Page 31 of Scarred Hearts

“Good morning to you too,” I scoffed playfully.

She shook her head with a small smile.

“Unc Ty!” Kira squealed, standing up and running over to me.

Setting down my laptop bag, I scooped her up in my arms and planted three loud kisses on her cheek. “Hey there, Keke.”

It was the nickname she had given herself when she was learning to talk and couldn’t pronounce her name properly. It stuck, and I had been calling her that ever since. Her curly black hair was getting longer every day, framing her big, round eyes that were a unique shade of greyish brown.

Jenna was visibly upset, but I didn’t want her mood to affect my niece, so I finished talking to her for a few more minutes, then put her down when she’d had enough of being still. Chance, Luke, and I always called her Hurricane, and Dylan, Tornado, when they were together. I wasn’t sure how Ian and Jenna didn’t go grey.

I stuck my head out into the hall, making eye contact with Zoe, one of the nannies. Reading my cue, she jumped up off the floor, nodding before coming in to get Kira to take her to the playroom. I shut the door, then slid my hands into my pockets.

“Okay, talk,” I ordered, nervous Giovanna spilled every last detail about what happened.

She let out a defeated sigh. “The Russian woman’s here, and she’s a total C U Next Tuesday.”

My lips parted in shock. “Ekaterina’s here?” I growled. “Again?”

“Yuppp.” With a nonchalant wave, she picked up her phone and began tapping on it. Her fingers moved quickly, her gaze flickering over the screen as she searched for something. After a few seconds, she set the device back down on the desk. “And she’s apparently not giving up on taking Gia back to California,” she said, her tone laced with annoyance. “She’s striking a deal with Ian right now.”

“The fuck she is!”

Her head lurched back, her eyes narrowing at me. “What?! Since when do you care about her?”

“I don’t,” I replied coolly, picking up my bag. “I need to get into that meeting, is that cool?”

“Yeah, whatever,” she waved a dismissive hand. “Go ahead. I’m waiting for Gia to reply to my text.”

“Text?” I asked, already heading toward the door.

She set her phone back on her desk. “I texted her this morning to see if she wanted to go grab brunch with me and hang out.”

The thought of my sister spending time with Giovanna was the last thing I needed today. It was all going to come to the surface.

“She left early last night,” she continued, “and I thought we could push our girly date up to today. I’m sure she’s needing friends again now that she’s back.”

“Cool,” I replied through gritted teeth, pulling the office door open. “Well, have fun if you hear from her.”

As I was exiting back into the hallway, I heard her phone ding, and she announced it was her. After setting my bag in my office, I marched back to Ian’s. Opening the door, I strode in confidently, only to come to a sudden stop when I saw the severity of the situation. Ian was calmly seated at his desk, his arms resting on the armrests.

Ekaterina sat in front of him, flanked by one of her guards in an adjacent chair. She turned to face me as I took in the scene before me. In my peripheral vision, I could see at least seven Russian men positioned strategically around the room, their backs against the wall and weapons at their sides.

Luke and Nico stood behind Ian, both with their arms folded over their chests. Nico extended two fingers toward me in a subtle gesture. Nodding, I prepared myself for whatever was about to unfold.

Ekaterina’s mouth fell agape. “Ah, the lawyer, I look forward to this day,” her broken English cut through the room. “You almost ruin Giovanna life befo?—”

Ian cleared his throat, and she turned back to him, crossing her leg over the other. “Can we stay on topic, please?”

Almost ruined her life? I opened my mouth to reply, but Ian lifted a hand. The look on his face told me not to dare test him. Normally, pushing his buttons didn’t bother me but we weren’t in the presence of just our family, and she was powerful. She glimpsed me with an evil smirk as he continued.

“It’s not in her best interest to return to L.A.,” Ian said. “Like I told you already, she’s proven herself to my company, and we’ve already signed a contract with her.”

Turning her attention back to me, she pulled a cigarette from the gold clutch in her lap and lit it with elegance. She pointed the vice at me, smoke curling from between her lips, grinning wickedly. “I’m sure the lawyer fix this.”

“The lawyer,” Ian’s voice boomed across the room, calling her attention back to him, “will do no such thing. That isn’t his call to make. It’s mine.”

“I’m sure we work something out.” She stood, snuffing the barely-burned cigarette out in the ashtray on his desk, then blew a smooth cloud of grey smoke toward his face.

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