stood. “It’s time for my girls to have their afternoon nap.”

“I thought Benny had taken a break from opening the bakery?” Yuri asked before polishing off the whiskey in his glass.

“There was a family emergency with one of her longtime employees,” Dimitri explained. “She’s back on early mornings until Connie’s mom is out of the stroke unit and into a rehab center.” He made a face. “But, fuck, that alarm at three in the morning is rough.”

“She needs to delegate to another employee,” Yuri advised, taking his dirty glass in one hand and slapping Dimitri on the back with the other. “I get it. She’s proud of her business. She’s protective of what her family built, but she deserves to enjoy the perks of being the owner...”

Ivan watched Dimitri and Yuri leave the office. Nikolai had remained behind, clearly hoping to catch him in a private moment. Worried he wouldn’t like whatever the boss had to say, he sighed and asked, “What?”

“Despite what I said earlier, if this girl is going to be a problem, I expect you to handle it.”

Ivan blew out a noisy breath. “You’re talking about my wife’s sister.”

Nikolai’s eyes were stone cold. “I know exactly what I’m saying.”

Ivan gritted his teeth and didn’t argue. He nodded stiffly. “I’ll handle it.”

“I know you will.” Signaling that he was finished discussing it, Nikolai rose and buttoned the front of jacket.

Fighting the urge to give Nikolai the finger for being so highhanded, he followed him back into the living room where their wives had congregated. He found Erin sitting in the corner of her favorite couch with little Sophia tucked in her arms. Their gazes met, and his earlier irritation with Nikolai fled. Seeing her Dimitri’s little girl filled him with a longing he couldn’t quite articulate. The idea that someday soon Erin would hold their baby, their son or daughter, made his heart do a funny little flip in his chest.

After sharing private, tender smiles, he herded everyone out the door in groups of two and three until only Vivian and Nikolai remained. She had disappeared into the kitchen and emerged a short time later. As Nikolai helped her into her coat, she said, “I put lunch in the oven. Take off the foil when the timer goes off and give it another twenty minutes or so. There’s a salad and dessert in the refrigerator. Lena left a bottle of wine on the counter.”

“Thank you.” Erin hugged Vivian.

“Call me later.”

“I will.”

“Vanya.” Nikolai nodded, silently communicating that he would be a phone call away if they needed anything.

He followed the couple to the front door and locked up behind them, checking the security