Her Russian Mafia Protector (3 page)

“You’re not staying here,” Kaz said immediately. “This place has too many entrances and exits to guard. We’re moving you to a different place. We’ll start looking immediately.”

“But she’s already paid for the year,” Charley said hastily. “And seriously? No crime ever happens here.”

“You may keep the rent money for the inconvenience,” Kazimir said with a nod. “And if you’d like this place to stay safe, you should get her out of here as fast as possible.”

“Why? Is she someone important?” Charley asked as she crossed her arms. “Veronika, you said you were rich. Are you some diplomat’s daughter or something?”

“Far from it. And there’s no reason to believe that anything is going to happen to me. I’ve been on my own for four years now, and nothing happened.”

“How do you know?” Kaz countered. “You had good men watching over you. What makes you think they didn’t stop multiple attacks on your life?”

Charley and Veronika both paled. “You’re lying,” Veronika whispered.

“Did you really think you could run from your father’s protection without any consequences? Now pack your things. If you insist on going to school here, you’re going to do so by my rules,” Kaz said as he gripped her arm.

“Wait. Stop,” Charley said finally. Surprised, Veronika and Kaz both looked at her. “Veronika, I just met you. And I don’t really know how I feel about having someone potentially dangerous living in my home, but I like you. And I know that you’re looking to start a new life on your own. So if you want to stay, I’d be more than happy to have you. And if that means that your new bodyguard has to sleep on our couch, then I’m okay with that, too. But he has to pay a portion of the rent. And he has to use your bathroom. And he has to be quiet during study times.”

“Anything else?” Kaz asked dryly.

“Oh, I’m sure there are plenty of other things that I can think of, and if you’re not careful, I’ll make it worse for you,” Charley snapped.

Veronika nearly giggled. Her new roommate had absolutely no idea who she was arguing with. If she did, she’d probably keep her mouth shut. Although it didn’t look like Charley kept her mouth shut for much of anything.

“Tell me the truth,” Veronika demanded. “Did something happen?”

Kaz relaxed. “You don’t need to worry your pretty little head about it. That’s my job. But your father doesn’t want you staying here.”

“And you’re going against his wishes?” she snorted. “Look, if it’s okay with Charley, then I’m staying. You’re welcome to leave.”

“I can’t,” he said with a sigh. “Although believe me, I have much better things I could be doing then staying here and babysitting you.”

A streak of annoyance seared through her. “I’m not twelve any more.”

“No. You most certainly are not. Which is why I can’t leave. You attract too much attention. But after a year, I’m gone.”

Veronika gave him a sweet smile. “Then I’ll have to make sure that you stay busy, Kazimir.”

***

She watched as he stormed out of the house. He muttered about staying here being ridiculous. Charley gave her a weak smile. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me what’s going on here?”

Veronika looked at her new friend. “I’m sorry, Charley. And I appreciate you looking out for me back there. You barely know me.”

“I’m not about to let you leave and take all of that money with you. Besides, I already used it to pay for part of my car,” Charley said sheepishly.

Veronika snorted. “Well, Kaz isn’t wrong. I thought my life had been awfully quiet since I left for college. I guess my father did a good job of protecting me. I didn’t even know.”

“And who is your father?”

“Fedor Saiko.”

Charley snapped her fingers. “Yeah! I didn’t even make the connection. You father owns quite a few businesses, but he’s not exactly a wanted man, is he?”

“It’s a more cutthroat business than you might think,” Veronika muttered. “Anyway, people have tried to get to him through me. I just want to distance myself from all of that. But if Kaz is right, then me staying here could be dangerous for you.”

Charley paled a little. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”

“I don’t know. But I wanted you to know everything. And if you wanted to kick me out, then I would understand.”

“Well, you haven’t told me everything. The way you two look at each is awfully interesting. What’s the story behind that?”

Awfully interesting? Veronika rolled her eyes. “There’s no story. Kazimir has worked for my father for a very long time. We’ve just known each other for a while. That’s all. Nothing interesting about that.”

“You tried to break a full bottle of vodka over his head,” Charley said dryly.

“I didn’t know who he was,” Veronika protested.

“And if you did know who he was?”

Veronika smiled. “There is no point in wasting good alcohol on him. A baseball bat would have been much handier.”

“No story, my ass,” Charley said with a smile. “All right. Well, I’ve got to grab some books. And another bottle of vodka. I’ll see you later?”

“Right.” Veronika turned her head to look out the window. Kazimir was pacing the front yard angrily. “And I’ll get him settled.”

“Get him settled? That I’d like to see.”  Charley gave Veronika a crooked smile, and she slipped out of the room. Veronika muttered a prayer for patience and went out to confront him.

He was on his phone, and he was angry. “I know I’m not there. But I haven’t got a choice, now do I? If I disobey him now, there will be suspicion.”

Suspicion? What the hell was he talking about? She cleared her throat, and he whirled around. “I’ve got to go. We’ll talk about it later,” he growled. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he glared at her. “Eavesdropping?”

“If I wanted to eavesdrop, I wouldn’t have let you know that I was here,” she growled as she crossed her arms. “We need to talk.”

“Where’s your friend Charley? Did you have a talk with her?”

“I was transparent about the danger she could be in,” she muttered, but she bowed her head. He saw the action and chuckled.

“Transparent, huh? So she knows what your father does?”

She gave him a sharp look. “Watch your tongue. I was born into that world, but you chose it. So be very careful what you say.”

“Going to report me?”

“I thought you were loyal,” she sneered.

“I am,” he snapped. “If I weren’t, I wouldn’t be here. Of course, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here either. Why do you insist on doing this? Your father could pay for a personal tutor to teach you whatever you want in the safety of your own home. In whatever city you wanted to live in.”

“It’s not just the education,” she muttered.

“Trying to get away from your father?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t trying to make this a daddy issue thing. This is a university. This isn’t just about education. This is about prestige and degrees. If I’m good enough, I could make a life out of history and art.”

“A life that’s not your father’s business? You could inherit it, you know.”

“Father might want me to take over, but we all know he’s also grooming you. Shouldn’t you be jumping for joy that I’m not going back?” she asked as she crossed her arms. For a moment, they just stared at each other. “What happened to you, Kaz? You used to be my father’s best.”

“And you used to be Daddy’s little girl.”

“Like you would know. You never paid the slightest bit of attention to me.”

“Didn’t I?”

His eyes bore into hers intensely. She shivered inwardly and dropped her arms. “This is pointless. I just wanted to talk to you about how we were going to make this work. Are you planning on following me around everywhere? Or do you have a schedule in mind?”

“Both. We’ll do a bit of compromise. I understand that you have a schedule to keep. We’ll go to your classes, but when you’re not in school, you’ll do as I say.”

“The hell I will. I didn’t come all this way to live my life the way you’d like. Besides, I’m getting a job, too.”

“A job?” His jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me. There is no way that your father cut you off.”

She stiffened. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m not taking any more money from him.”

He smiled a little, and her heart flip-flopped. Embarrassment stained her cheeks, and she hoped beyond hope that he didn’t notice. “Do whatever you need to do,” she said stiffly. “I’ve got some job applications that I need to drop off. I need to shower and change.”

“Great.” He shook his head. “Now I’m taking orders from you. Fine. I’ll be waiting for further instructions.”

The last thing she wanted to be was Kazimir’s boss. Or his anything.

But as she turned and walked away, she knew that she was lying.

Chapter Three

“I got it!” Veronika shrieked. “I got the job! Jeez, this has been the longest week of my life.”

“All you waited was one week? That’s hardly anything in the job world. I waited three months before I got a call back for my job,” Charley grumbled. “Must be your pretty face.”

“Or the fact that the jobs are supposed to be filled before school starts, and it starts tomorrow. Speaking of classes, what’s your schedule look like? We could carpool!”

“Already trying to save money?” Charley joked. “Welcome to my world. I’ll post it on the fridge in a minute. Come help me pick out something to wear!”

“To wear?” Veronika bit her lips. She’d made some girlfriends in undergraduate school, but she’d failed to really connect with them. But if she wanted to make this relationship with Charley work and she wanted to remain independent, she needed to learn how to enjoy girlie time with Charley.

“Whole new host of fresh meat,” Charley said with a maniacal grin.

“Fresh meat? Shouldn’t you be focusing on your studies?”

“Sure. But a girl needs to relieve some tension and stress every now and then,” Charley said as she waggled her eyebrows.

Laughing, Veronika looked at the two outfits Charley held out. Both were paired with jeans, but one was a low-cut tank-top, and the other was a lacey top.

“Charley, you’ll freeze in both of those,” Veronika said with a laugh.

“That’s what coats are for!”

Veronika pointed to the lacey top and turned to look around Charley’s room. She was, apparently, a big fan of green. Green comforters, green wall art, and green curtains. Veronika liked it. Growing up, her father had insisted that everything be pink and purple. She was a princess amongst a sea of men, and for the longest, she’d thrived on the attention. It was all she knew.

But then she’d lost her brother. And suddenly, she felt more like a prisoner than a princess.

“What are you wearing tomorrow?” Charley asked.

“Jeans and a sweatshirt,” Veronika muttered.

Charley turned and stared at her. “Not much of a girlie-girl, are you?”

At one time, she’d been a girlie-girl. But not anymore. “Focusing on my studies,” she said with a smile. “Not men.”

“No, of course not. Why would you want a man when the most delicious one of them all is sleeping on my couch? Can I flirt with him? Would that make you mad?”

“Yes,” Veronika snapped. Charley’s eyes widened, and Veronika shook her head. “I’m sorry. You’re both adults. You can do whatever you like. But it might be a bit strange if you sleep with my bodyguard.”

“Unprofessional? Or because you’d be jealous? Don’t pretend that you wouldn’t be. You look at him like you want to kill him and strip him naked all at the same time. The tension between you two is almost maddening.”

“Tension? We’re barely together.”

“That’s the point,” Charley said with a crooked smile. “All right then. My schedule is somewhere in here.” She began to shuffle through the papers on her desk.

“How do you find anything in that mess?” Veronika muttered.

“It’s my mess. Ah. Here it is! I’ve got classes all five days, which is not what I love. And I’m working five nights a week. Oh, this semester is going to suck. But I have a three-hour break in between my second and third class on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That’s going to help me out a bit. What about you?”

“I’ll be on campus all five days, but I only have classes on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. But I’ll be at the shop on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And then they’ll want me to work weekends during the big exhibits. But I’ve got a light class load, so it shouldn’t be that bad.”

“Are you talking schedules?”

Veronika whirled around to find Kaz watching them from the doorway. Charley immediately dropped her outfits in surprise and glared at him. “Bedroom. Off limits unless I invite you in.” She cocked her head. “Do you want me to invite you in?”

“Charley,” Veronika hissed. “Yes, we’re talking schedules.”

He held out his arms. “Write them down. Class schedules. Work schedules. Study schedules. Locations. Give them to me.”

“Me, too? Are you guarding me, too?” Charley asked with a frown. “Really? Business is that violent?”

“I’m not guarding you, but since this is your house, I have to factor you in. You have keys. You have knowledge of Veronika. I have to keep an eye on you.”

“I like the sound of that,” Charley said in a smoky voice.

Veronika snorted. “On second thought, take the shirt that shows more skin. The faster we get you a man, the better.”  She grabbed a piece of paper and quickly jotted the information down. “This is work and class. I’ll probably study after my shift on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the library. I should be able to stay here on the weekends unless there are exhibits.”

“Or she has a date,’ Charley said.

Kaz’s head lifted sharply. “Date? Are you seeing someone?”

“Of course I’m not seeing someone,” Veronika snapped. “I haven’t met anyone.”

“She will though,” Charley pressed. “Pretty girl like her? Won’t stay single for long.”

“Charley!” Veronika hissed. What the hell was she doing?

“What? It’s not like I’m wrong. Social lives need to be taken into account. Veronika, this is a new life for you. New people. New independence. You most certainly need to meet some new men.”

Kaz straightened. “We’ll cross that bridge if it arises.”

“When it arises,” Charley said with a wicked smile.