Mine to Keep Read online

  “Yeah. So did I, and me and Emerson still nearly ended up on a boat headed for Mexico with a crazy lady out for revenge. Or have you forgotten that little escapade?”

  Given the flush that spread across Cassie’s face, the kidnapping that had happened only six months ago was still fresh in her memory. “No, I haven’t forgotten.” She faced Roman. “But this isn’t some whacko out for revenge. This is my friend Bonnie. She needs help.”

  “What kind of help?” Roman said.

  Cassie threw her hands up. “I don’t know the details. She was really agitated and sounded scared to death. Said someone had shown up at her dad’s house and she thinks they took her dad and brother.”

  “She thinks? How does she not know for certain if she was there? And why would they leave her alone?”

  “Again... I didn’t push for details, but Bonnie is a good person. A little on the private side maybe, but good, and she’s helped me out a time or two. If she asks for help, I’m going to give it to her.” She planted her hands on her hips and zigzagged her attention between Evie and Roman. “And don’t either of you tell me you’d do anything different.”

  Evette pursed her mouth to one side as if the truth tasted uncomfortable on her tongue. “Is Bonnie the one you invited to Girls’ Night Out a few months ago and she didn’t show?”

  “Like I said, she’s super private. I invited her to Lizzy’s concert a while back and she didn’t come to it either. God only knows why, because she’s really cool. She just doesn’t seem to like group things.”

  Evette glanced at Roman, then aimed a concerned stare at Cassie. “You sure it’s just her being shy?”

  “She works at the TV station. She’s not some covert female plant designated to lure me into a trap.” She looked to Roman, an almost frightening resolve settling on her face. “You’re not going to stop me. I’ll take my guards and I’ll check in along the way.”

  “No,” Roman said with a finality that surprised even him. Especially, since the diversion he was about to create for himself was going to put him even further behind than he already was. “I will take you. We will see to this Bonnie person and then I will bring you back here.”

  “You will?” The smile his pronouncement earned him not just from Cassie, but from Evette as well, made his likely rescheduling of his visit to the orphanage tonight worth it. Cassie shot forward, wrapped him up in a bear hug, and murmured against his chest, “Thank you.”

  She pulled away just as fast and tugged his arm. “Now let’s go. She sounded really scared.”

  Evette winked at Roman and paired it with a knowing smile. “Sounds like you’d better hustle, Mr. Teddy Bear. Just be sure someone calls me with the details so I don’t worry.” She turned, surveyed the mess on the table and sighed. “I’ll be here recovering from my son’s scientific endeavors.”

  The drive to Desire took closer to half an hour than the twenty minutes Cassie had promised, the flood of people who worked in the Garden District and French Quarter crowding the streets and highway as they made their way home to outlying parishes. Cassie stayed mostly quiet through it all, periodically texting her friend Bonnie and chewing her lower lip.

  Roman exited 610 onto Louisa Street. “Have you told her you’re bringing someone?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No. I didn’t want to freak her out any more than she already is.” She frowned at the windshield for a moment then swiveled her attention to Roman. “You know, I’ve never understood why she’s been so guarded and careful about where we meet. I’ve invited her over to mine and Kir’s place and offered to meet her at her place, but she always counters with coffee shops or restaurants. You and Evette both freaked about where she lives. Do you think that’s why she’s so hesitant? Because she’s afraid of what I’ll think?”

  “You said she was at her father’s house. Not her own.”

  “Hmm.” She went back to staring at the windshield. “She did say that. Maybe she lives in the neighborhood, too, though.” With a sigh, she glared at the red light stopping them from finishing the rest of the drive. “I know she’s super careful with money. A lot like I had to be before I met Kir and started my own business.”

  “Nothing wrong with being careful with money.” Roman knew that better than most and, unlike Kir and Sergei, still had a hard time justifying frivolous purchases even with enough money in the bank that he’d never spend it all.

  Regardless, before the day was out he’d know more about this Bonnie person than she knew about herself.

  They passed a baseball field and basketball court on their left, both filled with kids and surrounded by rusty chain-link fences that rose six-feet high. Just beyond it was a newly built church.

  Two blocks to the west and they turned onto Clouet Street. Where the other houses on the block seemed somewhat cared for, the address Bonnie had given them seemed mostly forgotten. Especially when paired with the overgrown empty lots next door and across the street—one of which only had a cement stoop and a crumbling foundation where a house once stood.

  Roman turned his truck around and parked beneath the huge oak overhanging the street. He grabbed Cassie’s wrist before she could open the door. “You will follow my instructions.”

  Cassie pinched her lips together, but nodded. “Fine. But don’t go all Neanderthal on me. And no scowling either. She sounds upset enough.”

  To that he grunted, checked the surroundings for any sign of suspicious activity and opened his door. Of all the days that required he wear a suit, this was the least convenient. Unlike Kir and Sergei, he much preferred jeans and T-shirts for daily wear. Attire that was far more suited for a neighborhood like Desire.

  He opened Cassie’s door, helped her from the truck’s elevated height and stayed close to her back as she hurried to the front door.

  Two fat drops of dried blood dotted the landing.

  Cassie noted them just seconds after Roman did and sidestepped them both. “Well, that looks suspicious.”

  Indeed, it did. Enough so Roman questioned his wisdom in bringing Cassie at all.

  Before he could voice or act on the thought, the front door opened and a woman at least a foot shorter than him pushed the storm door wide. Her wary gaze landed on Roman first and, for a moment, she seemed to reconsider answering the door. She swallowed hard and looked to Cassie a heartbeat later, stepping aside to let them in. “Hey. Thanks for coming. I didn’t know who else to call.”

  The husky rasp of her voice was as unique as her features—deep auburn hair that brushed her shoulders, big moss-green eyes that mirrored much life experience and freckles across the bridge of her button nose and cherub cheeks. A remarkable face. Not in the classic definition of beauty, perhaps, but unforgettably intriguing.

  Cassie wrapped her in a hug. “Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” She backed away, but anchored her hands on Bonnie’s shoulders. “Have you heard anything from your brother or dad?”

  Bonnie’s gaze slid to Roman. She took two steps backward and jammed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “No,” she said, finally giving Cassie her attention. “Not a word.” She cleared her throat and glanced again at Roman. An awkward response that said she was either deeply intimidated or had significant social issues. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. I just thought you’d bring Kir. Or maybe one of those guys who are always following you around.”

  Well, that explained the rattled behavior, at least.

  “It’s okay,” Cassie said. “I should have introduced you. Roman, this is my friend Bonnie Drummond. We met at the television station before they canned me.” She motioned to Roman. “This is Kir’s brother, Roman Kozlov. I mean—not his actual brother. But—” She held her hands up in front of her. “You know what? Never mind. It’s confusing. Kir’s in Houston on business, but Roman was with me when you called, so he volunteered to come along.”

  Volunteered
was a gross misuse of the word. Left without other, more palatable options was more accurate.

  Apparently, Roman’s face said as much because Cassie frowned up at him, the unspoken message on her face riddled with feminine warning. She cleared it quickly, though, and motioned Bonnie to the sitting area strewn with mail and magazines. “How about if we all sit down and you can tell us what happened?”

  Bonnie didn’t budge. Just nibbled her lower lip and watched Roman with all the anxiousness of a cornered doe planning her escape.

  Roman cocked an eyebrow and held his place as well.

  “Oh, good grief, you two.” Cassie settled in the one spot on the couch not littered with paper. “Bonnie, sit down. He’s harmless, I swear.”

  “Him? Harmless?” Bonnie shot them both a disbelieving look. “That’s like calling a pit bull a lap dog.”

  He shouldn’t have reacted to the retort. Should have kept his wicked chuckle and icy grin at bay, but the unguarded and snappy observation was too keen not to appreciate.

  Not to mention, deadly accurate.

  Cassie rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. “Okay, then. Harmless to us. That is, unless you keep looking at him like he’s got three demon heads. Then he might spook you just for fun.”

  With one last considering toe-to-toe evaluation of all six-foot-four of him, Bonnie rounded the sitting area and perched on the edge of the chair farthest away.

  “Good,” Cassie said. “Now, tell us what happened.”

  “Um...”

  Taking pity on the woman, Roman paced the room, noting every detail. Unlike the rest of the furniture, the recliner sat askew. A handful of bills and envelopes lay scattered on the floor. Two possible signs of struggle. Though, either could have simply been founded in disregard for tidiness as well. Everything else seemed perfectly normal, albeit worn and sparse.

  Roman opened a window blind along the far wall and studied the empty lot outside. Not a soul stirred on the street. In his periphery, Bonnie planted her elbows on her knees and rubbed her hands together, making the stack of beaded bracelets on each of her wrists delicately clink against the silence.

  “I came over to talk bills with my dad,” she said. “I’ve been working with the people at the hospital and arranged some payment options so he can get another treatment scheduled.”

  Cassie cocked her head then twisted it like she was replaying their arrival. “Where’s your car? I didn’t see it outside.”

  Bonnie grumbled. “Down for the count again, so I took the bus.” She shook her head. “Anyway, when I got here, Kev and Dad were yelling at each other. Dad called Kevin a shit for brains. Not sure why he called him a shit for brains—though, I gotta admit, with Kev it could be anything—but then Kevin threw something back about me not having enough money to pay Pauley back this time.”

  “Who’s Pauley?” Cassie said.

  “Pauley Mitchell. A loan shark Dad’s used to get out of scrapes for years. Calling him a loan shark is really kind of a stretch. He’s more like a pawn shop owner without a storefront. If you don’t pay him, your shit starts disappearing until you fork over the money plus interest.” Bonnie paused only a beat, but the anger in her voice when she spoke again was fresh. “Took me six months to get his last debt paid off. I swear to God, if he’s in with that loser again, I’m gonna shoot him.”

  A spunky woman. One apparently not afraid of speaking her mind and who didn’t mince words when she did—so long as he wasn’t the one staring her down. Her father sounded like a wastrel, though. A user. No man should rely upon a woman for money, let alone his own daughter.

  Roman pulled the blind back in place, turned and paced to the tiny kitchen adjacent to the living room.

  “So, your dad and Kevin were going at it,” Cassie said. “Then what happened?”

  Bonnie ran it down while Roman studied the rest of the house and the surrounding views outside. How someone had showed up in front of her father’s house and her brother hadn’t wanted her presence known. How they’d hid her in a gun closet at the back of the house and the heated exchange she’d overheard. The raised voices that had escalated to some kind of physical exchange and subsequent silence.

  Confident no one was watching the house, Roman stalked back to the living room, stood near Cassie and casually tucked his hands in the pockets of his dress pants.

  “And then you came out and everyone was gone?” Cassie said.

  “Yep.” Bonnie waved at the recliner. “The only thing different was that chair knocked out of whack and the blood on the door.” She shoved to her feet and paced the width of the room. “It doesn’t make sense. I mean, Kev’s always getting into something, and brawling is an any-day occurrence around here, but something about this feels wrong.”

  She turned and made a lap in the opposite direction, fisting her thick hair on the top of her head as she went. The action lifted the hem of her jacket, giving him an admirable few of how perfectly her jeans molded her ass.

  An exceptionally nice ass.

  One a man could savor and appreciate in the most tactile fashion.

  Cassie cleared her throat.

  Roman shifted his attention to Cassie and found her narrowed, assessing gaze on him.

  Not good.

  Doubly not good if she drew too much into what she’d seen and hatched any of the matchmaking plans she and Evette were known for.

  “Why didn’t you call the police?” Roman asked as a means of diversion.

  Bonnie startled at the question. As if his deep voice had jerked her free of her tangled thoughts and rudely dropped her back in reality. “With my family?” She planted her hands on her hips. “I was afraid I’d make whatever this is worse. Knowing my luck, Kev would go from being kidnapped to locked up in jail. Plus, the cops would drag me into everything. I stay squeaky clean for a reason, thank you very much.”

  An interesting comment. Telling in a way he doubted she even realized. “And why is that, Miss Drummond?”

  She dipped her chin and glared at him the way an irritated librarian would an over-noisy visitor in her quiet halls. “I’ve got a brother who’s only skirted jail time by a miracle and a dad who thinks conning people out of money is an easier form of income than holding down a job.”

  “And your mother?”

  Bonnie straightened and squared her shoulders. While her voice was no less confident, there was the slightest quaver behind it. “She went out with a bang. Got loaded at a party and wrapped her car around a tree when I was sixteen.”

  Fascinating.

  Her pain was right there, swirling behind those beautiful eyes. But she was fearless in owning where she’d come from. Regal as any queen defending her territory. Confident in the battles she’d survived.

  The silence in the room thickened and the weight of Cassie’s stare registered beside him.

  He hazarded a glance.

  Sure enough, her attention was solely rooted on him, a deep and almost frightening level of consideration swimming behind her sky-blue eyes. A soft smile tilted her lips for all of a moment, then she stood and anchored her purse on her shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to worry about your brother and your dad,” she said to Bonnie. “We’ll help you find them.” She swiveled toward Roman and cocked her head, her words sweet, but a devilishly unspoken dare written on her face. “Won’t we, Roman?”

  And there it was. His matchmaker stepping into the ring and making her play.

  A wise man would take evasive maneuvers. Would give them the truth and point out how few clues there were to work with. How any search could last hours or even days, and that there was no guarantee what shape her family would be in when found—if they were found at all. At the very least, a delay in commitment until Kir and Sergei could weigh in guaranteed a healthy distance from the fiery redhead.

  But the worst enemies were always the unknown ones, and if
someone was strong-arming people in New Orleans—no matter what neighborhood they hailed from—his pakhan needed to know about it.

  Bonnie watched him from across the room, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket and her mouth drawn tight.

  It was a kissable mouth. Even pinched with apprehension, doubt and uncertainty, her lips were full and undoubtedly soft.

  But more than that, he was captivated by her demeanor. The unabashed expressiveness in the way she moved. The openness of her expressions and the strength in how she carried herself.

  This woman had seen much in her short lifetime. Likely much more than she’d openly shared. He was sure of it. If she meant something to Cassie, then what was the harm in giving her the benefit of their resources? Particularly, if it brought a bully to bear.

  He dipped his head to Bonnie then shifted his attention to Cassie. “Da, sestrenka. For you and your friend, we will find them.”

  Chapter Three

  She’d lost her damned mind. Or at least had temporary insanity—probably induced by too much adrenaline. One of the two had to be the problem, because Bonnie had sure as hell never been known to let her mouth run rampant the way it had in front of Roman and Cassie fifteen minutes ago.

  Perched in the middle rear seat of Roman’s supped-up truck, Bonnie stilled her jiggling knee for the third time in five minutes and stared out her window for any sign of the massive Russian. “What’s he doing, anyway?”

  Cassie twisted from the front passenger seat, the length of time it took for her gaze to come into focus making it seem she’d been somewhere else entirely. “Who, Roman?” She scanned the front yard and shrugged her shoulder. “No telling. Maybe looking for clues? Or he could just be making sure the place is all locked up.”

  Now, that was funny. Almost impossible to laugh at considering the anvil sitting in her stomach, but funny, nonetheless. “There’s nothing in there worth stealing. My family’s more the transitory type when it comes to possessions.”

  See? There it was again. Her mouthing off and sharing shit she’d held back for most of her life.