Page 68 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

“YAY!” the twins exclaim in cheerful unison.

It fills my soul with joy to see them like this, yet, at the same time, it breaks me into a million little pieces. I can’t imagine a future where Elise doesn’t walk into the kitchen every morning to join us for breakfast. I don’t want that.

So if I have to bring back an old part of me that I left behind when I was discharged from the Rangers so fucking be it.

“We’re good to go,” Roman tells me as he and Oliver come into the kitchen. All three of us are sharply dressed, ready to tackle what’s ahead.

As they exchange brief glances with Elise, I can see the underlying tension, a hint of what others might consider resentment. It’s not. It’s purely the stress of an ugly truth we’ve chosen to confront, even though it’s not technically ours to deal with. Our honor as men and our love for Elise demand it.

“You three look dapper. May I ask where you’re going?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I reply with a reassuring smile, then lean in and plant a kiss on her forehead. “Just stay here, enjoy your time with the girls, and call us if you need anything.”

“I don’t like this,” Elise whispers, mindful of the twins. “You can’t leave us on our own here.”

“You won’t be on your own,” Oliver replies in an equally low tone. “We’ve got people set up outside the house and at the gate. Two of them will be on constant patrol around the whole property. The CCTV system is up and running, and we’re tracking every sensor from our phones. You’re safe here.”

Elise gives him a confused look. “We’re never going to be safe while Igor is out there, waiting for the right moment.”

“I need you to listen to me,” I say, gently taking her by the shoulders while Roman keeps the girls busy with a few nifty coin tricks, their giggles reverberating in the background. “Nothing’s going to happen to you while you’re under my roof, Elise. You are our woman, okay? And we’re going to make sure that nothing and nobody drives you out of anywhere ever again.”

She nods slowly, tears welling up in her beautiful, sad blue eyes. “I wish you’d tell me where you’re going, at least.”

“The less you know, the better. Trust me.”

“I do.”

I kiss her again. Oliver brushes his lips across her cheek. Roman gives her a gentle squeeze of the arm and a subtle smile before he walks out. I pop by the girls’ table to hug and smooch both, then follow the guys to the car. We’ve got quite the drive ahead.

As soon as the front door closes behind us, Oliver gives me a brief glance, car keys jingling in his hand. “Kara Konstantinova texted. She approved the meeting.”

“Good.”

We obviously need to talk. The meeting was arranged for noon at Candy’s.

The goal is for the lunchtime rush hour to keep any potential attackers at bay while we talk to Kara Konstantinova. We don’t want any collateral damage or innocent bystanders getting injured or potentially killed over this.

“I feel deceitful doing it this way,” Oliver mutters as we get out of my truck.

I park a couple of blocks down from the restaurant, yet another safety precaution. “I’m not a fan of this tactic either, but it’s a way to deter anybody from coming after us or Kara, regardless of motive.”

“Coast looks clear,” Roman says as he takes the lead. “Our guys did a perimeter check before going in.”

“We trained them right. I’m not worried about their capabilities in protecting Kara while she’s under our care,” I reply. “I’m worried about what Kara might do to Elise if we don’t nip this in the bud. She’s already inside, by the way, seated at our reserved table. She just texted me.”

Roman frowns slightly, stopping to look at us. “Something still doesn’t track. If all the Konstantinovs are gunning for Elise because of the proof she has against Igor, why haven’t they approached her to discuss it first?”

“You make a good point,” I tell him. “Elise clearly wants to be left alone. The evidence she has was intended to keep them away. If I were a Konstantinov and I needed whatever she had on me to stay quiet, I’d arrange a meeting with her to discuss a guarantee in exchange for her freedom and safety. Hell, I’d hand her the divorce papers myself if that’s all she wants.”

“It’s all she wants,” Oliver reminds me. “She was just trying to get away from them.”

I can understand why she felt she couldn’t rely on the Chicago PD—they are notorious for being crooked—but she could’ve gone to the feds with her proof. She could’ve built one hell of a case against the Konstantinovs but she didn’t. She chose to run away and stay away. My guess is that part of her still feels deeply indebted to the Konstantinov family for taking them in.

Except for Igor.

“We’ll go through the back door,” I tell the guys. “If Igor is around, it’s probably best if he doesn’t see us speaking to his sister.”

“Agreed,” Oliver nods.

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