DIMITRI (Her Russian Protector #2)

by Roxie Rivera

  * * *

  Hours later, Dimitri sat at one of the corner tables in the bakery's small café. He sipped iced tea, put out fires at Front Door and worked on scheduling conflicts. His gaze moved from his paperwork and laptop screen to café's interior.

  His stare lingered on a framed photograph of Benny and the bakery employees taken after one of last year's summer softball league games. He'd watched her play a few times. She was actually very good. For someone so small, she could hit a softball like a powerhouse. It wasn't surprising that she'd gone to school on a softball scholarship those first two years.

  His gaze skipped to the door and windows. Coming out to find Hermanos thugs in the parking lot that morning had rattled him. It drove home the point that it was time to move. Though he'd been toying with the idea for months, he'd delayed pulling the trigger because of Benny. He'd liked being so close to her and the thought of moving away from her had gutted him.

  Now that they were a couple, he saw no reason to delay. Benny would probably be selling the building sometime in the next few weeks. He'd be evicted as soon as the new owners got the keys.

  But more importantly he wanted a place he could easily protect. When he worked nights or if he accepted Yuri's offer to go into business together and had to travel, Dimitri wanted to know that Benny was safe and secure in their home.

  Last night, he'd spoken to Ivan about the upscale, cloistered neighborhood where he'd built his impressive home. Despite that brazen home invasion, Ivan's neighborhood still ranked among the safest in the city. There were now more paid guards patrolling the grounds. Dimitri was familiar enough with the area to feel comfortable moving there.

  Would Benny move in with him? That was the big question. She'd probably say no the first time he asked. He had some pretty good ideas for coaxing her to accept.

  His gaze drifted to her sweet face. Her eyes were tired but she smiled and chatted with every customer that came through the front door. The Sunday draw seemed busier than usual. Maybe it was the growing sense that the end of an era was upon them. Or possibly it was the desire to come down to get the best gossip.

  After they'd dealt with the nightmare down at the police department and her insurance agent, he'd tried to convince her to take the day off but she couldn't be persuaded. She'd made the point that working would keep her busy and her mind off Johnny. He'd given in finally but only on the condition that she let him take up residence in a corner of the café to work and keep an eye on her.

  Their gazes met and held across the café. He smiled at her. She grinned, the sexy curve of her mouth a smile for him alone. He'd meant what he said earlier. He didn't begrudge Benny anything. He'd made the decision to help Johnny knowing full well that the blowback could engulf him. To protect her? To keep her happy and safe? Dimitri would brave those flames without a second thought.

  Her gaze jumped to the door. An annoyed frown deflated her smile. He glanced over and spotted none other than Jonah Krause entering the establishment. Fighting the urge to jump out of his chair, Dimitri cast a wary eye on the man. Though he wanted to run to Benny's aid every time she faced something upsetting, he knew better than to undermine her in that way. She was a capable young woman. She could handle this.

  And if she did need his help, she'd let him know.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I plastered a smile on my face as Jonah Krause crossed the bakery but inwardly I groaned with despair. Of all the days for him to come see me, it just had to be today!

  He didn't have the slick look of his hired muscle, Carl. No, Jonah Krause looked like a soccer dad. His striped polo shirt and khakis lent him a friendly air but I knew better. I'd talked to my neighbors as they slowly sold out to this man. They'd fallen like dominos, each one taking a slightly lower price for properties than the next. I wasn't quite that desperate—yet.

  "Miss Burkhart!" He grinned like a fool and extended his meaty hand. "I'm sorry to drop in on you unannounced but I wondered if we might have a chat."

  "You do seem to love trying to catch me off guard, Mr. Krause."

  His smile slipped fractionally but he quickly recovered. "About that—I wanted to apologize for Carl. He misunderstood my directions. I assure you I don't conduct business in that way."

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes. With a flick of my fingers, I stepped away from the counter. "We can talk in my office."

  My gaze skipped to the table where Dimitri kept his vigilant watch. His eyes narrowed as I led Carl toward the kitchen doors. He lifted out of his seat but didn't follow immediately. I sensed he was at war with himself.

  On one hand, he wanted to ride to my rescue and protect me. On the other, he wanted to let me do this on my own. In that moment, I realized how much he truly loved and respected me. Knowing it wouldn't be easy for him to wait out here, I made a quick gesture toward the kitchen. I hoped he'd understand what I meant.

  Jonah glanced over his shoulder and spotted Dimitri rising out of his chair. "Is he your business partner?"

  "You could say that." I led him through the kitchen. All eyes were on us as we traversed the space. Marco shot a nasty glare Jonah's way. It was instantly clear to the real estate developer what kind of a reputation he'd earned with his strong-arm tactics.

  Inside my office, I pointed to one of the chairs across from my desk. I didn't shut the door all the way, leaving it half open, just in case. I wasn't sure if he would threaten me or not.

  Jeanne Crane, the woman who had owned the knitting and wool shop on the corner had given me a play-by-play of her meeting with this man. He'd basically threatened to use her estranged son's recent sex crime charges to smear her and drive away her business. Considering the way things were going with Johnny, I wasn't going to take any chances.

  "So," he said while plucking a pen and small notepad from his pocket.

  "So," I replied and sat in my chair. "This is where we play nice and trade selling prices, right?"

  "It's time you accept the inevitable. By the end of the week, I'll own the rest of the buildings on either side of this street. You've made your stand. It's time to go quietly."

  "Or?"

  Something dark flashed in his green eyes. "You wouldn't like the or option, Benita."

  I refused to let him scare me. "Luckily, your two options aren't the only ones available to me."

  His pen scratched across the paper as he glanced up at me. "Have you had other offers?"

  "Yes." It wasn't a total lie. Dimitri had offered to buy Johnny's share.

  He made a throat clearing noise. "I suppose I have the deep pockets of your tenant to thank for that."

  I heard the way he added that lilt of emphasis to tenant. My private life wasn't his concern so I didn't open the door to discussing it. "Where the offer came from doesn't matter. It just matters that it's on the table."

  "You know, this doesn't have to be adversarial, Benita. You give a little. I give a little. We come to an agreement and make this work."

  I narrowed my gaze. "Don't you mean I give a lot and you give almost nothing? I've heard the way your negotiations worked out for my friends on this street."

  "They weren't as tenacious as you are." He ripped the top sheet of paper from his notepad, folded it in half and tossed it onto my desk. "Let's start here."

  My tummy clenched as I reached for the paper and unfolded it. The number written there was less than half what he'd offered me during his earlier overtures. Underneath the insultingly low offer was an address. "What is this?"

  "It's the address of a building I think you'll like."

  I lifted my gaze to his smarmy face. "A building you own, I'm sure."

  "It's a nice fit for your business needs."

  "And probably a nice fit for one of those kickbacks the city is giving out to real estate companies who foster friendships with minority businesses," I guessed.

  He touched his chest. "You wound me, Benita. Don't you know how much I support the minority community?"

  The slight sneer o
f contempt on his face made me want to hurl my ceramic cupcake paperweight at him. "Oh, Mr. Krause, if you only knew how much we think of you. I mean, you have been such a good friend to our community."

  He snorted with amusement. "I'll give you a good deal on the lease."

  I tapped the paper and threw it down onto my desk. "If you consider that offer a good deal, I'm not interested. And, anyway, I already have a lead on a new building. Nikolai Kalasnikov has put me in contact with a friend."

  I saw his lips tighten at the mere mention of Nikolai's name. I'd name-dropped for that reason alone.

  With a sigh, I mentioned, "I'm not the only one who has to agree on the terms of selling this building. My brother owns part of this business."

  "Only thirty percent," he replied. "Little Johnny was kind enough to bring over a copy of the partnership contract. You let me worry about settling up with him. That price is for your share of the building."

  I shook my head. "That's not the way I work. I want a fair price for the entire building. Johnny and I will settle up on our own."

  "I'll give you a better deal if we do this separately."

  "Why? Because you plan to screw over my brother by offering him peanuts?"

  Jonah shrugged. "From what I hear, he's not going to need money where he’s headed."

  "You should check your sources. You've obviously heard wrong."

  "Have I?" He settled back into the chair and propped his ankle on his knee. "Because I heard that your brother got caught in a drive-by last night and drove your car into an empty building a few blocks down the road. I also heard that the real estate company who owns the building plans to sue the shit out of you both."

  The icy burn of dread spread through my chest. Mouth dry, I stated the obvious. "You own the building."

  "Why, yes, I do! Bought it on Friday, actually. Hell of a coincidence and the damnedest luck, wouldn't you say?"

  I wanted to smack that shit-eating grin right off his face but stayed in my seat. "I suppose this means you don't intend to move on this price."

  "Oh, I intend to move down if I don't walk out of here with a deal."

  "So what? If I take this deal, you won't sue me?"

  "Probably not."

  "Probably?"

  "That building sustained quite a bit of damage," he replied. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to sue you just to prove a point." Any pretense of friendliness disappeared from his face. "This game of yours? It's cost me a lot of money."

  "Game?"

  "Your principled stand? It infected more than one of your neighbors and forced me to go over my acquisitions budget. A nice, fat lawsuit might be a good way to inoculate myself against this sort of stupidity in the near future."

  "I did what I thought was right, what I still think is right. This neighborhood could have been saved but you and those vultures on the city planning committees made damn sure none of us could get any kind of support for improvement."

  "That's your problem, Benita. People like you? You're all stuck in the past. You think anyone gives a shit about buying homemade tortillas or hand-dyed wool or handmade furniture? Fuck. No." He practically guffawed at me. "People want their Starbucks and their Targets and their McDonalds. I'm here to give it to them."

  Before I could even respond, he sat forward. "You should have been a good girl, Benita. You should have fallen in line, taken my first offer and gotten the hell out of my way. Instead, you chose to be a stupid, little brat about this—and now I'm spanking your ass to teach you a lesson."

  Incensed, I crumpled up his crappy offer and threw it in the trash. "Get out."

  He didn't move. "Take the deal, Benita."

  "No."

  "I'll take you to court."

  "Go ahead."

  "I'll take every last fucking penny you have. I'll ruin you. I'll make sure no one will rent to you and I'll blacklist every single one of your employees. I've got Immigration on speed dial." As if his ugly, racist threats weren't enough, he added, "And your brother? I'll get my private investigators to smoke him out so fast your head will spin. I'm sure the guys who shot at him last night would love to get their hands on him."

  The door to my office slammed into the wall. Dimitri appeared in the doorway, filling the wide space with his broad shoulders and impressive height. His furious stare fixed right on Jonah Krause. "I think you're done here."

  "I'll say when I'm fucking done."

  My eyes widened at Jonah's brave reply. Dimitri actually cracked a smile—but it was a dangerous one. "I can assure you, Mr. Krause, that if I leave this doorway, you'll be screaming that you're done in less than ten seconds."

  Visibly flustered, Jonah rose from his chair. He pointed a finger at me. "If I walk out that door, I'm calling my lawyer."

  "I guess it's a good thing I have mine on speed dial." I didn't but it was the snappiest comeback I had at the moment.

  He glared at me and then Dimitri. "You two are playing with fire. You won't like the way this ends."

  Dimitri stepped aside just enough to clear a tiny space for Jonah to exit my office. His stony stare unsettled the real estate developer who moved so quickly I thought his ass was on fire. Dimitri's gaze remained trained in the hallway. I saw him lift two hands to his eyes and make a gesture. I could only assume that one of the guys in the kitchen was going to follow Jonah out of the building.

  With a long, slow inhale, Dimitri turned to face me. Rage was etched into his handsome face but the harsh lines faded when our gazes met. "I'm sorry."

  I blinked. "What? Why?"

  "I shouldn't have slammed open the door like that and thrown him out. You were handling it so well but I simply—I lost it when he started to talk to you like that."

  I stood and crossed the distance between us. Sliding my arms around his waist, I pressed my cheek to his chest. "It's fine. I'm glad you threw him out." Disgusted, I asked, "Can you believe that crap? Threatening me with Immigration? Like everyone who is brown in this town is illegal or something! What a jackass!"

  "We have to get a lawyer. Immediately."

  "I have to get a lawyer," I corrected.

  Dimitri cupped my face and tipped my chin. He peered down at me with such love in his pale blue eyes. "I told you we're partners. We need a lawyer. I'm going to see Yuri right now. He'll steer us in the right direction."

  "Do you think Jonah will really do everything he threatened?"

  "Yes." He didn't even hesitate before answering. "I think he's going to make your life a living hell."

  I groaned and buried my face against him. "I should have just taken the lowball offer and sucked it up. I've really screwed everything up again."

  "No amount of money is worth that abuse. He's a pig." Dimitri sounded like he wanted to spit on the very floor the man had walked.

  "A well-connected pig," I clarified. "I'm worried about Johnny. What if he really does have a private investigator that can find him?"

  "You don't need to worry about that. Johnny's safety won't be an issue after tonight."

  I reeled back in shock. "Tonight?"

  Dimitri reluctantly nodded. "I have plans in motion. If everything works out, he'll be out of Houston and far, far away by sunrise."

  Emotions overwhelmed me. "Will I get to see him again?"

  "Of course, sweetheart." Dimitri kissed me. "I wouldn't rob you of the chance to say goodbye." His lips lingered on mine. "Kostya should be here any minute. He's going to keep an eye on you while I run some quick errands. You are not to leave this bakery, understood? Kostya is going to be your shadow."

  "I understand."

  "He'll bring you to me later."

  "And I'll see Johnny?"

  He nodded. "You can say goodbye."

  * * *

  Dimitri slipped out of the back seat of the private car Yuri had arranged for him. On habit, he checked the area around the upscale marina. The driver had assured him they weren't being followed, but with Johnny's location so desired by so many people, Dimitri di
dn't want to take chances.

  Certain he was in the clear, he closed the door and headed for the private slip at the far end of the marina where Yuri kept one of his so-called baby yachts. This one was only one hundred feet or so long but no less ostentatious than the mega yachts Yuri kept moored in various parts of the world. This one he used to entertain locally and to make short trips around the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Sometimes he even rented or loaned it out to friends of friends.

  Last night, when Dimitri had been desperate to find a place to stow Johnny, Yuri hadn't thought twice about offering his boat. He'd arranged it all, sending a driver and guard to bring Johnny down to the private marina outside Galveston. Dimitri hoped Johnny had been a good guest and not caused any problems. Yuri had gone above and beyond the call of friendship this time.

  One of the crew members spotted and welcomed him onto the yacht. He was led down into the luxurious living space. Yuri sat in a comfortable chair and listened to the news. There were two laptops and three cell phones surrounding him. How he could concentrate like that, Dimitri would never understand.

  "I thought the whole point of having a yacht was to relax?"

  Yuri laughed and closed his laptops. "The world markets never really close, Dimitri." He shifted the cell phones to a side table. "Have you come to visit the prisoner?"

  "Has he been difficult?"

  Yuri shook his head. "He's been a model captive. I haven't heard one single complaint." He stood and gestured for Dimitri to follow. "Of course, that could be from all the pain killers they're pumping into him."

  He trailed Yuri to one of the roomy cabins. Propped up in bed, Johnny rested on his right side and watched a movie on the flat screen mounted on the opposite wall. Someone had rigged up a temporary hook to hold the bag of clear fluid attached to his IV.

  Johnny looked relieved to see him. "How's Benny?"

  "She's fine." Dimitri came into the room and sat in the empty chair next to the bed. "She misses you but I promised her she could see you tonight. How are you feeling?"