Page 49 of Deadly Protector
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Dimitri kept an eye on the rearview mirror, wasn’t surprised when the SUV that had been blatantly following him passed by his driveway.
He paused, watched as his gate closed, then steered down the driveway. He’d known Irene would have someone follow him, but had expected them to be stealthier. Apparently they didn’t care about that. She was sending him a clear message—she was watching. As he pulled into his garage, he texted Isa again, then hurried inside.
Zamira was waiting in his kitchen and jumped off the stool the second he stepped into the room. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
He’d told her what had happened—a condensed version. “Totally fine, and it sounds as if Irene is sending her nephew away so you won’t have to worry about Ryba for the time being.”
“But now you have to worry about a bigger threat.”
“She doesn’t seem to know about you at least.” He eased back, cupped her cheek gently. Irene was smart, and if she’d known about Zamira, Dimitri was certain she’d have subtly threatened her. Or not so subtly. “This is going to be okay.”
A chime sounded from the front of his house and she froze.
“It’s just Isa and Graysen, the people I told you about.”
Expression still tense, she nodded. “Right.”
He brushed his mouth over hers before he hurried to answer the door.
Isa, a petite woman with jet-black hair, stepped in first, her husband Graysen right behind her. He dwarfed her with his size, but Isa had a fierceness to her that had gotten her far at Red Stone Security. There was a reason she’d recently been promoted to head up an entire division. Though today they were casual in jeans and T-shirts to blend in with the afternoon crowd at a strip club.
“Thank you both for coming,” he murmured, locking up behind them. “Were you seen coming in?”
“No, we waited until your tail left,” Isa said.
“Were you able to clone Ryba’s phone?” He figured it was no, but asked anyway.
“Unfortunately no, but I did record most of your conversation with him before that guy took your phone.”
At least that was something, but not much. “This way,” he murmured, leading them to his kitchen, where Zamira was still waiting.
After making quick introductions, the three of them stood around the island. It was clear Zamira was too tense to sit and he figured Isa and Graysen weren’t staying long. Just enough to go over everything.
“When that Gareth guy took your phone, I kept recording and I actually got something,” Isa said, jumping right into it. “Gareth made idle talk with who I assume was one of the bartenders at that club, but then he made a few phone calls. It sounds like it’s about that job Irene wants you to take part in.”
“Anything I can use?”
Isa lifted a shoulder. “Not really. It mostly lines up with what Ryba told you and his aunt. Sounded like he was simply confirming the story and securing the people they want working with you.”
“You get any names?”
“No, unfortunately. Just codes. The recording is on your phone so you can review it, see if you recognize any code names.”
“Any mention of Zamira or Ryba?”
“Nothing about Zamira.” Isa gave her a small smile before turning back to Dimitri. “But he did mock Ryba a bit. There’s no love between aunt and nephew.”
“So she’s really sending him away?”
“Yeah, she has some low-level stuff that she wants to keep him busy with for a while. It’s a plus for now. He’ll be gone for a bit.”
“Involving the police is definitely out, right?” Zamira looked between them, even though it was clear she’d already answered her own question.
“Yeah. If I do, she’ll know it was me,” Dimitri said. “Or she’ll suspect it. And she could come after me—and you, if she realizes you mean something to me.” Irene didn’t seem to at the moment and he was hoping to keep it that way.
Zamira’s expression softened as she watched him. “I don’t want you to risk any more than you already have.”
