Page 76 of Ten

“Do you really think it needs to be handled this way?” Killing someone after they took a shot was one thing, but preemptively killing a man? That was something entirely different.

“Well, I could walk over and invite him in for dinner,” Ilya suggested.

Eric scowled at him. “Fine. Go.”

“I wasn’t asking your permission, but thanks.” Ilya gestured toward Nisha. “Keep her away from the windows. Keep her inside. If I’m not back—”

“Yeah, I know what to do,” Eric assured him.

Ilya nodded and pivoted on his heel, striding toward the front door and out of the cabin. Eric followed, locked the door and set the alarm. He used the remote on the console table behind the couch to activate the blinds, drawing them down with a press of a button.

“Where did Ilya go?” Nisha asked, two plates in her hands.

“For a walk.” Eric took one of the plates from her. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Will he be back soon? I don’t want his dinner to get cold.”

“I’m sure he knows how to use a microwave.”

She frowned at him. “That’s not the point.”

“He’ll be back when he’s back.”

“All right. Fine. You don’t have to be snippy.” She joined him at the table. “You’re worse than Wilford before he’s had his breakfast.”

Eric eyed the mean cat sitting on the back of the couch. The evil thing had swiped him at least six times today and tried to trip him on the stairs. “He looks like he could stand to skip a few breakfasts.”

“He is not fat! He’s just fluffy.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.” She picked up her phone and checked it. “Still nothing from Ten.”

“You know he’s safe with his crew.”

“I know he’s safe, but why isn’t he back here with me?” She toyed with her fork. “I don’t like it. They’re hiding something from me.”

“Of course, they are. They’re Russian mafia, Nisha. Everything they do is one big, dark secret.” He studied her for a moment. “You understand that, right? That if you stay with Ten, you’re going to be living on the fringes of that world. He’ll never belong to you. He’ll always be Nikolai’s man first and yours second.”

Nisha scowled. “I’m not stupid, Eric.”

“Did I say you were?”

“Why are you talking down to me like I’m a child? I know what Ten is. I know what he does. I know who Nikolai is. I know all of this. I don’t need you patronizing me like I’m some stupid little girl.”

“I’m not trying to be condescending. I’m sorry if I came across that way.” He reached for her hand and gave it a friendly squeeze. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“Ten would never hurt me that way.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Eric agreed, “but there are other ways to get hurt.”

“I know,” she said sadly. “But I love him.”

Eric remembered another conversation, another time, when he heard Nisha profess her love for a man unworthy of her. Looking at her now, seeing the depth of her love for Ten reflected in her gaze, he understood that this time was different. What she felt for Kiki wasn’t actually love. It was childish infatuation and then later abusive coercion.Thiswas real, true love.

“Then I’ll be happy for you, and I won’t say another word about it.” Eric squeezed her hand again before letting go and picking up his fork. He had learned his lesson with Vivian and the awful things he had said to her when she announced her engagement to Nikolai. He wasn’t going to cause that same type of pain twice.

“Thank you, Eric.”

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