IVAN (HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR #1)

Chapter Three

An hour later, I wiped my hand across the foggy mirror and stared at my reflection. Standing naked and wet in one of Ivan's guest bathrooms, I felt incredibly off-kilter. I don't think I ever could have imagined my night would end like this. How the hell had this night gone so wrong? I'd been this close to finding Ruby but she'd vanished without a trace.

Maybe that was a good thing. She'd obviously evaded the Albanians who were hot on her tail. If she'd been there when I'd arrived, they would have grabbed us both or separated us or worse—possibly even killed us right there. Maybe she could stay safe a little longer. I didn't doubt Ivan would find her. He didn't strike me as the kind of man to break a promise.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was happening between us. Something real. I'd never had such an instant connection to any man. He definitely wasn't the sort I normally crushed on or dated. Ivan was...well...he was complicated, wasn't he?

It was obvious that the rumors about him were true. He was a man who had once been deeply involved in Houston's criminal underworld. He'd probably been involved in it way back in Russia, too. Those tattoos weren't just for show. The way the Albanians—that man, Besian, especially—had caved to him hadn't escaped me. Ivan said Besian was one of the most dangerous men I'd ever meet. What did that say about Ivan?

I'd noticed the way he'd purposely kept his voice low and even with me during the car ride to his house. Even though anger had been radiating off him in waves, he hadn't once lost control. I sensed he was a man who was always in complete control of himself. In a way, it was infuriating. He wasn't giving me any reasons to dislike him or distance myself. If anything, I found him even more intriguing.

The sound of my phone ringing pulled me out of the guest bathroom. Towel wrapped tightly around my body, I headed into the attached bedroom and found my phone on the bed next to my purse. Vivi's face filled my phone's screen.

"Hello?'

"Oh my god! Are you okay? What happened? Should we come over?"

"Vivi, calm down! I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I was getting off shift and Nikolai wouldn't let me take the bus home. He had his driver bring me to the apartment. I asked why and he told me what happened." Vivi sounded close to tears. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." I sat down on the bed and slumped forward with a loud sigh. "Ruby called me. I was so close but I missed her. By minutes, I'm guessing. And then that man showed up and Ivan got there in time to save me. It was scary but Ivan kept me safe. He protected me."

"I could just smack you, Erin! We told you to call us if you needed help. I mean, come on! At least Lena packs heat."

"I know." I cringed at my stupidity. "But I was so worried Ruby would run or pass out or something. You know how she is."

"Yeah," Vivi said, her voice unnaturally soft. "When this is over, when she's safe and everything is okay again, you're going to have to make some hard choices about her. You can't keep enabling her."

Any other time, I would have argued with Vivi but not tonight. She was right. "I keep thinking about how crazy this has all become. I always want to save her. I'm always running around cleaning up after Ruby. I should have...I should have cut her loose a long time ago, I think."

The pained sob that escaped my throat was filled with years of grief and anguish. How many times had Ruby stolen from me? How many times had I come home to find her druggie friends passed out on our couch? How many times had her dealers accosted me or shaken me down for her owed debts? This thing now was just a culmination of years of bad choices—bad choices I'd supported by enabling her with a place to stay and money.