She smiled and her eyeswatered. “He sounds like a jerk.”
He felt his own mouth pullinto a bittersweet smile. Georgy would never meet Katya and hewould’ve wanted to. “He would have liked you, a lot.”
She rubbed the wetness awaywith the back of her thumb. “Please don’t send me away. Let’s seethis through together, for my mom and Georgy.”
He brushed his hand downhis face clearly conflicted. “Look, if you get hurt, I’ll neverforgive myself.”
“I won’t.”
“Even ascratch.”
She smiled again. “I havefamily immunity. You need me.”
He shook his head. “I’mgoing insane and soft. I really am. I wouldn’t have even consideredthis a few weeks ago. I would have just hogtied you and have youhauled away.”
“I love you so much,” sheconfessed softly.
He met her eyes. “I knowyou do, and that’s what makes this hard. I’m going to need helpwith this.”
“Help? What kind ofhelp?”
***
“What the hell is this?”Peter waved an arm over a pile of photos.
“You didn’t believe me.This is proof.” Ivan spread the photos out on Peter’s desk.“They’re sleeping together.”
Peter picked up one andstared at it. Then he tossed it on the desk. “So?”
Ivan look surprised.“They’re sleeping together,” he repeated, “I’ve seen them togetherwhen they thought they were alone. Look, they’re holding hands.” Itwas the photo he took this morning when they went for breakfasttogether. He snapped a few of them, but this one showed obviousaffection between the two.
“Good.”
“Good?” He was takenback.
“A man like Ryan Casey isscrewing my daughter. Do you think I’d be disappointed? The man isa bloody machine, and I need him. Now I have him by the balls. Hewouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my business. Especially afterseeing these.”
“Boss, we don’t know thisman. We can’t trust him. He could be like the last one…”
“I don’t trust him.However, Casey, is not a Miami detective. Every one of my sourcescame back clean. The man is an elite killer, he’s black ops. He’sthe best, and I need him with us, not against us. My soldiers aregetting slaughtered over this rivalry. I needed him but I knew hewas particular so I had to persuade him in another way.” He put hisfists on his desk and leaned toward Ivan, a sparkle of deviousintelligence lit his eyes. “Why the fuck do you think I put him inthe adjoining room with Katya.”
“You plannedthis?”
“Of course I did. She’sbeautiful. I don’t care how much glacial water runs in your veins.She’ll crack any exterior just with her looks. She is a spittingimage of her mother, and I married her for her beauty besides herrank in society.” He chuckled looking down at the photos again. “Itlooks like she’s better than I thought. He outright adores her. Itwas a bonus, him being so good looking besides skilled. She fellfor him. Now I own him.”
“Boss, she could gethurt.”
He shrugged. “Casey willtake care of her. I just needed his loyalty. Now I’ve got him.He’ll do anything to protect her and I need him to help me withthat shipment tonight. Find him and bring him to me.”
“Why didn’t you tellme?”
His grey eyes studied hismost trusted for a moment before he answered. “Because I couldn’thave you botching this up. You’re so love starved its painted onyour face like a neon sign. Now get me Casey.”
Ivan clenched his fists athis sides. This didn’t sit well with him at all. He didn’t likeanother man touching what he thought was his, especially a man wholooked like Casey did. He couldn’t compete with that. Worst of all,he was an outsider. He wasn’t family. Well, he’d take care of him.It was already arranged. “Yes boss.” He turned and left theroom.
When Ryan and Katyareturned from breakfast they went for a jog along the beach. She’dbeen getting better, well, not as good as him, but she wasn’t asexhausted as she used to be. She was impressed at his endurance,but really she shouldn’t be. She almost blushed at the memoriesreturning from the night before. At least she’d found it in her toenjoy the run despite the looming danger of tonight.
They were walking throughthe path of the gardens in the back that led to the beach when Ivanfound them.
“Boss wants to seeyou.”
“What for?” Katya askedglaring at Ivan.
Ryan held up his hand andgave her a look that said ‘we talked about this’. She kept theglare but snapped her mouth shut.
Ivan looked completelyenraged that she’d listened to him so easily. His eyes went backand forth between the two. He had images of slitting this man’sthroat in the back of his mind.
“All right.” He waswondering when he’d approach him about the shipment again. He knewhe would. Peter needed him and he was relentless in getting what hewanted. He intended to go along this time though.
“I’m going to shower,”Katya said walking away as if neither man meant anything to her.She looked over her shoulder before she went in the house. Ryan’seyes glanced off her but there was nothing to indicate that he heldaffection for her. Gosh, he was good.
Ryan returned his attentionto Ivan and held his hand out for him to lead the way. Ivan scowledand turned around to go back in the house.
When he walked into Peter’soffice with Ivan he got right to the point.
“I need youtonight.”
“I’ll do it.” He crossedhis arms across his chest.
“Either you take the job,or you’re gone—what?”
“It has to be done myway—”
“—Like hell!” Ivaninterrupted.
Peter held up his handcutting him off. He honestly expected another fight, and waswilling to use his daughter as a pawn in the whole scheme. Whateverchanged this man’s mind, he didn’t care. This was easy. Kat didn’trealize the extent of her involvement, but he sure as hellappreciated her lure for the opposite sex at thatmoment.
Ryan finally turned hisattention to Ivan. “The operation is still yours, but I have twomen I want brought in on this.”
“No way!” Ivanprotested.
Peter nodded toward Ivan.“I agree with him. I will not have strangers come into my employ.Especially since I hadn’t had time to check them out.”
“I understand.” He reachedacross Peter’s desk and retrieved a note pad and a pen and wrote aphone number on them. “This number is to
