Yuri

  I shook my head. "Man, we have had some terrible luck this year. Maybe we should get smudged or something. We need to get rid of this bad juju that's following us around."

  "Right?" Erin laughed and plucked another book off the shelf. She added it to the growing pile in her arms and nearly dropped all the books when the weight shifted.

  "Why don't you just get him an ereader for his birthday?" I took half of her armload.

  "He doesn't like them. His library collection is so incredibly valuable to him. When he was a child, reading was the way he escaped from the hell of his everyday life." She touched the tower of books in her arms. "These are comforting to him."

  I trailed her to the long line snaking around the front of the book store. Even though Yuri had suggested a book for Ivan, I decided to choose something else. Erin had bought half the store anyway so he'd be set for books for a while. I thought about the trip Yuri was planning to gift them. A nifty idea started to sprout.

  "So how was Benny this morning?"

  "Puking," I said with a grimace. "It seems she's getting hit a little harder with morning sickness. Remind me never to get pregnant," I added with a shudder.

  "Poor thing." Erin made a sad face. "We should put together a small gift basket for her. We'll tuck in some ginger ale and crackers plus some nice feel-good stuff so Dimitri can pamper her."

  "That's a sweet idea. I'll see if Vivian wants to go in on it with us."

  "Did I tell you that Ivan sat for her last week?"

  "No. How did it go?"

  "He was nervous about showing his tattoos to someone other than me. I think it was even harder for him because Vivian can read all of them and she knows so much of the symbolic history behind them. She made him very comfortable and it didn't take long. She only snapped a handful of photographs, all from the neck down, and then she was done with him."

  "Yuri is supposed to drop by her studio this afternoon. His sitting won't take long." I touched my chest. "He only has one tattoo."

  "Really? Just one?"

  I nodded. "He seems downright conservative compared to Ivan and Nikolai."

  "Vivian still hasn't told Nikolai about the series she's doing. She specifically asked Ivan not to mention it. I could tell it made him uneasy but he agreed." She eyed me carefully. "Do you know why she's being so secretive about it with Nikolai? I don't think she's ever kept anything from him."

  "She tried talking to him about his tattoos when she first became interested in them but he shut her down like hardcore. It rattled her badly and she's never brought the subject up with him again." I let loose a sigh. "She knows that he's going to flip his lid when he finds out what she's been doing."

  Erin looked worried. "Do you think he'll get angry with her?"

  I shrugged. "Will he grouch at her? Probably. But Nikolai get angry with Vivian?" I laughed. "Please!"

  "True. He's almost as bad as Ivan when it comes to me." Her gaze jumped to the entrance of the bookstore. Stepping toward me, she hurriedly whispered, "Detective Santos is headed this way."

  "What?" I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see the dark-haired detective step through the crowd of teenage girls lusting over a mountain of werewolf romance paperbacks. "Shit."

  Detective Eric Santos, a member of Houston's gang unit and Vivian's cousin, sauntered toward me. He smiled pleasantly. "Hello."

  "Hi," we replied in unison.

  "Lena, when you're done here, would you mind if we had a quick chat?"

  "Not at all," I said with a smile.

  "Great. I'll grab a coffee and wait for you."

  I kept that smile plastered in place until he'd turned his back. Looking toward Erin, I let it slip. "Now what?"

  "Just talk to him. He's a good guy."

  "Yuri was really specific about not letting anyone know about my dad. I got the feeling the negotiations Nikolai had undertaken on his behalf were contingent on keeping the police out of it."

  "We're just having coffee at a bookstore with our friend's cousin. It's no big deal."

  I scanned the bookstore and found Jake hovering nearby. In the span of a few hours, I'd become shockingly accustomed to Yuri's bodyguard shadowing me. Our gazes met across the store. He glanced at Eric Santos and then back at me. I gave a little shrug to let him know I didn't have a choice.

  The line started moving faster. Before I was ready to face him, I made my way to see the detective. He'd taken a corner table. Erin sat with me. I noticed Jake moving to the closest book display.

  Santos didn't miss him. "I see you've got protection now."

  "My boyfriend worries." It felt weird to call Yuri my boyfriend but I wasn't sure how else to describe our relationship.

  "He should." Santos sipped his coffee. "I heard about your cousin."

  My heart skipped a beat. Did he know everything? How much of my family's situation was already public knowledge on the streets? "Oh?"

  He nodded. "I heard he fenced a stolen painting. A painting that belonged to a certain Mexican gentleman who isn't known for leniency or mercy."

  "Well," I said cautiously, "Tommy isn't the smartest of criminals."

  Santos snorted derisively. "That's for damn sure."

  "So is that all you needed? To warn me that my cousin had blundered into another mess?"

  He ran his finger around the lid of his cup. "I went by your dad's warehouse to check on him but he wasn't there."

  I swallowed nervously. "He's on a business trip."

  Santos studied me intently. "A business trip, huh?"

  "Yes."

  "Okay." He glanced at Jake again. "You keep that shadow of yours tight. These people? They will make the Hermanos and the Albanians look like choirboys." Coffee in hand, he rose from his chair. "You let Nikolai know that I'm keeping a close eye on Vivian until whatever this is gets cleared up. I can see that you've got the best protection money can buy so I'll focus on keeping my cousin safe."

  "I'm sure Vivian will appreciate it." She wouldn't but Santos wouldn't care. Like Nikolai, he could be overbearing and paranoid when it came to protecting her.

  With a nod, Santos left our table and disappeared into the crowd.

  Erin touched my arm. "You okay?"

  "I'm fine. I think he probably knows everything."

  "So do I. You'll have to tell Yuri."

  "I hope this doesn't cause problems for my dad."

  "I don’t see how it will. Eric Santos has no jurisdiction in Mexico and that's where your dad is now. He can't get involved in anything down there or mess up the negotiations and the deals that are in place. Even if he could, he wouldn't."

  "How can you be sure?" I so wanted to believe her.

  She glanced at the wall of windows overlooking the parking lot. "When my sister was in trouble, he gave Ivan a clear signal that he'd hang back and let him find a way to keep her safe in prison and me safe on the outside. I'm sure they would have executed a search warrant on our house that night but Santos let Ivan get there first so he could make a deal with the Hermanos and Albanians to save my life."

  "Let's just hope he shows me the same consideration…"

  * * *

  Yuri fished his ringing phone out of his pocket. One glance at his phone's screen and he knew this wasn't going to be a call he enjoyed. Glad for the privacy of the backseat of his car, he answered. "Dimitri."

  "What the hell do you think you're doing keeping something like this from me?"

  "Why, yes, Dimitri, I am having a nice afternoon—and you?"

  "I don't think this is funny."

  Yuri pinched the bridge of his nose. "I assure you the situation isn't funny on my end either."

  "You should have called me immediately. I should have been told that you were facing off with a damn cartel!"

  He wasn't sure how Dimitri had found out but it didn't much matter now.

  "I didn't want to put you or Benny at risk. It's the same reason I didn't call Ivan last night. Vivian is already involved by her association with her fat
her and Lena so calling Nikolai seemed the best possible move. He has the connections I need, and he'll want to keep a close eye on Vivian, especially with her father getting out of the pen any day."

  Dimitri sighed loudly. "Listen, you need to let me set you up with another bodyguard or two. I don't like the idea of you and Lena having only one guard watching your movements. It's exhausting for the guards and it puts you at a higher risk."

  Yuri conceded that Dimitri knew his business well. "Fine—but I want one of us watching her."

  "A Russian?"

  "I need someone I can trust not to be in the Mexican's pocket."

  "The only one I have on my roster is safely tucked into Nikolai's pocket."

  "That's fine. I'll take him. He'll be more afraid of him than of any cartel drug lord. Who else do you have available to watch her?"

  "What about Kelly?"

  "The bouncer at my club?"

  "He's a highly decorated Marine and a solid guy. His father is sick and he needs the money. I trust him."

  "Okay. I'll take Kelly."

  "I'll send them to her apartment to keep an eye on her."

  "Send them to my house. She's staying with me."

  Dimitri seemed to perk up at that tidbit. "Oh?"

  "Yes."

  "It's about damn time you made your move with her. I worried that someone else was going to sneak in and take her from you before you'd worked up the courage to even ask her out on a date."

  Dimitri's worries mirrored his own. Feeling comfortable discussing his relationship with his friend, he admitted, "I royally fucked it up the other day. I very nearly lost her but she gave me a second chance. I'm not messing this one up."

  "Make sure that you don't. If you hurt her, Ivan, Nikolai and I will never hear the end of it from Erin, Vivian and Benny."

  Yuri laughed. "No doubt."

  "Are you sure that bodyguards are all you need? I'd be happy to come by and watch her personally."

  "No." Yuri firmly declined the offer. "You need to take care of Benny. I won't have you putting yourself at risk, not now when everything is coming together for you." Before Dimitri could argue with him, he added, "I've handled the docking arrangements for the big yacht. Everything is squared away on my end for your wedding."

  "Benny will be relieved to hear that. And Johnny?"

  "He's already transferred to that yacht's crew. There shouldn't be any problem bringing him in for the wedding."

  "Good. That will make her so happy."

  "I'm sure it will." His car pulled up to the curb outside the renovated warehouse where Vivian kept her studio. "Listen, I'm running late for a meeting. Can I call you later?"

  "Yes. I'll touch base with you as soon as I have my two guards on their way."

  Yuri hesitated before asking, "Are we okay?"

  "We're fine—but don't keep things like this from me again. We've been through a lot together. There's no reason to start keeping secrets now."

  "You're right. I apologize."

  "Yeah. Okay. I'll talk to you later."

  Yuri pocketed his phone and stepped out of the car. Derek's gaze jumped between a sleek black car across the street and a maroon sedan down the block. "Those cars are making me nervous, Boss."

  Yuri glanced at the cars in question and laughed. "They should. If I'm not mistaken, that sedan is probably holding a couple of plainclothes police officers. I'm sure they're enjoying their staring contest with Kostya."

  Still laughing, Yuri strode toward the locked entrance and hit the buzzer. A few moments later, Vivian came across the intercom and unlocked the door for him. Derek kept close as they made their way to the second floor. Nikolai used the ground floor as storage but the second he'd converted into a massive studio space for Vivian's twentieth birthday. It was the kind of gift a man gave to a woman he loved but Nikolai maintained that he only viewed Vivian as his ward. Yuri wasn't convinced.

  "Hey!" Barefoot and wearing a paint-splattered apron, Vivian greeted him at the entrance. She glanced at Derek. "I see you've brought reinforcements."

  "This is Derek. He's one of my private guards." Yuri gestured toward the windows. "I see you've got two sets of babysitters on you."

  Vivian rolled her pale eyes. "Is that ridiculous or what? I stepped outside of my apartment this morning to go run and walked right into Kostya. I came home from the run and found two of Eric's off-duty buddies watching me."

  Yuri didn't like the idea of Vivian's detective cousin sticking his nose in where it didn't belong but he couldn't blame the man for wanting to look out for his family. The detective had saved Dimitri and Benny's life and had given Ivan a chance to make things right with the Hermanos and Albanians so Yuri hoped the man would stay out of it this time around as well. Lena's father's life depended on it.

  "Derek, why don't you have a seat over there?" Vivian pointed to a cozy corner with a couch and reading material. "The small fridge has water and soda if you're thirsty."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Vivian crooked her finger. "Yuri, this way."

  He followed her to a corner of the warehouse she'd set up for photography. There was a simple stool sitting against a gray backdrop. "I suppose I'm sitting here."

  She nodded. "I doubt you have as many tattoos as Ivan or Kostya so this won't take long. You can put your jacket and shirt on that table."

  A quiver of discomfort pierced his belly as he started to undress in front of his girlfriend's best friend. Clearing his throat, he asked, "May I see the other pieces in the collection?"

  "Sure." She shot him a playful smile. "Would you like me to turn around while you take off your shirt? I promise I won't peek."

  He chuckled. "Funny."

  "Sorry. You seem tense."

  "The last few days have been rather intense."

  Vivian's expression turned sad. "I couldn't believe it when Nikolai called me this morning to tell me about Lena's dad. That's just awful. She tried to play it off when we talked earlier but I can tell she's terrified." Picking up her camera, Vivian added, "I'm really glad she has you in her corner, Yuri."

  His eyebrows rose with surprise. "Are you? Even after the way I messed things up on Monday?"

  She shrugged. "I realize you made a mistake. I know you'd never deliberately hurt her. I've seen the way you've watched her over the past few months. I know that look."

  Yes, I'm sure you do, he thought silently.

  "I know Lena is really good at projecting this tough, badass bitch character when she's scared but a lot of it is bravado. Yes, she's more than capable of taking care of herself, but she needs someone to lean on, Yuri."

  "I want to be that someone. I've made it clear that I'm in this for the long-haul with her."

  "But she's giving you that mistrusting, uncertain vibe?"

  He nodded. "I can tell she's been hurt badly by her parents. Her father seems to have broken so many promises to her and her mother ran off and died."

  "Yeah," Vivian said, her voice unnaturally tight. "She definitely has some issues that you'll have to work out together."

  "She's worth it. Hell," he said with a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm not exactly baggage free here. I've got my own hang-ups."

  "We all do, Yuri." She pointed to the stool. "Ready?"

  Naked from the waist up, he sat down and straightened his back. "Like this?"

  "Yes. Just so you know—I'm not doing any face captures. I'm only interested in your tattoos." She moved closer and held the camera up to her face. "Do you have a story behind this tattoo?" The camera came down to reveal her smile. "Obviously it's about brotherhood."

  "I had it done while I was in the military. Dimitri and I were stationed in different areas. Nikolai and Ivan were in prison." He absentmindedly touched the tattoo as Vivian crouched down to snap a photo from a different angle. "It made me feel close to them again. It reminded that our bond could survive anything."

  Vivian finished her quick photo session. "I like that description. I'm going to find a way to incorpora
te that feeling into the painting."

  His part finished, Yuri grabbed his shirt and slipped back into it while Vivian uploaded the pictures and made some notes in a spiral notebook. She glanced over at him as he fixed his cufflinks. "Thank you for doing this. I've been so lucky to have such great friends willing to sit for these photos."

  "I'm happy to do it. I'm glad you consider me a friend."

  "Well, you are my best tipper at the restaurant," she said with a cheeky grin.

  He laughed and teased, "I think you're setting the bar for friendship a bit low."

  "Probably."

  "Since we're friends, perhaps you wouldn't mind helping me with something?"

  "That depends. What kind of help?"

  "It's for Lena." He slid his arms into his suit jacket. "She was wearing this really beautiful blazer this morning—"

  "The poppy red one with the black piping?" Vivian interjected.

  "Yes."

  "I love that color on her. Isn't it great?"

  "Very," he agreed. "I noticed that her left wrist looked a little bare. I wanted to get her something pretty."

  "Something pretty?" Vivian leaned back against the table. "Like jewelry?"

  "Yes. Gold, I think."

  "And you want me to—what? Recommend something?"

  "I thought you might know if there's a piece she's had her eye on or maybe a certain style she prefers."

  She reacted with mock shock. "You're asking me for advice on how to woo a woman? I thought you were supposed to be some internationally renowned playboy."

  Yuri took her playful jabs in stride. "It's different with Lena. She's not just any woman. With anyone else, I'd go to my jeweler and ask for something bright and gaudy and obscenely expensive. I want to get it right with her. I want something that’s special to her." Letting some vulnerability into his voice, he said, "I want this to be perfect for her. Please?"

  Vivian's expression softened. "We went window shopping a few weeks ago. I'll make you a list and some recommendations."

  "Thank you."

  She picked up a pen and her notepad and gestured to the far wall. "Why don't you look at the paintings while I make this list?"