Mine to Keep (NOLA Knights #3) - Rhenna Morgan Page 0,11

librarian would an over-noisy visitor in her quiet halls. “I’ve got a brother who’s only skirted jail time by a miracle and a dad who thinks conning people out of money is an easier form of income than holding down a job.”

“And your mother?”

Bonnie straightened and squared her shoulders. While her voice was no less confident, there was the slightest quaver behind it. “She went out with a bang. Got loaded at a party and wrapped her car around a tree when I was sixteen.”

Fascinating.

Her pain was right there, swirling behind those beautiful eyes. But she was fearless in owning where she’d come from. Regal as any queen defending her territory. Confident in the battles she’d survived.

The silence in the room thickened and the weight of Cassie’s stare registered beside him.

He hazarded a glance.

Sure enough, her attention was solely rooted on him, a deep and almost frightening level of consideration swimming behind her sky-blue eyes. A soft smile tilted her lips for all of a moment, then she stood and anchored her purse on her shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to worry about your brother and your dad,” she said to Bonnie. “We’ll help you find them.” She swiveled toward Roman and cocked her head, her words sweet, but a devilishly unspoken dare written on her face. “Won’t we, Roman?”

And there it was. His matchmaker stepping into the ring and making her play.

A wise man would take evasive maneuvers. Would give them the truth and point out how few clues there were to work with. How any search could last hours or even days, and that there was no guarantee what shape her family would be in when found—if they were found at all. At the very least, a delay in commitment until Kir and Sergei could weigh in guaranteed a healthy distance from the fiery redhead.

But the worst enemies were always the unknown ones, and if someone was strong-arming people in New Orleans—no matter what neighborhood they hailed from—his pakhan needed to know about it.

Bonnie watched him from across the room, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket and her mouth drawn tight.

It was a kissable mouth. Even pinched with apprehension, doubt and uncertainty, her lips were full and undoubtedly soft.

But more than that, he was captivated by her demeanor. The unabashed expressiveness in the way she moved. The openness of her expressions and the strength in how she carried herself.

This woman had seen much in her short lifetime. Likely much more than she’d openly shared. He was sure of it. If she meant something to Cassie, then what was the harm in giving her the benefit of their resources? Particularly, if it brought a bully to bear.

He dipped his head to Bonnie then shifted his attention to Cassie. “Da, sestrenka. For you and your friend, we will find them.”

Chapter Three

She’d lost her damned mind. Or at least had temporary insanity—probably induced by too much adrenaline. One of the two had to be the problem, because Bonnie had sure as hell never been known to let her mouth run rampant the way it had in front of Roman and Cassie fifteen minutes ago.

Perched in the middle rear seat of Roman’s supped-up truck, Bonnie stilled her jiggling knee for the third time in five minutes and stared out her window for any sign of the massive Russian. “What’s he doing, anyway?”

Cassie twisted from the front passenger seat, the length of time it took for her gaze to come into focus making it seem she’d been somewhere else entirely. “Who, Roman?” She scanned the front yard and shrugged her shoulder. “No telling. Maybe looking for clues? Or he could just be making sure the place is all locked up.”

Now, that was funny. Almost impossible to laugh at considering the anvil sitting in her stomach, but funny, nonetheless. “There’s nothing in there worth stealing. My family’s more the transitory type when it comes to possessions.”

See? There it was again. Her mouthing off and sharing shit she’d held back for most of her life.

Cassie didn’t seem to notice. Just twisted in her seat and cocked her head to one side. “So, what do you think about Roman?”

That he’s huge, hot and could probably make Satan piss his pants.

Before the uncensored answer could jump past her lips, she rearranged her backpack lying across her thighs. “He seems...nice.”

“Nice?” Cassie echoed back with open disbelief. “That’s it?”

Okay, he’s intimidating as fuck and somehow made me blurt out all my family’s dirty laundry in less