CHAPTER SIXTEEN
IVAN
I LET OUT a breath as I close the door to Emma’s room softly behind me. I knew she wouldn’t easily accept the idea of being here all the time.
I smiled and laughed when Ilya told me she was trying to drive off in my car. That’s when I figured out just how truly determined she could be when she set her mind to something.
Will that make it easy to keep her safe? Probably not.
Is that going to make me stop wanting to protect her? Absolutely not.
Did I just fall a little more in love with her? Yes, yes I did. I am totally and completely done for if the Irish finds out what she means to me.
I head down to my office where my brothers and Mikhail are waiting for me. Pouring everyone a drink, I sit in my chair while they stare at me.
“What?” I ask them as I take a sip.
“Declan Callaghan called,” Maksim says as he takes a sip of his own drink.
“Oh good, he got our message. What the fuck does he want?” I ask.
“He wants to meet,” Maksim replies.
“What could that fucker possibly have to say to me?” I ask, leaning forward and placing my forearms on my desk.
“He says the two of you have business to discuss,” Maksim continues.
“Ivan, he mentioned Emma,” Dmitri tells me, sounding reluctant.
“Fuck,” I say as I take a deep breath.
“Here’s what I think we should do. I’ll call his people and arrange a meeting,” Mikhail suggests. “I’ll set it up for a public place to keep the peace. We’ll be nearby if everything goes south.”
“I don’t like this. Callaghan is up to something,” I grumble.
“Agreed,” Mikhail says. “We won’t know what he wants until you speak to him in person.”
“Fine. Set up the meeting, but don’t offer choices of location. If he wants to meet, he’ll meet on my terms, or not at all,” I tell Mikhail. “Dmitri, get Boris on the phone and tell him we’re having lunch tomorrow at his place, and we’re bringing some guests. He’ll know what that means.”
“You got it,” Dmitri replies.
“Also, tell Callaghan he’s allowed to bring one other person and a bodyguard. No weapons necessary. It’s just us having a lunchtime meeting.”
“Right,” Dmitri confirms.
“If that’s all, I have some things to arrange that don’t involve Callaghan,” I say, dismissing my brothers and Mikhail. They leave, and I’m left alone with my thoughts.
Earlier today I arranged for Emma to have a credit card so she could get herself anything she needed to make herself more comfortable in my home. I left it on the side table when I was up there earlier. She hasn’t come downstairs to yell at me yet, so she may not have seen it. I’m not worried about it too much, so instead I focus on this meeting tomorrow with Callaghan and let the rest of the day pass in silence.
The next afternoon, I arrive at the restaurant two hours before the agreed upon time. Normal people would not find it necessary to be so early, but I’m not normal people. It’s a power move, and Callaghan needs to know that I am the one in control here. I take my place at the corner table in the back and wait. Mikhail is inside with me, along with Ilya. Dmitri and Maksim are parked outside and down the street in opposite directions. Grigory is hiding in the kitchen with Boris, pretending to be a cook.
Boris brought me a drink, and I spend time scrolling through messages on my phone. One of them is a text from Emma thanking me for the card, but she doesn’t think she’ll need to use it because she won’t be at my house that long. I laugh when I read it. She’s really not going to let it go.
Half an hour before our agreed upon time, Declan Callaghan walks in the door with his two people. I assume they are bodyguards, but I don’t particularly care.
“You’re early,” I comment as Ilya pats him down and checks for weapons. I don’t bother getting up from my seat.
“So are you,” Callaghan responds as he sits down. “Are you to be patted down as well, or just me?”
