Page 37 of Root

This man is organized and beyond dangerous and Rush? He’s cut from the same cloth. He just clothes it in charm and sunny wit.

Because I think if it came down to it, Rush would let his cousin kill me.

“An ambush,” Nikolai says, “one your…friend saved you from.” His gaze locks on me and I shiver. “The heroine of the hour.”

“Just doing my job.”

He raises a brow and Rush turns to me, too. “Job?”

“Protecting my patron.”

There’s utter silence and not even the compelling presence of Rush is going to save me.

Nikolai glances at Rush, then at me.

And he waves a hand. “Rush, seems we have a guest.”

“I want to go home.”

Nikolai’s mouth turns into a lazy smile, a killer one. In all the ways. “What’s the address? Tony?”

“Sir?”

I almost fucking jump from my skin. I forgot he was there. That I was escorted down here. And clearly, I’m not to be left alone. Or maybe the man’s just at Nikolai’s beck and call.

“Get the girl’s address.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Check her place to make sure it’s fine.” Nikolai’s gaze doesn’t leave me. “Rent due?”

“Not yet.”

“We’ll pay. I’ll pay. Nikolai, her rent’ll be taken care of, right?” Rush asks in surprisingly steel-like tones, tones that make his cousin’s smile grow. “And her missing hours at work.”

There’s definitely a complexity to their dynamic and Rush is more than I thought.

More than I got when we were in my prison-room.

Rush is intriguing.

He clearly doesn’t mind pushing his cousin’s buttons.

No. He clearly doesn’t mind making stands he wants to make with a little dash of fuck you to Nikolai.

Cousin or not, color me the fuck impressed.

Rush isn’t done. “And we’ll protect her job.”

Oh, man, I’m now more scared than impressed. Especially as a note of satisfaction settles on the older man’s face. Protecting my job means having a reason to go in, ask questions. Poke around.

All the things I’d rather these people don’t do.

“Tony?” Nikolai asks.

“Consider it done.”

Nikolai watches me and I fight to keep my face neutral. Then he waves a hand.

---