6:49 a.m.
Sara Jane Riley let out a sigh of frustration. Her mother was supposed to wake her at six. She knew how important this morning was. Dimitri’s brother had come all this way to help her, and now she’d be late. Dammit.
“Mommy!”
The sing-song voice of her six-year-old daughter brought a smile to her face. Delia was the one bright spot in her life, the only good thing to come out of her marriage to Roger. Mussy blonde hair and steel gray eyes peeped at her from the bottom of the bed.
“Good morning, poppet. Where’s Nana?”
“She’s in the shower.” The little girl crawled up on the bed, her hand twisting her hair, a nervous habit she’d developed since the night her father hit her so hard, it knocked out one of her front teeth. It broke Sara’s heart to see it. But it also gave her the courage she needed to leave her husband.
“Are you hungry?” Sara sat up and kissed her daughter, making sloppy sounds that pulled giggles from the little girl.
“Yessss.” Delia laughed and rolled away from her mother.
“Well, let’s me and you go downstairs and find some food.”
“Waffles?” The little girl grinned, her missing front tooth making her smile even more adorable, despite how she lost it.
“I suppose you can have waffles if you’re super good this morning. Remember I told you last night we were meeting Mommy’s friend Dimitri and his brother? They’re going to help keep us safe from Daddy.”
All the happiness bled from the child’s face at the mention of her father. Delia was scared witless of him. Despite Sara’s best efforts, Roger kept finding ways to violate the restraining order she had against him, and Delia never felt safe.
“It’s going to be okay, honey. Daddy isn’t going to hurt you ever again.”
She hoped to God that was true. It was the only reason she’d given in when Dimitri offered to pay for his brother’s services. Kincaid Security & Investigations. From what Dimitri told her, they handled everything from personal security to hardcore investigative services. She hated that she couldn’t afford to pay for it herself, but when it came to protecting Delia, she’d do whatever she had to. Including take charity.
Getting up, Sara threw on jeans and a nice blouse then got her daughter dressed in the same. Sara grabbed her cell and sent Dimitri a quick text to let him know she was running behind.
Since the signing wasn’t scheduled until around five, Delia would be stuck in the hotel room all day. She’d tell her mother to let Delia lounge in her PJs and have a fun day. Sometimes it was all Sara could do to get the kid to wear normal clothes. She much preferred her pajamas.
“Ouch!” Delia winced when Sara yanked a little too hard on her hair. The brush got caught in a tangle.
“I’m sorry, poppet.” She slowed down despite how late she was going to be. Once she was done with Delia, she ran the brush through her own hair then left a note for her mother, telling her she was taking Delia down to breakfast to meet with Dimitri.
Delia loved the elevator. Her face lit up when it started to move, and she jumped up and down like she was doing jumping jacks. Sara laughed at her antics until the elevator came to a stop and dinged, the doors opening to the ground floor.
The change in Delia was immediate. She stopped laughing, and her face grew unsure. She clutched Sara’s hand, her little nails digging into the skin, making Sara wince. Delia suffered from anxiety. She hated crowds and meeting new people. Her father’s fault. He caused her to curl inside of herself and be wary of everyone. It wasn’t right. Hopefully now that they’d gotten away from him, Delia would be able to heal.
Dimitri stood in the middle of the lobby talking to someone. She couldn’t quite see who because Dimitri was just that tall. He was a fellow romance author she’d taken under her wing when he’d first gotten his toes wet in the genre. Over the years, they’d become really good friends, despite her husband.
She and Delia stepped out of the elevator, and she leaned down to whisper, “That’s Mommy’s friend Dimitri. You’ve heard him on the phone and Skype before.”
Delia nodded, twisting a lock of hair like her life depended on it.
She straightened, took Delia’s hand, and walked over to Dimitri. “Hey, you!”
Dimitri jumped and took a step backward, right into her. “Sorry.”
“You’re pretty.”
Sara laughed at her daughter’s awe-struck expression. Leave it to Delia to state the obvious. Dimitri was pretty. Tall, blond, and blue-eyed with a six pack to make most models envious.
“You’re prettier than me.” Dimitri tweaked Delia’s nose. “I’m Dimitri. You must be Delia.”
“I am.”
“Well, Delia, how hungry are you?” Dimitri held out his hand, and it shocked Sara when Delia slipped her little one into his. “I think we should go find some food before my brother eats it all.”
“He wouldn’t!” Delia’s eyes widened, and she dragged Dimitri toward the breakfast area. “There’s too much food!”
“Viktor can inhale it all, I promise.” He bent down so he could whisper in the little girl’s ear as she pulled him along. “We have to feed him enough, so he doesn’t eat us!”
Delia’s little gasp of horror was loud enough to catch the attention of a very large man. He turned, a piece of bacon hanging out of his mouth. He stared at Delia, who hid behind Dimitri’s legs.
“You’re horrible.” Sara tried to pry her eyes away from Viktor, but it was impossible. He was by far the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on. Dimitri was handsome, but Viktor was scorching hot sexy. Black hair that was a little shaggy, and eyes blacker than the deepest, darkest night burned with an intensity that made Sara blush. Dear Lord, this was who was going to be her own personal body guard? Sweet baby Jesus.
“Nah, I’m pretty. Delia said so.”
She ignored Dimitri and studied Viktor as he crammed the bacon in his mouth. His very, very kissable lips worked, and she watched his throat convulse as he swallowed. He set his plate down and came over to greet them.
“Good morning, ladies. I’m Viktor.”
“You talk funny.” Delia peeped at him from behind Dimitri’s legs. “Are you really going to eat me?”
Sara agreed with her daughter; his thick Russian accent sent tingles up and down her spine.
“Eat you?” Viktor shot a look at his brother that promised pain. “I don’t eat little girls, only grown-ass men who are pretty.”
“Language!” The mother in Sara rose, and she came to stand by Dimitri. “I try not to cuss around her if I can help it. She mimics everything these days.”
“Sara, this is my brother, Viktor, owner and operator of Kincaid Security Corp.” Sara didn’t miss the calculating look in Dimitri’s eyes. She knew that look well. He was scheming.
“Kincaid Security and Investigations,” Viktor corrected him. “We changed the name of the company when Kade signed on.”
“Sorry, I forget. It’s been KSC for so long, it’s hard to remember a new name.”
“KSC? Like KFC, the yummy chicken place?”
Viktor kept his laughter in check when the child slid around Dimitri’s legs for a better look at him. He wasn’t much for kids, but this one was cute.
“You make chicken?” She held on tight to Dimitri but came out from behind his legs to stare up at Viktor, curious, but a little hesitant.
“No, malyshka. I take care of people who need help. I protect them.”
“From bad people like my daddy?” Her gray eyes grew serious, and Viktor felt something deep inside him roar to life. No child should ever know the depth of pain this one did. The haunted shadows in her eyes tore into his heart. He wanted to keep her safe and show her not all men were cruel bastards.
He squatted in front of her so he could look her in the eyes. He kept his expression as serious as hers. He wanted her to understand he meant what he was about to say. “Yes, malyshka, from bad people like your daddy. I’m here to make sure he can never hurt you again.”
“You won’t let him come back?” She twisted the end of her braid. “I don’t want him to come home. He…hurt me.”
Rage reared its ugly head, and he beat it down. Now was not the time. He didn’t want to frighten her or her mother, but he’d need to find a gym soon. The urge to punch something wrapped around him and held on. “I won’t let him hurt you again, malyshka. I promise.”
She smiled shyly at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. How about we eat before I decide to gobble up my brother?”
Her laugh warmed his heart, and he led her over to the breakfast bar and helped her make waffles. He could hear his brother speaking quietly to Sara Jane a few feet away.
“He’s good with her.”
“Kids usually hate him.” Dimitri stood to his left, piling food on a plate. “He looks scary as fuck, and it usually terrifies them.”
“He’s hot as fuck.”
Viktor grinned, his back turned to them. So, she thought he was hot, did she?
“Forget I said that,” Sara whispered loudly.
“Uh-huh,” Dimitri muttered. “This is some runny shit.”
Exactly why he’d bypassed the eggs himself.
“It’s free. What do you expect?” Sara’s voice was as soft and musical as her daughter’s. He’d bet good money it deepened to something wild and sultry when she was in the throes of a passion, and it was guaranteed to set him on fire. No, what are you thinking? She is the client. No business with pleasure, he reminded himself and took Delia to the table where he’d plopped his own plate.
“Where’s Becca?” Sara sat across from him, her yogurt in hand.
“She’s still asleep. After last night, I figured she could use the rest.”
The fuck? Last night? His brother didn’t…
“Last night? Tell me you aren’t screwing up the one female relationship you have that we all approve of.”
“No, I’m not screwing it up.” Dimitri took a drink of his juice. “I’m talking about Charlene and her bullsh…her BS.”
“What’s BS?” Delia stopped eating and stared at them all curiously.
“Nothing you need to worry about, poppet.” Sara Jane shot them both a warning glare. “Finish your waffles.”
He and Dimitri shared a look, both remembering their own mother when someone said something they shouldn’t have around her boys. His mother would like Sara Jane, he decided. While she wasn’t Viktor’s usual type, he had to admit she was striking. Her brown hair looked blonde in the sunlight that poured in through the windows, despite the darker shade of its natural color. The steel in her expression matched the steel gray of her eyes.
From what Dimitri told him, Sara was a fighter, but then she had to be if she walked away from her husband. It took a strong woman to do that. Even fighters needed help sometimes, though. He’d be her protection blanket for a while and hopefully get her ex tossed in jail sooner rather than later. She and her daughter deserved a break.
“What has your stalker done now?” He saw Delia trying to mop up non-existent syrup with a waffle, and he poured his leftover syrup on hers. She grinned and dug in. Kids. It didn’t take much to make them happy.
“She’s not only spewing her hateful verbiage at me, now she’s targeted Becca.”
Viktor’s lip thinned. He knew Becca from high school. She was a sweetheart and didn’t deserve what was being handed to her. He’d speak to their younger brother Mason, the self-proclaimed hacker, about shutting her down if Dimitri hadn’t already.
“I saw all that on her page last night.” Sara’s eyes met Viktor’s, and she quickly looked away. Viktor’s lips twitched. She was trying not to stare and failing miserably. She wanted him and was fighting to not show it. He kept his own feelings locked up tight. He knew exactly what she’d left behind her, and him hitting on her, client or no client, wasn’t cool. She needed him to protect her, not fuck her.
Not that he’d mind, but it was off the menu. For now.
“It upset her to the point she had a major panic attack.” Dimitri put his fork down. “I need to tell you both about that. Viktor, you know how Lily has a thing about being touched?”
Did he ever. She’d nearly had a meltdown when he’d tried to hug her right before Christmas. He thought for sure she was going to pass out at one point.
“Becca has an extreme fear of crowds. It sets off panic attacks. Really bad ones.”
“Then what is she doing here?” Sara Jane asked.
“Because I asked her, not realizing how bad they could get. She came because I needed her.”
“Dimitri.” The censure in Sara’s voice made Dimitri hang his head, ashamed. “You shouldn’t have put her in that situation. Delia’s the same way around strangers.”
Now, that surprised Viktor. She was a little shy, but he saw no signs of anxiety or panic in the child. “She’s doing okay with us.” He winked at the kid, and she giggled, a dollop of whipped cream at the corner of her mouth.
“That’s because I prepared her to meet you. I’ve been talking about you since yesterday to calm her nerves, and she’s heard me and Dimitri talking on the phone and Skype. He’s not as much of a stranger as you are.”
“I’m not taking her to the signing, anyway, not after her meltdown last night. I’m not putting her through that. As soon as the event is over, we’re packing up and heading to LA.”
This was news. “She’s going to LA with you?”
“Yes. I booked train tickets this morning. You wouldn’t happen to need a vehicle, would you? I don’t know what to do with my Jeep.”
“I rented a car, but if you want to give me yours, I’ll take it.” That would be easier than running up credit card bills paying for rentals. He turned his attention to Sara Jane, who blushed like a schoolgirl. The blush sent a warm feeling coursing through him. Ignoring his feelings, he turned to the task at hand. “We will need to sit down after your event and go over everything. I just wanted to meet you this morning. Anything that’s private,” he nodded toward Delia, “we can discuss then.”
“Thank you for doing this.” Sara pushed her food around on the plate. “I appreciate it. I’m at my wits’ end, and the stress is starting to get to me.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll handle it. You’ll just have to agree to a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Like doing what you’re told when I tell you to do it. Your and Delia’s security takes priority over everything else. What I do, I don’t do lightly, and I expect you to do as you’re told.”
He did not. Sara’s anger surged forward. “Do as I’m told? I spent the last eight years doing as I’m told. No one has the right…”
She wanted to slap the hand Viktor put up to hush her. “I’m not your husband. I’m here to ensure your safety, and I will with whatever means necessary.”
Son of a bitch-nugget. Sara’s anger flamed out, and she was positive she had smoke coming out of her ears. She was done with men telling her what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. If his protection meant another form of submissiveness, he could go fuck himself.
Dimitri’s laugh pulled her out of her rage momentarily. “I will leave you both to hash out the details of your arrangement. Becca is up, and I need to go talk to her. I’ll see you guys later.” He blew Delia a kiss and left the table, leaving her alone with his brother.
His fathomless black eyes settled on her, and that same rush of warmth raced across her skin, but the fact he made her feel like this only fueled her anger all the more.
“Mrs. Riley.” Viktor leaned back and cracked his knuckles, something Roger used to do, and it caused an immediate reaction in both her and Delia. The child scooted as far away from him as she could, and Sara flinched. That particular movement meant Roger was about to swing his fist.
Delia jumped out of the chair and ran to Sara, burying her face in Sara’s lap.
“Hey, now, what is wrong, malyshka?”
“Roger used to crack his knuckles like that right before he’d hit me.” Her voice held that dead quality she hated. She blinked, trying to clear the memory of his fist flying toward her.
Anger vibrated off Viktor, and she shrank away from him. For all her bluster of before, she was afraid. Afraid of a man who got angry because of what she’d suffered at the hands of a violent one.
“Mrs. Riley, Delia.” His tone was mild, and she saw how hard he worked to erase the rage from his body. “I am not Roger. I would never lift a hand in anger against any woman or child. I was raised better than that and would never shame my mother by doing something so vile. You have my word.”
Delia raised her head, tears running down her pale cheeks. “Promise?”
“I promise, malyshka. You will always be safe with me, even when I’m angry. And I probably will get angry, but it will never be directed at you or your mama.”
“Okay.” Delia sniffled loudly but didn’t budge from where she was wrapped around her mother. “What does maly…maly…”
“Malyshka?” he finished for her.
She nodded. “What does it mean?”
“It means ‘little girl’ in Russian, but it’s more a term of endearment.”
She looked at him quizzically not understanding.
“It’s more a term of affection.”
That, she understood, and a ghost of a smile graced her face. It endeared her even more to him. This kid needed more reasons to smile, and he promised to do what he could to achieve that. One smile a day. That was his goal for her.
“I’m sorry.” Sara hugged her daughter close. “I…”
“Don’t be sorry.” Viktor laid his hand over hers, a spark of electricity jolting him, but he didn’t move away. “You have every right to your feelings, and it will take time for you to learn to trust me. I understand, but you must accept that your safety is all I care about, and that means I am going to tell you what to do when it’s necessary. I won’t budge on that.”
“No.” Sara shook her head, pushing her fear back. “I won’t ever allow anyone to tell me what to do. Not ever again. You can advise, and if I think it’s acceptable, I will be more than happy to take that advice.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“It’s how it’s going to work.”
“No.”
Sara pursed her lips. “Then you’re fired.”
His lips tilted upward into a devastating smile. “You can’t fire me.”
“Oh, really?” She narrowed her eyes.
“Yes, really. Dimitri hired me, and until he fires me, you’re stuck with me.”
Son of a dog biscuit. “I refuse to have this conversation. I have a signing to get ready for, and Delia’s had enough stress for one day.”
He smiled, and she wanted to throw the rest of the yogurt in his face, but she refrained. Just barely. Mostly because the victim in her was afraid of what he might do in reprisal.
“Let’s go, poppet.” Sara stood, collected her daughter’s hand, and walked away from the table, aware of the burning gaze boring into her back. Sweet Jesus, that man.