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CHAPTER17
RUSLAN
Once again, she sleeps. I’ve fed her and fucked her, and now she sleeps. I don’t. I stare at her instead. I watch her, wondering how in the fuck I’m going to keep my promise. How the fuck am I going to keep her safe?
I’ve made this promise and now I’m not sure if I can keep it and that terrifies the absolute fuck out of me. I shouldn’t be worried about this. I know that I should be able to do this, for life. I’m second-guessing myself because I’ve fallen for her. If she was just anyone, I don’t think I would be so fucking concerned.
My phone rings just as I’m lying next to Isabel worrying myself fucking sick over scenarios that don’t fucking exist. Reaching out to the nightstand, I grab the phone and slip out of bed, sliding my thumb across the screen as I lift it to my ear.
“Panas,” I state.
“Calling you back.”
“Edmon said you could maybe answer some questions that I had, will you be around today?”
There is some rustling around, then he clears his throat before he speaks. “I’m free now.”
Glancing over at the clock on the microwave, I snort. Of course, he’s free now, it’s lunchtime. “Meet at the restaurant?” I ask.
“I’ll be there.”
We usually discuss things at a local Russian restaurant. It’s a good place to talk about sensitive matters. Almost everyone in there is Russian and Bratva. Ending the call, I turn and make my way into the bedroom.
As quietly as I can, I shower and dress in a new suit. Fuck, I’m tired. I’ve only slept about five hours, but I need to find this information out. Tired or not, this is more important. Looking down at Isabel, I wish that I could bring her with me, but she’s sound asleep.
Slipping out of the bedroom, I hold my phone to my ear. Most of the men that I work with are sleeping right now. Except Osip.
“You’re calling me,” he announces.
Laughing, I clear my throat softly, careful not to be too loud. “I need to meet with Panas for lunch, last minute. Can you come and keep an eye out on my condo and Isabel for me?”
“You know that I would,” he says. “Except I can’t today. I will send one of the men over though. He won’t move, he’ll be stationed outside of the condo door, and he will not attempt to go inside.”
“That works.”
There’s silence and I look at the phone to see if the call has been ended, but it’s still running. I start to open my mouth and tell him goodbye when he speaks.
“I’ll meet with you and Panas. Find out where these parents are. I have a feeling that they know more than we think they do.”
I snort. “Yeah, you in on this with me?” I ask.
He doesn’t say anything immediately, but I know that his mind is working. “This situation is odd. I don’t like it. I think a lot more went down than what meets the eye and I want to know what it is. You don’t just vanish from the Bratva, you don’t just move away after essentially selling your daughter to another organization.”
“There is another girl. Edmon said he and the sister had a thing.”
“We need to find them and ask them,” Osip announces.
“Lunch,” I say.
He ends the call. Looking behind me, I see Isabel making her way toward me. She’s wearing nothing except the button-down shirt that I wore to work last night.
“What are you doing up?” I ask.
Her tongue peeks out and slides across her bottom lip as her feet move, one then the other, then the other, her sexy long legs on display. She hums but doesn’t speak right away. Instead, she continues walking on her path, until she’s right in front of me. Her palm presses against my chest and she tilts her head backward.
Her eyes find mine, they hold mine as her lips curve up into a smile. “Can’t sleep without you there.”
Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek and tip my head down, my mouth touching hers. “You’re gonna need to get out of that habit. I don’t work bankers’ hours,luchik.”
