Page 6 of Guarded Rebellion

“Nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary,” he replied. “Same shit, different day.”

“Hmm.”

Most of the men who worked for the family were stationed in different parts of the city. Some of the supervisors and crew leaders could take it easy by having their designated soldiers doing the dirty work. Oleg had always kept me as a lone operator. I preferred it, really, even though at first I wondered if he’d kept me separate yet in the family as a brother because I wasn’t blood.

Rurik was the closest “friend” I had in the organization, and we were often tasked to be each other’s backup. Aside from him, though, I had no means of gathering intel or gossip. Without him, it was impossible to get a good feeling for what was happening with everyone else. It led me to this cluelessness about what the Boss could wantmefor.

“There hasn’t been any infighting?” I asked. “No attacks on our businesses?”

He shook his head. “No, nothing like that in the last couple of months that you’ve been gone. It has more or less been life as usual since that drug op fell apart from Yusuf screwing us over.”

And I’ve taken care of that. I’ve taken care of him.

“Then why does the Boss want me on an assignment so soon?” I wondered aloud. I could speculate as much as I wanted, but no answers would be forthcoming on this drive. I wouldn’t be clued in until I spoke with the Boss.

“Did he say to come right now?” Rurik asked me, grimacing as he glanced at me. “It wouldn’t hurt for you to clean up a little bit first.”

“Not really.” I shrugged. Oleg could forgive me for being filthy and ragged like this. He didn’t care for pretty boys, although he expected a professional appearance. He knew I was just getting back from an assignment, so it would almost be expected. More than anything, he’d value my promptness in coming to speak with him instead of delaying to clean up. “I’ll just go in the back entrance,” I told him. That was the way most soldiers entered the extravagant mansion. The idea of leaving muddy footprints or having debris trail off my clothes didn’t sit well with me.

Decades had passed since I’d proven my worth to the Baranov Family, but still, a deep, innate need to always please the Boss resided as strong as ever. They’d taken me in, and I wanted to stay in.

Ten minutes later, we were there. Rurik parked alongside the other black vehicles with tinted windows, and we exited the car together. Oleg had asked for me, but if this was something so confidential that Rurik couldn’t accompany me, he could dismiss him as he saw fit.

Soldiers and guards nodded at us in acknowledgment as we passed through the house. I ignored the slight sting in my side with every step I took, determined to get to the Boss’s study as quickly as possible. Once I received my orders,thenI could clean up and relax before starting it.

Maybe it’ll be nothing. Perhaps it’ll be a simple chore that I could do whenever I pleased.

I wouldn’t have to wonder any longer. Rurik opened the double doors to his study, and there he was. We found him seated behind his massive behemoth of a desk. The polished surface was clear and tidy of clutter, as always. Oleg Baranov, I’d come to learn, was a meticulously tidy man.

He lifted his face from a handful of papers, raising his bushy, graying brow at our arrival.

“Looking rough for wear,” he commented as a greeting.

I nodded, minding my manners not to roll my eyes.Thanks for stating the obvious.

“Slightly, sir,” I replied with a dip of my chin.

His serious blue gaze brightened with a hint of amusement. Despite his age, the suited man was as alert as ever. Every now and then, he gave the impression of having the ability to lighten up. Otherwise, he was taciturn and all business. This sense of sarcasm we shared helped him to seem more like a man, not a robot.

“Welcome home,” Oleg said, not missing a beat. That was all he’d allow for introductions or pleasantries. “Your next orders are to supervise the security of my niece.”

I furrowed my brow, immediately confused. Eva? Eva Baranov? She was the only niece he could lay claim to. The aloof brunette’s older sister, Sonya, had disappeared many years ago. “Your niece?”

Who lives here?

“Has there been a security issue on the premises?” I glanced at Rurik, who’d given me the impression nothing serious had been going on around here in my absence. He shrugged slightly, also sporting an expression of confusion.

“No. She wishes to enroll in college courses,” Oleg replied, matter-of-fact as he folded his hands together atop his desk.

“College?” I huffed, almost convinced this was a joke. “You want me to?—”

“I am ordering you to accompany her and provide security on campus. She’ll have a dorm, but whether or not she is to reside there will be up to your discretion.”

“You’re ordering me to babysit Eva?”

His face remained stoic as ever. “Babysit?” he challenged.

“To be Eva’s bodyguard. Atcollege? Come on.” I smiled, glancing at Rurik. This had to be a prank.

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