"Mikhail," Igroek barked.
A big man approached Tatyana. "No, stay away from me," the brat screamed, scurrying back. "Don't hurt me. Help me, Boris!" More screams. "Don't let him touch me!"
Damn, she was magnificent.
"I won't, Boss." Boris stepped between Tatyana and Igroek's man.
"Boss?" The bodyguard stopped, looking to Igroek for direction.
"Boris is her man, loyal to her and her alone," Grandfather shared. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth, either.
Igroek wavered, undecided.
"Keep him away from me, Boris. I don't want him touching me. He's got a snarly face,"
Tatyana wailed pitifully.
A snarly face? Nik frowned his fiercest to prevent from smiling.
"Let her man handle her." In the powerful presence of female hysterics, Igroek became decided. His bodyguard's shoulders sagged in relief.
"Boris." She scrambled to her feet. "You will take care of me, won't you? You won't leave me? Everyone else leaves me, but you won't, will you?" She twisted her hands, looking like a lost child.
"I won't leave you, Boss," Boris managed to say with a straight face.
"I knew I could count on you, Boris." His blank expression turned to genuine terror as she flung herself at him. "You're the only one I can count on." She wrapped her bathrobe clad body around his uninjured right side, looking up at the man adoringly. Nik took a step forward before remembering it was an act. "Could you carry me to my room? I'm too weak to walk."
Too weak to walk? Sure the man could manage it, even with his bandaged ribs, but was that really necessary?
"Yes, Boss." The good-looking bodyguard's voice was unusually high. Only two men followed them as they left, one of them the sheepish Mikhail with his snarly face.
"Why does the child have her own man?" Igroek watched them leave.
The child. She almost looked like one in the bodyguard's arms. "Boris was assigned as her bodyguard. I fired him. She made such a fuss, I allowed her to rehire him." Nik intentionally built upon Tatyana's helpless image.
Igroek nodded. "Women can be so emotional sometimes, huh, Kaerta?" He nudged Grandfather.
"Tatyana more than most. We never know how she'll react to anything." Grandfather stared at Nik.
He knew. But for some reason, Grandfather only knew, he kept quiet.
"Your grandfather thought you'd react poorly." Igroek, however, was blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.
They talked about him. Nik ground his teeth. "Grandfather should know I make the best of any situation."
"Indeed." Grandfather's lips quirked upward. He braced his hands on the table as he stood.
Nik had never noticed before that he needed that extra push. "Igroek, you and I will soon have a church full of guests and we have an announcement to share with them. We'd best put our heads together to synchronize our stories." That told Nik they'd be busy for the next hour. It was not much of a head start, but it was better than nothing.
Tatyana continued to sob into Boris' neck until he closed the hotel room door behind them, leaving the two brutes in the hallway. She put her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Then she turned on the TV, putting on a soundtrack heavy chick flick, and cranking the volume.
"Did I hurt you, Boris?" She had been careful not to touch his damaged ribs. "I shouldn't have asked you to carry me." She wouldn't have, except it conveyed the right amount of helplessness. If she couldn't walk, they'd never suspect she'd run.
"You didn't hurt me, Boss." He sniffed as though insulted. "You weigh nothing. I could lift you with one arm."
"Good." Could Nikky lift her with one arm? She'd ask him tonight. "So, what's the plan?"
"The plan?" Boris blinked. "Don't you and the boss have one?"
"No, we don't." Tatyana waved her phone. "That was all improvised." And this would have to be also, Nikky counting on her making it to the Crown Hotel on her own. "Start calling the girls, Boris. Every auntie, wife, girlfriend, you know, including that cute little DJ of yours. Only women. No men allowed. Ask them to come to the suite, bringing chocolate and hurting songs."
Hours later, the suite was packed, mournful ballads echoing off the walls, women were coming and going then coming back again. "Mikhail," Tatyana popped her head out the door. "We need more rocky road ice cream."
"I'll call room service." The man took out his phone.
"No." She stomped her foot, her bottom lip trembling. "Room service always takes too long, the ice cream is melted, and I didn't get married today," she wailed.
"I'll get it, Boss." Boris entered the hallway.
"Yeah, you get it, errand boy," Tatyana heard Mikhail say as she closed the door. The fools.
This was going to be childishly easy.
Tatyana weaved back through the women, entering her bedroom. Duscha sat on the bed in a hotel robe, her gray dress with wide brim hat and half veil laid out on the duvet. "You're sure about this, Duscha?" Tatyana didn't want to get anyone into trouble. "There could be repercussions." If anyone recognized the dress.
"I'm protecting the future of the family. It's what Ivan would have done." The widow gave her a sad smile.
"Perhaps not the same way." Tatyana smiled back. Duscha was right. Ivan had been loyal to Nikky. He would have helped her.
"Sergei won't be happy," she told Nikky's mom as she put on the clothes. Although the dress was long and loose, Duscha much taller than she was, the testosterone filled brutes outside shouldn't notice.
Mrs. Kaerta's smile was as determined. "My son will be happy and that is all that matters."
Nikky's mom zipped her up. "You two are meant to be together." She plopped the hat on Tatyana's head, tucking her hair up underneath, adjusting the veil. "Besides, my father-in-law's wedding wasn't exactly approved by the family, either."
Clandestine weddings were a family tradition on both sides. Her mom had done this.
Nikky's grandmother had done this. She could do this. Tatyana took Mrs. Kaerta's arm, grateful
