Page 42 of Deadly Protector
“I kinda want to lie here all day,” Zamira murmured.
“Fine with me. Or we could use the pool later.”
“If I can get up.” Her words had a drowsy quality and he could actually hear the smile in her voice. “It’s weird to not have any plans. Good weird, but weird.”
“What would you have been doing today if you weren’t here?” He stroked a lazy hand down her spine, enjoying the sensation of simply touching her.
“Hmm. It’s Monday so…I had breakfast plans with Angel today. Canceled, obviously. Then I’d planned to kitesurf for a while, and then dinner plans with a friend from my book club.”
“You’re in a book club?”
“Yep. And a kitesurfing club too.”
He laughed lightly. “You are an interesting woman, Zamira.”
She shrugged and kissed his chest once before laying her head back. “Are you hungry? Because I could definitely eat.”
“Me too. I—” He paused at the sound of his burner phone ringing. Only Ryba had that number.
Zamira shot up, clearly recognizing the ringtone as well.
He slid from his bed and hurried to his dresser by the big window, grabbed it. “Yeah?”
“I’ve been thinking,” Ryba said.
Hopefully he didn’t hurt himself. “About?”
“Zamira owes me and I’m going to let that debt go if you help me with a job.”
“You’re out of your fucking mind.” She didn’t owe him shit and Dimitri certainly didn’t.
“According to what I’ve heard, you used to be the best.”
He snorted. He still was.
“And I have a job coming up where I need someone just like you.”
“Yeah, what is it?” He wasn’t going to help the guy, but he needed more details before he could cut the guy off at the knees. Needed to know what he was up against.
Now Ryba snort-laughed. “We’ll talk in person. And if you don’t do it, our deal is off and your girl isn’t safe. Neither are her kids. I’ll text you where to meet.” He hung up before Dimitri could respond.
Rage popped through him, but he took a deep breath. Losing control wouldn’t do any good, wouldn’t help the situation.
“Dimitri?” He turned to find Zamira standing at the foot of the bed, her discarded robe wrapped loosely around her, her dark eyes worried.
“It was Ryba,” he said, confirming what she had to know as he looked at the incoming text. He winced at the location. A strip club. But it made sense Ryba would want to meet there—people usually weren’t allowed to use cell phones. Not obviously anyway because of worries of client privacy. And it would be loud, a good place for a private conversation. “He wants to meet.”
“Don’t go.”
He sighed. “I have to.” He had to at least try to get Ryba off Zamira’s back, to figure out what he was planning.
She stepped up to him, placed her hands on his chest. “We should call the cops.”
Gently, he took her hands and tugged her close. “They can’t do anything. He hasn’t done enough to warrant anything from them.”
“He held Angel at gunpoint.”
“I know. And I also know he won’t stay in jail for long if he gets arrested for that. It’ll be a slap on the wrist. He might do a few years because he already has a record, but I doubt it. Then he’s back out again. I want to at least meet with him and find out what he wants from me.” If he could figure out what this upcoming job was, he could involve law enforcement and get Ryba put away for a very long time.
