“I need to see her,” Boris explained as patiently as he could to the little gargoyle crouched protectively over her mother. “I must check to make sure she is still just sleeping peacefully and that her injuries are not worse than they look.”
“No!” The little demon hissed at him, looking as though she would launch herself at him if he dared take another step closer to her sleeping mother, despite weighing a solid 300 pounds less than him. If Boris weren’t so annoyed at her interference he would be impressed with her fierce protectiveness.
He reached for as much patience as he could, which admittedly wasn’t much considering his experience with five year olds ranged in the zero category. “Can you explain to me why you do not want me examining your mother, baby kotenok?” he asked in as soothing a voice as he could manage.
“Because I don’t know if you are the evil Mothra or the maybe okay Godzilla,” she announced imperiously. “So just stay away. I can take care of mama.”
Boris sighed heavily and rubbed a hand over his head wondering what to do. He had men out looking for his old nanny who was apparently staying with relatives near St. Petersburg. He had no doubt she would agree to come back and work for him. But for now, he was desperate to check on Laney. At the same time, he also did not want to damage the very fragile relationship he needed to build with his new daughter.
“Godzilla.”
Boris looked up in surprise at the hoarse whisper. Jin was bouncing on the bed excitedly and seizing her mother’s arm. He quickly reached out and snatched the child before she could accidentally jostle her extremely bruised parent and cause further pain. Laney moaned anyway and struggled to open her eyes.
Jin looked up at Boris and grinned. “You are Godzilla!” she announced happily and hugged his neck in a surprisingly strong grip. He decided he would be very proud of this mini Laney as she grew.
He deposited the little girl in the armchair. “Stay,” he said sternly when she quickly tried to scramble back out of the chair.
She frowned at him. “I am not a dog!” she exclaimed haughtily.
Definitely a miniature version of her mother. He swallowed a grin so he could maintain a stern tone with the child and obtain her compliance. He stared down at her from his massive height until she stopped squirming in her chair, sat still and listened. He crouched in front of her and took her small hand in his. The incredible fragility of her tiny fingers against his rough palm made his chest ache with the need to protect this small, bothersome human.
“If you want to stay and protect your mama, then you must be silent and stealthy like a ninja so I can check her over. I know you do not want to leave her alone because you were parted for many long months. I can respect that if you can respect my rules. Da?” he asked gravely.
Jin nodded her head, her eyes wide. She reached out and traced her fingers along the tattooed dagger that ran from his neck to his shoulder blade. There were two drops of blood dripping from the end of the dagger signifying the two people he had killed while incarcerated. One day he would tell her the story of their deaths. How they had disrespected a Bratva elder and plotted his murder. How Boris had defended the man and been rewarded handsomely. For now, he was simply floored that the little girl was so easy around him. He was used to grown men crossing the street to avoid him.
“Will you sit quiet in this chair for me, tiny kotenok?”
“Yes, Mister Godzilla,” she whispered, staying true to her word to be quiet.
Boris stood and approached the bed, confident that Jin would not disturb Laney for a few moments at least. He did not want to separate them. He suspected there would be hell to pay if Laney woke for even a second to find her daughter missing. He would have to start earning her trust slowly where the child was concerned. He hoped saving both of their lives was a decent start.
He stood over her and tried to thrust aside the intense anger that threatened to engulf him each time he looked at her battered face. The bruises were beginning to really show against her lovely skin. The scrape over her eye had been cleaned and taped so it wouldn’t scar.
“Any… anything broken?” she whispered without opening her eyes.
He sat as carefully as he could next to her on the bed and gently lifted her hand to place it on his thigh. She didn’t complain or try to move at all. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened. It took a few more seconds before her pain-clouded blue eyes focused on him.
He shook his head. “The doctor doesn’t believe anything is broken. There may be hairline fracture on some of your ribs, but nothing permanent or life-threatening. Worst damage was to your organs from the beating. They are swollen and bruised.”
She nodded slightly, her lips quirking just a little. “Yes, I can feel that.”
Rage swept over him once more and he wished they were still at the compound so he could deal with the men that had hurt his Laney. Hudson had taken most of them out while Boris and his men had dispatched the guards and anyone not in the courtyard beating up Laney. If Boris had his way, he would have been the one meting out justice to the men that had touched his woman. He would have shown them exactly what kind of punishment they could expect for such an infraction. A quick bullet to the head had been too much of a kindness.
As if reading his dark thoughts, she ran her fingers over his arm. “I will recover.”
He gazed down at her, anger and concern warring within his chest. He wanted to sooth her, but he also needed her to know that their path wasn’t complete yet. That they were just starting out together. “You should have trusted me. Should have told me about Jin from the start. I would have moved heaven and Earth to get her back for you.” His voice was hard when he spoke.
Tears filled her eyes and she looked away from him. She didn’t say anything for a long time. When she opened her mouth to speak a sob came out. She brought her fingers up and pressed them against her lips for a moment. She shook her head and glanced toward her daughter. Jin was busy tracing the intricate shapes on the side table lamp and ignoring their conversation.
“I was sent to kill you,” Laney whispered bluntly. “How could I trust someone like you with my child?”
He glared down at her. “Even after I gave you my heart? Offered my life up to you, not once, but twice?” he growled angrily. “You had every opportunity to trust me, to give me your heart in return and you failed.”
“You cannot understand,” she said desperately. “You don’t have a child to protect!”
He flinched back as though she’d slapped him, his eyebrows snapping together. He saw regret cross her features and she glanced quickly toward a wide-eyed Jin who had abandoned her lamp and was watching the adults curiously.
“I did not have a child,” he said succinctly, standing and stepping away from the bed. “But I had a brother that I spent many years protecting.”
She gasped and closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them to meet his. He didn't greet her with accusation, only stark acceptance of the fact that he knew she had killed Dimitri.
“I’m so sorry, Boris,” she whispered brokenly.
He shook his head. “I know you did what you had to where he is concerned. What angers me is your lack of trust where I am concerned. Your constant running from me, though you profess to love me with your heart and your body. Now I will give you no more choice. You and Jin will stay with me forever. You will learn to accept this life and trust me.”
He turned to leave. She called out to him, struggling to sit up. “Please, Boris! We need to talk!”
“No more talking, Laney,” he rumbled and closed the door firmly.