NIKOLAI (Her Russian Protector #4) (25 page)

The very idea of being anything like him made
me want to vomit. "What do you want? I thought you were with the
Marshals."

His expression turned to one of utter
amusement. "Prison teaches a man all sorts of interesting tricks.
Negotiation being one of them."

I didn't even want to imagine how my father had
negotiated such freedom from the Feds. "Why are you
here?"

"To extend my congratulations, of course." He
tilted his head for a better look at my left hand. "Have we not
made it official yet?" Laughing, he asked, "Or maybe Nikolai is
waiting for me to give him my blessing?"

I ignored his attempt at being funny. "I know
what happened that night in the house. When you left me there to
die."

"You mean the night when the man you're
marrying shot you?"

"I mean the night you took me on a
hit."

For the briefest of moments, something that
looked suspiciously like regret flickered in his dark eyes. "Not my
proudest moment as a father."

I didn't know what to say to that. "Why are you
here?"

"When a man sits in prison for as long as I
have, there isn't much to do there but think." He seemed conflicted
and shook his head. "You need to be very careful, Vivian. There are
people out there who want to hurt Nikolai, and they'll use you to
hurt him."

"People? What people?"

"Jealous, angry people," he said. "People who
have been carrying grudges for a very long time."

"Who? I can't be safe if you don’t give me
names."

"It's not the right time for that." He took a
step toward me and then another. My hand trembled as I held out the
box cutter, ready to swipe him if he got too close. He carefully
skirted me and made his way to a door leading out to the alley.
When he reached it, he grinned back at me. "Where are you
registered?"

"What?" I gaped at him in disbelief.

He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll think of
a suitable wedding gift for my only daughter." With a wave, he
said, "I'll see you soon,
mi'ja
."

And then, as quickly as he'd appeared, he was
gone.

I was still shaking and clenching the box
cutter when the door leading to the gallery opened and Nikolai
stepped into the room. He took one look at me and ran to my side.
Gripping my shoulders, he asked, "Vee, what's happened?"

"It was my dad."

Shocked by my response, Nikolai glanced at the
alley access door before studying me more carefully.

"S
olnyshko
moyo
." He kissed me tenderly and pried the
box cutter from my hand. After sheathing the blade and setting it
aside, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me toward one of
wooden crates. Holding me in his warm, loving embrace, he sat down
and tugged me down onto his lap. "Are you all right? Did he
frighten you?"

"Yes." I buried my face in the curve of his
throat and inhaled the reassuring scent of his cologne. "I don't
ever want to see him again."

"I know you don't." He soothingly petted my
back. "What did he want?"

"To warn me."

"Away from me?"

"No. He said there are people that want to hurt
you. People with grudges." I lifted my head and peered into his
eyes. "Is he talking about the people who ordered the hit on
you?"

"I think so." Nikolai seemed reluctant to add,
"I think it's someone from my past. From Russia," he
clarified.

Speechless, I returned my head to its former
resting place and closed my eyes. If someone from the old Moscow
crew he ran with was trying to hurt him now, it was going to get
very messy.

Not wanting to talk about that possibility, he
said, "I talked to Eric."

I tensed as I imagined the two of them fighting
in the middle of the gallery. "Where?"

"Outside," he said and kissed my forehead. "I
would never do anything to embarrass you like that."

"What did he say to you?"

"Probably the same nasty things he said to
you." Nikolai caressed my arm. "He's right, you know. By marrying
me, you're taking everything I've ever done wrong onto
you."

Annoyed that he was letting Eric get to him, I
insisted, "I know what I'm getting into, Kolya. I chose you. I want
you."

"You can still change your mind." He said the
words in a whisper. "I wouldn't hold it against if you've decided
that I'm not worth the trouble. I would understand, and I wouldn't
stop helping you. I would always be there for you and I
wouldn't—"

"Stop." I put my finger to his lips. Holding
his gaze, I reaffirmed what he already knew. "I love you, Nikolai.
I want to be your wife. I want us to build a life together. I know
it's not going to be easy—but I believe in us."

He gulped and finally nodded. Dragging my
finger away from his mouth, he held my gaze as he leaned in for a
kiss that made my belly swoop and my toes tingle. Though I knew
we'd have to put on our happy faces and mingle very soon, I closed
my eyes and enjoyed being held by him for a few moments
longer.

But the faces of my father and Eric and the
shadowy black figure threatening our future dampened my excitement
at what promised to be a very successful show. I didn't know how
the hell we were going to find our way out of this mess, but I knew
there was only one way we would get there.

Together.

Chapter Sixteen

"Hurry up, Vivi. I want to see this
dress!"

I rolled my eyes as Erin practically beat down
the door of one of the dressing rooms in Bianca's wedding boutique.
Standing behind me, Bianca snorted softly with laughter and
finished tugging the zipper into place. She smoothed her hands over
the sheer lace and grinned over my shoulder. Our gazes met in the
mirror's reflection. "You look so pretty."

"Vivi, you better move it or Erin is going to
tear down that door," Lena teased. "Benny looks like she's about to
smack her with one of these wedding magazines."

I could just imagine Erin out there
tapping her foot and driving Benny crazy. With Bianca's help, I
gathered up the too long hem of the dress and exited the dressing
room. The
oohs
and
ahs
began
the moment they saw me.

"It's perfect," Erin declared as I stepped onto
a circular platform banked by mirrors. "The lace, the style—it's so
romantic and so very you."

"You look amazing," Benny confirmed. "Really
beautiful."

Lena actually wiped at her eyes as she studied
me. "Wow. Just—wow."

Even Sergei who had been shadowing me nonstop
looked rather taken aback by the sight of me in a wedding dress. He
stood off to the side of our small party but inclined his head as I
slowly turned to show them the back of the gown.

Because St. Vladimir's had very strict dress
codes for services, I'd chosen a gown that had a delicate lace
bodice and short cap sleeves. Lena came forward with the mantilla
veil I'd chosen and helped Bianca get it perfectly
situated.

"Bianca," Erin said so excitedly, "you are
amazing. I can't believe you were able to get this dress together
so quickly."

Bianca smiled as she fluffed the skirt. "I try
to keep a broad selection of gowns that are ready to go with
minimal alterations. Sometimes a girl just needs a dress and she
needs it now."

Her playful wink made me giggle. While my
friends discussed what kind of jewelry I should wear and whether I
needed to wear a different bra or those control-top underpants that
went from belly button to knee, Bianca grabbed her basket of
alteration supplies and started to mark the dress for its final
adjustments. The shop was hopping today so her other assistants and
seamstresses were busy with other brides.

"Do you need some help?" Sergei surprised me by
crouching down next to Bianca who pinned the hem of my
dress.

She shot him a strange look. "Oh, so you know
about wedding gown alterations, do you?"

He shrugged out of his leather jacket and
tossed it onto one the nearby chairs. "My mother is a seamstress. I
learned to help her when I was little."

Bianca looked like you could have pushed her
over with a feather. Recovering from her surprise, she handed him a
pin cushion. "Show me."

When he snatched the pin cushion from her hand,
he frowned and clasped her fingers. "What did you do to
yourself?"

She tugged her hand free and scooted away from
him. "I had an argument with my power sander while I was trying to
refinish some doors."

He sat back on his heels.
"
You
are
renovating your own home?"

"Yes."

"But that's dangerous work. It's
hard work." His expression of consternation amused me. "It's
men's
work."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Says the man on his
knees doing women's work."

The four of us watched their back and forth
with interest. Realizing they had quite the captivated audience,
Bianca gestured to the hem of my dress. "Get to work."

"Sweetheart, you can order me around like that any day."
Sergei's lopsided smile made Bianca blush. She turned her back on
him and focused solely on adjusting the hem of my gown. He
continued to sneak glances at her while they worked
side-by-side.

Lena had that scheming look in her eyes but I
shook my head to warn her against getting any ideas about trying to
push those two together. Bianca wasn't like me or Erin. She had
serious reasons for wanting to stay away from men like Sergei—no
matter how badly she was attracted to them.

While Bianca and Sergei finished working on the
alterations, Erin ran through her checklist with us. I'd been
amazed at the wedding she'd put together for Dimitri and Benny on
such short notice but she'd really pulled out the stops to help
me.

I had been sure we wouldn't be able to find a
reception hall on such short notice but Yuri had graciously given
us Faze. When the lights weren't turned down so low for the night
club crowd, the interior of Faze was actually quite elegant. Erin
and I had sketched out some ideas for incorporating the metallic
tones of the club. We'd chosen crisp white linens and bright pops
of color with the flower arrangements. On such a time crunch, our
mantra was simple but elegant.

Securing catering and a cake had been easy
enough. Samovar would cater the reception and the baker who had
done Benny's cake owed her a favor and had happily agreed to
squeeze us into her schedule. Yuri had offered the VIP bartenders
from Faze and his booze vendor had apparently cut Erin a damn good
deal on wine, champagne and liquor. Considering the crowd coming to
this wedding, we were going to need a well-stocked bar.

"So I have all the deliveries arranged," Erin
said as her pen moved down her checklist. "Some of the guys from
Ivan's gym have volunteered to help set everything up and break it
down after the reception."

"Because they want free food and alcohol,"
Sergei grumbled from his position on the floor.

Erin laughed and playfully nudged him with the
toe of her ballet flat. "It's cheap labor, and I'm not about to
turn it down."

"A woman after my own heart!" A perky blonde
who had been busy with the bride at the next fitting area swooped
in with a business card already extended. "I shouldn't eavesdrop
but I couldn't help myself. You're very organized and on the ball.
My name is Jean, by the way, and I own a wedding planning
firm."

"Oh." Erin accepted the card and glanced at the
details. She shook Jean's hand. "I'm Erin Hanson."

"And it looks like you're about to be a bride
yourself, Erin!" Jean admired Erin's engagement ring. "When is the
happy day?"

"We haven’t settled on a firm date yet but
we're thinking late May."

"That's a great time to do a Texas wedding.
It's not too hot but the evenings are getting long enough to do a
nice outdoor reception." Jean smiled at me. "It sounds like you've
planned a beautiful wedding for your friend."

"Well," Erin said a little nervously, "I’m
trying."

"Are you a new consultant? Starting your own
business?"

Erin shook her head. "No, I'm actually an
accountant. Or I was. Now I'm back in school and working on an
MBA."

"Well, if you ever decide that you'd like to
pick up some part-time work or if you'd like to investigate a
career change, give me a call. My business is expanding, and I'm
always on the lookout for new consultants and planners."

Seemingly awestruck, Erin nodded.
"Okay."

"Great." Jean reached over and patted Bianca's
back. "I'll see you again tomorrow, Bee."

Just as quickly as she'd flitted into our
conversation, Jean flitted right back out of it. Benny was the
first to ask what we were all thinking. "Well, Bianca, is she
legit?"