YURI (Her Russian Protector #3) (16 page)

The idea that he saw a future with me filled me with such giddiness and hope. It had been a long time since I'd felt excitement like this. Right now, with Yuri, anything was possible.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he remained stark naked. Sweat glistened on his gorgeous body. I slipped out of bed to take care of necessities. Yuri finally opened the door—and Sasha bounded into the room like a bolt of furry lightning.

"Sasha!" Yuri shouted the beast's name as he narrowly escaped a nasty fall. Sasha swiped him again with his big tail and pushed Yuri into the door. "Sasha!"

When the dog caught sight of me, he rushed toward me. I put up my hands, certain he was going to bowl me over, but Sasha shocked me by stopping in time. He nuzzled my belly with his wet nose and walked fast circles around me as if trying to assure himself I wasn't injured.

Yuri gave a stern command and Sasha finally obeyed. He sat down right at my feet and leaned his big head against my ribcage. Bemused, I glanced at Yuri. "May I pet him? Does that send the wrong signal?"

Yuri shut his bedroom door and strode toward us. His lips settled into an irritated line. "I'm not thrilled by the way he ignored my commands. It's dangerous for him to be so excited and unresponsive. He could have hurt you."

"I thought he was going to hurt you." I reached out and touched his shoulder. "Are you okay? He slammed you into that door pretty hard."

He waved his hand. "I'm fine. You can pet him. I suppose I shouldn't be angry with him for wanting to protect you." Yuri ran his fingers through Sasha's fur. As if murmuring to himself, he said, "He must be able to sense how much I care for you."

My gaze flicked to Yuri's face but he was focused on Sasha's head. I scratched between the dog's ears. My fingers grazed Yuri's and we smiled at one another. "Maybe you should teach me the commands tomorrow. I know they're in Russian but I'm sure I can learn them."

"I don't think you'll have a choice. If you're going to be working here as my assistant, you're going to be alone with Sasha and Feodor. You'll need to be able to get him under control or I'll have to kennel him while I'm away since he gets so overly excited with you."

Even though I hated the idea of Sasha being in a kennel, I recognized that he was bred to tear intruders to bits. If someone innocent like a package delivery guy got too close, I didn't know what Sasha might do. Until I was confident in my ability to keep him calm and under my command, I didn't dare put other people or him at risk.

When I stepped toward the bathroom, Sasha whined and moved in front of me. With a nudge of his head, he pushed me against Yuri. Chuckling, he slid his arms around me and kissed my neck. "I like the way he thinks."

"Funny," I said and patted his arm.

"Sasha." Yuri snapped his fingers. He gave another Russian command. I watched the dog's face. He stared at me and gave a moment's hesitation before finally obeying his master and trudging to the big, comfy bed in the corner. He flopped down and heaved a dramatic sigh.

Stifling a smile, I ducked into the bathroom. I couldn't believe how much personality Sasha possessed. When I emerged a few minutes later, Yuri had already climbed into bed and turned off all the lights except for the one on his side of the bed. He patted the empty space next to him. I crawled onto the bed and slipped into his waiting arms.

As we kissed, I heard the jingle of Sasha's tags and the strangest dragging sound. Breaking away from our goodnight kiss, we glanced toward the dog. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Sasha dragging his fluffy bed across the room. He pulled it all the way to my side of the bed before stopping.

"My God," Yuri said with a groan. "He is really laying it on thick!"

Giggling, I rolled onto my belly and reached down to ruffle his fur. "Don't listen to him Sasha. He's just jealous of your mad skills with the ladies."

Laughing, Yuri snuggled up against my back and caressed my naked skin. "We'll see how much you enjoy those mad skills of his when he starts to snore."

"Do you snore, Sasha?" I scratched under his chin and received a happy yowl from the bear-sized beast.

"Like a chainsaw," Yuri said and kissed my shoulder.

When Sasha settled down, I turned into Yuri's comforting warmth and draped my leg across his. There was so much I wanted to discuss with him but this wasn't the time. Right now, I was content to drift off in his protective embrace.

Lulled to sleep by the soothing repetition of his fingers combing through my hair, I had no idea that I was enjoying my last few moments of blissful ignorance.

Chapter Ten

Yuri came awake to Sasha's low growl. Pulled from a deep sleep, he blinked rapidly and tried to focus. Those years of training in Special Forces never really left him. In the space of a few heartbeats, he was totally alert.

Moonlight silhouetted Sasha's hulking frame near the door. In all the years he'd had his beloved guard dog, he'd never seen Sasha react in that way. That response meant one thing—an intruder.

Yuri didn't like to doubt Sasha but after his reaction earlier with Lena he wasn't sure if he could accept the dog's response with confidence. It was possible he was acting this way because he heard a mouse or some other nocturnal animal moving around in the big, empty house.

Whether he was on edge because of his newfound infatuation with Lena or because there was real danger, Yuri couldn't say. With her sleeping peacefully next to him, he wasn't about to take a chance with her safety.

He reached over and slid his hand under the bedside table. Two powerful magnets kept a pistol and loaded magazine concealed from prying eyes. Sitting up, he slammed the magazine into place and racked the slide. The sharp sound woke Lena. Before she could say anything, he put his hand over her mouth and brought his lips close to her ear. "Sasha hears something. Stay put."

He felt her head move up and down as she silently acknowledged her understanding. After a quick kiss to her forehead, he slid out of bed and found his jeans on the floor. Once they were zipped, he moved with stealth to the door. Sasha didn't have to be commanded. He did exactly as he'd been trained and assumed a ready position at Yuri's side.

Holding his breath, Yuri listened intently. At first, he heard nothing—but then the faintest tap of footsteps against the solid wood planks hit his eardrums. Jake and Derek often did a walk-through during their night shifts but Sasha never reacted like this. After the way Sasha had tossed him into the door to check on Lena, Yuri couldn't be absolutely sure his dog wasn't protesting the close presence of another male, even a friendly one.

Whispering to Sasha, he gave a firm command and sent him back to Lena at the bed. The dog didn't hesitate. He trotted to her, ready to guard the woman he'd claimed with his life.

Yuri flipped off the safety on his gun and cracked the door. The floor to ceiling windows at the end of the gallery hall illuminated the space. Movement near the paintings caught his attention. At first, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A man dressed in black lifted one of his paintings from the wall. The alarm sensors attached to the wall and the frame should have activated but there was no screeching noise. It occurred to Yuri that this thief had managed to bypass the alarm system without interrupting the electricity running through the rest of the house. Derek and Jake wouldn't have been alerted to the presence of a prowler yet.

Stepping into the hall, Yuri used the shadows to his benefit. Aiming his pistol, he cleared his throat. "Put the painting against the wall and your hands on your head. One stupid move and I'll have no choice but to fire."

Everything happened so quickly after he issued his warning. The idiot threw the painting and the sound of it clattering against the floor startled Sasha. In a heartbeat, the dog raced across the bedroom and into the hall. Before Yuri could call him off, Sasha had the intruder by the arm. A gut-wrenching scream echoed in the stillness of the house. Sasha flung the man side-to-side like a ragdoll.

"No!" The intruder screamed. "NO! Stop! Stop!"

"Oh my God! Yuri, make him stop!" Lena shoved by him and rushed down the hall. "Make him stop!"

Her shriek further agitated Sasha who must have bitten down harder because the man let loose a guttural scream.

"Yuri!" Lena screeched at him. "Make Sasha stop! It's my cousin!"

Her words hit him like a slap to the face.
Her cousin
? "Sasha!
Lyezhat
!"

The dog let loose instantly and the man stumbled backward and flat onto his ass. Sobbing, he held his arm to his chest and cursed a blue streak in Spanish. "My arm! That dog ripped off my fucking arm!"

When Lena tried to get close, Sasha barked at her but Lena stood her ground. "NO!"

Cowed, Sasha whined but didn’t try to interfere as Lena crouched down next to the man she'd claimed as her cousin. In a stupor, Yuri flicked the safety on his pistol and tucked it into the back of his jeans. He called off Sasha and forced him to the opposite end of the hall.

"Yuri, we need light. Hurry.
Please.
"

Even though he wanted to demand answers, he found the nearest light switch. Thankfully it worked. Whatever this thief had done to bypass the alarm system hadn't affected the lights.

Wearing only his shirt, Lena knelt next to the bleeding thief. She tugged the black ski mask off his head to reveal his face. The two clearly recognized one another. Her gaze fell to the man's mangled arm and she squeaked. Eyes wide, she paled with fear. "Yuri, we need towels and an ambulance."

"Like hell," he interjected meanly. "He tried to steal from me. He's getting cuffs and a perp walk."

"Yuri!"

"Don't
Yuri
me, Lena." He ran a hand through his hair and tried to get a hold on his wildly vacillating emotions. Betrayal gnawed at him. "What the hell is he doing here?"

She glared at him. "How the hell should I know?"

He wanted to believe that this was a coincidence but it was too neat. "The first night we sleep together your cousin tries to steal from me. How do you explain that?"

Her expression hardened. Those dark eyes glittered with fury. "What are you saying, Yuri? If you want to accuse me of something, man up and fucking do it!"

He caught the hitch in her voice. She blinked rapidly before turning her attention to her wounded cousin. His chest ached at the realization he'd hurt her with his angry outburst. He had no proof and shouldn't have gone there.

Racing footfalls echoed downstairs. "Boss! Someone scrambled the alarm. I've got Derek on it but we heard the commotion! You okay?"

"Lena and I are fine. The intruder…not so much."

Jake appeared on the top step. He took in the scene with a quick scan. "Who the hell is this?"

Yuri's jaw clenched. He gestured to Lena. "Ask her."

Shock filtered across his bodyguard's face. "Lena?"

She gulped nervously and finally confessed, "He's my cousin. His name is Tommy Cruz."

White as a sheet, Tommy glanced from face to face. He licked his lips and kept his good hand pressed to his bleeding arm. He made no attempt to explain his presence.

"Jesus," Jake said with a shake of a head. "We're going to need an ambulance. I'll call 9-1-1."

"No!" Tommy finally spoke. "No. Please. If you get the cops involved, they'll kill him."

Yuri's gut clenched. "Kill who?"

Tommy swallowed and turned a regretful gaze Lena's way. "Your dad. They have your dad."

Her face slackened and she fell back hard on her bottom. "Who?"

"The Guzman cartel," Tommy answered in a shaky voice. "I'm sorry, Lena. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

"What did you do?" Her broken voice gnawed at Yuri. "Tell me!"

With a tearful exhalation, Tommy explained, "There was this painting and I thought I was doing the right thing. I did, Lena. I really did. It was
so
much money. The
feria
—I couldn't turn it down, you know? I fenced it—but there was a bounty on it. It belonged to Lorenzo Guzman. I didn't know." He started to sob pathetically. "Your dad was on the wrong side of the border unloading some inventory and they grabbed him."

"You stupid jerk!" She smacked her cousin hard. Yuri winced at the loud crack of her palm against his cheek. "It's always money with you!
Always
! You greedy bastard! If anything happens to my dad, you're going to wish Sasha had finished you."

Feeling the situation spiral out of control, Yuri stepped forward. "Jake, please go back to the staff quarters. Keep Derek there. I'll handle this."

"But, sir, I—"

"No." Yuri cut him off with a slash of his hand. "What you've heard doesn't leave this room, understood? Under no circumstances are you to contact Dimitri. No one else gets dragged into this mess."

Jake's lips settled into a grim line. "Okay, Boss."

He didn't like it but he would do as told.

As Jake headed for the stairs, Yuri added, "There will be another car or two arriving within the next hour. Pay no attention to them."