Page 31 of Deadly Protector
She blinked in surprise. “No. Thank you for your honesty, it’s just a lot. And it takes a lot to get on a different path and stay on it. I’m impressed.”
He’d never thought about it like that.
“Can I ask what made you change?”
He paused, mulling over his answer. “It wasn’t one thing. I did a lot of work for someone specific.” He wasn’t going to name Viktor because that wasn’t something she needed to know and he wouldn’t betray Viktor anyway. “When that individual started going legit, changing their whole life, I did the same. If I’m being blunt, I was getting older and I didn’t want to constantly worry about getting caught. I wanted to carve out a real life and put down roots.”
“That’s really impressive.”
He’d started to respond when his phone buzzed. His burner phone.
Zamira set her wine down suddenly as he said, “Ryba.” Then he answered. “Yeah.”
“So you’re not a cop.”
“Nope.” At least Ryba had done his research. Hopefully now they could get this over with. “You ready to talk now?”
“I don’t want to talk. I want what’s mine.”
Dimitri gritted his teeth, took a deep breath. He was about done with this guy. “And again, she does not know what you want. You won’t even give a hint, so she can’t guess.” He looked at Zamira and she nodded at him. “But,” he continued, “she’s agreed to let you go through all of Lucas’s things.”
There was a beat of silence. “If I don’t find what—”
“I don’t give a shit what happens if you don’t find whatever this thing is. You’re not helping yourself by being so opaque and we’re being more than accommodating. I’ve already moved all of Lucas’s things to a storage facility so you can take your time going through everything. If you’ve done your research on me, you know I always keep my word.”
More silence stretched out. “Where do you want to meet?”
“In the morning. Nine o’clock. I’ll text you the address right beforehand. If you come armed or try anything, you’ll regret it and this deal is off. Understand?”
“Yeah.”
“I want to make sure that you do. I will hold up my end of this deal but if you fuck up again, you’re not walking away.”
“I got it.” The phone disconnected.
Zamira shoved out a long breath as he set the phone down. He braced himself, wondering if now was the moment she got up and left. He’d been blunt talking to Ryba and he wasn’t backing down. Not when it came to her safety. There were some things he would compromise with, but that wasn’t one of them.
She rubbed a hand over her face, and to his surprise she got out of her chair and came over to his. She slid right onto his lap as if it was exactly where she belonged. “I need a hug,” she murmured. “And I think you might too.”
Ah, hell.He held her tight as she laid her head on his shoulder. He would definitely take a hug from her. And hopefully more. But he liked the feel of her curved up against him, plastered to him. She was fit and lean, but soft in the right places.
“What do you think he’ll do tomorrow?”
“He’ll show up. And I’m going to have backup. We are.”
She leaned up slightly, her eyes wide as she watched him. And her mouth was perfect, begging for him to kiss. All soft and lush. “We?”
He held off kissing her just yet. “I won’t allow him to come anywhere near you and I’m going to be armed—so will our backup. But yeah, I think you need to be there. He’s looking for something and eventually he’ll need to talk to you if he doesn’t find whatever he’s searching for. And I don’t think he’s going to. It’s been over a decade. This thing might be gone.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too. Lucas’s parents have some of his stuff, but it’s mainly pictures and a few personal items from his high school days. Little mementos. What happens if…Ryba doesn’t find what he wants?”
“We’ll deal with that then. But he will not bother you.” That, Dimitri would make sure of, one way or another.
Her gaze fell to his mouth then, the heat he’d seen earlier sparking wild. She sucked in a ragged breath and that was it. He moved fast, sliding his fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head as he claimed her mouth.
She shifted immediately, moving from cuddling to straddling him in an instant.
He rolled his hips up to her as she settled over him. Just the feel of her on top of him, even with their clothes on, had him rock-hard. Hell, her cuddling against him had already gotten him hard. She was impossible to resist, especially now that he’d been honest with her and she still wanted him.
