by Roxie Rivera
"I can handle that end of things. I have a friend who knows everyone in the art world. He's the one who helped me start my collection."
"The Dane?"
Yuri nodded. "If anyone can find a hot Galán, it will be Niels."
"Good luck on that front." Nikolai glanced back at Tommy. "You understand that this could get messy. That shit that Ivan went through to save Erin will look like child's play by the time this is over." Nikolai slashed his fingers across his throat. "They're probably going to want a head for the original theft of the painting."
Yuri felt Tommy's intense stare but didn't give the man the satisfaction of acknowledgment. "Let's hope it doesn't get that far."
"And if it does?"
"It won't."
Nikolai's jaw tensed. "You've been in this glamorous world of yours so long you've forgotten what it's like down here in the rotten shit with the rest of us."
Yuri rubbed the back of his neck. He bristled at Nikolai's assertion that he'd gotten soft but maybe his dearest friend was right. "Look, one thing this glamorous world has taught me is that everyone has a price—even a man like Lorenzo Guzman."
"But are you willing to pay it? This won't come cheaply."
Lena's smiling face flashed before his eyes. "I'll do it whatever it takes to protect her and to save her father."
Nikolai studied him. "I'll see if I can arrange a meeting. It might be difficult with my history."
Yuri frowned. "Your history?" And then it hit him. "Shit! Vivian's father?"
Nikolai nodded. "That outlaw motorcycle club he rides with runs protection, guns and drugs for the Guzman Cartel."
"Hell!"
"It's probably going to add a considerable premium to the cost of doing business with them."
"It's fine. I'll cover it." Yuri considered what his terms should be. "I want proof of life and a daily phone call between Lena and her father until we get this mess sorted out to my satisfaction. Let them know I want him in one piece and as unharmed as possible." He considered the mayhem and barbarism so often in the papers and on the news. "No beatings, no starvation, no torture."
"Yeah. Okay."
Yuri grasped Nikolai's shoulder. "Thank you. I know how much you're risking by helping me."
"You've risked more for me. I'm happy to do this for you."
Yuri was surprised Nikolai had brought up the ugly episode from their childhood. It was a thing none of them ever discussed. For Nikolai to bring it up now…
Kostya entered the kitchen with his heavy bags slung over his shoulder. The knees of his scrubs were stained red. "It's done." His gaze jumped to Tommy. "Should I take care of him now?"
Yuri's lips twitched at the horrified expression on Tommy's face. "Yes. Get him to the doctor. I'll settle up the account tomorrow."
Kostya crossed the kitchen for a better look at Tommy. He peeked under the towel and winced. "The doctor is going to charge more for that. Do you want to pay the extra fee for anesthesia?"
Tommy looked like he was going to pass out at the very idea of going through the surgery required to put his arm back together without any pain relief. Yuri showed some pity and nodded. "Whatever it takes. Make him comfortable."
Tommy's shoulders rounded as he fell forward in a relief. "Thank you."
Yuri ignored him. Nikolai clapped him on the back. "We've got this. You should go upstairs and talk to her."
Nikolai's romantic notion surprised him. He expected that kind of thing from Ivan or Dimitri. Maybe he wasn't the only one getting soft…
He shook Nikolai's hand and hugged him quickly. "Thank you."
Nikolai made a dismissive gesture and stepped toward Tommy and Kostya. "Get up. Keep that towel wrapped tightly. I won't have you bleeding all over my damn car…"
After leaving the kitchen, Yuri found Feodor sitting on the stairs. He sat next to the old man he'd long considered a mentor and leaned back on his elbows. It had been Feodor who had taught Yuri the art of street economics and Feodor who had pushed him to be ambitious once he'd finished his time in the military. Everything he had today, he owed to this man.
Side by side, they watched Nikolai, Kostya and Tommy leave. The situation struck Yuri as being so surreal. He'd always managed to insulate himself from the seedier side of life but now it was right here in his home. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
With a heavy sigh, Feodor finally spoke. "This is very serious."
"Yes."
"One night with this woman and now you've got a cartel knocking on your front door."
He heard the warning loud and clear. "To be fair, I've already had the Russian mob walking in and out of that door since I broke ground here."
Feodor made a humph noise. "That's different. That's something you understand. That's your history. This? This is all new—and very violent."
"This isn't her fault. She didn't ask to be born into a family of criminals any more than I asked to be abandoned in a public park."
"You care about this girl." It wasn't a question. Feodor stated it as fact.
"Yes. Very much."
"She's like you." Feodor held his gaze. "I can see it in her eyes, in her face. She knows where you come from because she's been there. She's a good match."
"Yes." Feodor wasn't saying anything that Yuri hadn't already recognized for himself. Lena felt like his other half, a kindred spirit that understood him in ways no other woman possibly could. "She's the one for me."
Feodor didn't seem the least bit surprised by Yuri's assertion. "Then you'd better get this mess cleaned up quickly. Don't let her out of your sight. That cartel has long arms and they'll have no problem reaching her here."
Fear clutched his gut. There was quite a bit of protection that came from being Nikolai Kalasnikov's best friend but would that protection extend to Lena? Would the cartel honor those unspoken rules?
Without another word, Yuri stood and helped Feodor to his feet. The old man's creaky joints made him wince. He watched Feodor shuffle down the hallway before locking up the house. He noticed the alarm had been reactivated and made sure to punch in the code once the front doors were locked.
Wanting to know how Tommy had gotten into the house and bypassed the alarm, he popped into his office and used the house phone to call the staff quarters. Derek got him up to speed on the alarm issue and assured him that a technician would be out in the morning to bolster the system. Jake explained that Tommy had come in through one of the glass doors of the solarium. He'd secured the window and had a contractor lined up for the morning to replace the broken pane.
"This shouldn't have happened, Boss. Derek and I should have caught the problems in the security system. We shouldn't have spaced out our rounds tonight."
"I think we should view this as a learning opportunity." Yuri knew that Jake and Derek took their jobs so very seriously and didn't feel the need to chastise or berate them for the break-in. "Tommy exploited the weaknesses in my home security. Now we know that we need backups of the backups and so forth. I'll want a report and an action plan by tomorrow evening."
"Already on it."
"Good."
With Derek and Jake squared away, Yuri left his office and headed upstairs. The sharp scent of Kostya's cleaning solutions lingered in the hallway. Yuri cast a critical eye around the space. There wasn't a single hint that anything terrible had happened here. Even the painting had been returned to its spot.
When he stepped inside his bedroom, he saw Lena's purse and overnight bag sitting on the end of his bed. His stomach pitched as he realized she planned to leave. He followed the sound of her voice to the master bathroom where she sat on the edge of the tub and tended to Sasha.
Unlike his earlier quick tidy, she worked diligently to clean the blood from the dog's paws. She'd removed his collar and had it soaking in one of the sinks. The silver tags had been washed and were drying on a hand towel on the counter. Sasha happily allowed her to scrub him clean.
"I don't know where you keep his toothpaste or to
othbrush. He let me wipe his teeth clean with a wash cloth but he could still use a good scrub." She lovingly petted the dog. "You should probably take him in to see his vet. He might need, like, dog therapy or something after biting Tommy."
He sensed she wanted to talk about anything but the real issue at hand. Not wanting to push her away, he obliged. "I'm sorry you had to see that and I'm sorry Sasha had to use his training to protect us. If Tommy hadn't thrown the painting—"
"I know." She stood up and dropped the soiled cloth into a hamper. Sasha shadowed her movements as she stopped at the second sink to wash her hands. "Has Tommy left?"
He nodded. "Nikolai and Kostya took him to the doctor. He'll be stowed in a safe house until this is sorted out."
"You don't have to do that."
"It's not a big deal."
As she dried her hands, she shot him a look of disbelief. "You know it is."
Yuri felt the tension between them growing tauter. Running his fingers through his hair, he exhaled roughly. "I saw your bags. Are you leaving?"
"I think I have to go."
Frowning, he asked, "Why would you think that?"
She let loose a noisy breath. "My cousin just tried to rob you. Now I've got the Guzman Cartel breathing down my neck?" She shook her head. "No, Yuri. I'm not doing this to you. I saw what a risk Ivan took helping Erin. He could have been killed that night they broke into his house. I'm not doing that to you."
"Lena—"
"No," she cut him off. "You're not putting your neck on the line for me. You have enough of your own problems with the pipeline."
"Fuck the pipeline," he stridently replied. "That pipeline means nothing to me. You are my number one concern, Lena. You."
"You don't mean that."
"Don't," he retorted carefully. "I'm a grown man and I know what I feel. When I say something, I mean it."
Still refusing to believe him, she insistently added, "But that pipeline is your future."
Grasping her waist, he dragged her close and slid a hand behind her nape. "You are my future. That pipeline is metal and gas and money and easily replaceable—but you?" He teased his mouth across hers. "You, my sweet Lena, are irreplaceable. You're my one-of-a-kind girl."
Her pouty lower lip began to quiver. She inhaled a shaky breath and tried to speak but nothing came out but a pent-up sob. "I'm so-sorry."
"Hush," he whispered as she continued to stammer her apologies. "It's all right. You've had a frightening night."
He embraced her tightly and caressed her back. She clung to him now, her hands gripping his arms, and buried her face against his chest. "Yuri, you don't have to do this. You don't have to get tangled up in my personal nightmare."
"It's too late." He tilted her head back and gazed down into those pretty brown eyes. "I'm all tangled up in you, Lena." He kissed her tenderly. "And I have no intention of cutting myself loose."
She stared up at him with such wonder in her eyes. "I've never wanted to believe a man more but—"
"I know," he whispered gently. "I know you've been hurt in the past by your father and your mother and their broken promises." He claimed her mouth in a loving, easy kiss. "Give me time, Lena. I'll prove I'm a man of my word…"
Chapter Eleven
I jerked awake to the sound of my cell phone ringing on Yuri's bedside table. When I stretched out to grab my phone, Yuri inhaled a surprised breath. I felt his body tense and quickly reached back to soothingly pet his chest. After our crazy night, I wasn't surprised that he was on edge.
Rubbing my face, I sat up and answered my phone. "Hello?"
"Lena!"
"Dad!" My heart raced as his voice registered in my ear. "Are you okay? Oh my God. Please tell me you're okay."
"I'm okay, mi'ja." He cleared his throat. "I guess you know."
"Yeah." Sadness crept into my voice. "Why didn't you tell me the other morning? I would have done something to help you then."
"I thought that was my last call." His voice wavered. "I didn't want to scare you."
"Dad…"
"Listen, they're going to let me call you every morning at this time until they get their painting and the money. Apparently your boyfriend has friends in some very interesting places. He got them to agree to a deal for my safety." He hesitated before finally asking, "Why didn't you tell me you were dating this Yuri guy?"
"I didn't tell you because we weren't actually dating until very recently. Like, you know, yesterday." My cheeks grew hot as I imagined what my father was thinking. "It's not like that. I mean—this thing between us has been a long time coming. It just wasn't the right time until yesterday."
Yuri's big, warm hand idly stroked my leg. I found his touch incredibly reassuring.
"I understand. He must care about you a lot to get dragged into this."
I glanced down at Yuri and smiled. "Yes, I think he does."
"I'm glad."
A gruff voice shouted in the background.
"I've got to go, mi'ja. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Same time?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"I love you, Lena."
"I love you, too, Dad."
The line went dead. Still clutching my phone, I let my hand drop to my lap. The crushing weight of my fear and sadness engulfed me. I didn't want to cry in front of Yuri again—I'd been mortified when it had happened last night—but I couldn't stop the painful sob clogging my throat.
"Kitten," Yuri whispered and dragged me down into the bed. He slid his arms around me and cradled me against his chest. "It's going to be all right. We'll track down the painting and Nikolai will help me make the arrangements to do a swap."
I nuzzled my nose against his neck and inhaled his comforting scent. "You make it sound so easy."
"I'm not going to lie to you." He wiped away the wetness clinging to my cheeks with his thumbs. "It's probably going to be a complex process, and it may take longer than either of us like but I'll get it done."
"How?" I didn't know how anyone could do what he'd promised. "Finding a hot painting like a Galán isn't going to be easy. Especially if word has gotten out that it was stolen from a Mexican drug lord!"
"I have a friend who knows everything that happens in the art world—on both sides of the law. If anyone can find this painting, it will be him."
"And then what, Yuri?" I caressed his cheek, the raspy stubble on his skin pricking my fingertips.
"And then I make an offer on the painting." He brushed hair away from my face. Our gazes met in the dim, purplish light streaming in through the balcony windows. "Once the painting is in my hands, it will be a very simple, straight-forward transaction."
I burrowed closer to his soothing heat. "I hope you're right."
"I am."
All I could think about were the ways it could all go badly. If Yuri couldn't find the painting or if the new owner refused to sell it, what would Lorenzo Guzman want? Drug lords weren't known for being the most honorable of men. What if Guzman double-crossed Yuri? What if he killed my father to send a message to other people who thought they could rob from him?
"I should have asked Tommy which fence sold them the painting in the first place. I bet Lorenzo Guzman would like to know the name of the person who originally stole it from him."
Yuri hummed with agreement. "It was probably an inside job. These kinds of things usually are."
"Like your pipeline sabotage?"
He let loose a deep sigh. "Yes."
"Did Anna ever call back last night?" After we'd made love and fallen asleep, the commotion in the hallway had started. Once Yuri had calmed me down in the bathroom, he'd carried me to bed and held me until I'd drifted off in his arms.
"If she did, I didn't hear it." He yawned and stretched an arm overhead. "I should probably get up and touch base with her."
I snuggled closer, not wanting to be away from him just yet. "But it's so early."
He laughed and placed a noisy kiss on the top of my head. "Sweeth
eart, this actually qualifies as sleeping in for me."
I glanced at the clock again. "Wow! And I thought I was an early riser."
"I like to get up, work out, shower, dress and have breakfast by six."
"Ugh." I threw my arm over my face. "If I stagger out of bed and down a cup of coffee by seven, I feel like a champion. If I manage to wade through a page of my social media alerts, I feel like I can conquer the world."
Chuckling, Yuri threw his leg over mine and pushed up onto his arms. He peppered ticklish kisses along the side of my neck. "Maybe I can use some positive reinforcement to convince you to move onto my schedule."
I sifted my fingers through his hair. "You're going to have to be awfully persuasive."
His sexy grin made my tummy flip-flop. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
"I bet you do." I couldn't help but smile as his lips descended toward mine. The idea of waking up like this every morning was so incredibly tempting. I knew Yuri wasn't offering that—yet. Someday…
A loud snort and a whine interrupted our morning kiss. We both looked over to see Sasha sitting impatiently at the bedside. He looked rather annoyed by the sight of Yuri on top of me and made his displeasure known with a smack of his massive paw to his master's side.
"All right," Yuri said with a frustrated huff. "I'll let you out."
I sat up and enjoyed the view of Yuri's ridiculously hot body as he strode to the door to let Sasha out of the room. That was another thing I wouldn't mind waking up to see and feel pressed against me every morning.
"I'm going to have to rethink Sasha's sleeping arrangements."
I giggled as Yuri slid back into bed with me. Just when he started to kiss me, his phone rang. Groaning, he kissed me hard and deep before shoving out of bed again and grabbing the black phone rattling across the bedside table. He answered a bit gruffly and instantly started speaking Russian. I had a feeling it was Anna and whatever she was telling him was something he didn't want to hear.
Certain that our amorous moment had just been tanked, I climbed out of bed, grabbed my overnight bag and made my way to the bathroom. The walk-in shower with its gorgeous aqua blue and turquoise glass tile beckoned me. The showerheads mounted in the ceiling and the walls provided such a luxurious experience. It was like showering in a warm rainfall.