figure out a plan to keep her brother out of trouble and her heart in one piece.
Chapter Eight
“Okay, that was harsh,” Samantha said once the elevator doors had closed and Emily was on her way downstairs. “I have to admit that I did not think you had that in you.”
“What?” he snorted. “You thought we were in there making love all night long like two star-crossed lovers finally reunited?”
“Something like that.” She was looking at him with a more than critical eye. “You’ve had a thing for her since you met her, Ivan. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He shoveled a bite of omelet into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “That’s not true. My attraction to Emily is what got me into trouble with Sergei. If I’d have kept my dick in my pants, he wouldn’t have fired me.”
“I thought the point was that he treated you like a lower-class human being and thought his sister was too good for you.” Samantha pointed at him with her fork. “You’re completely losing sight of your purpose here, Ivan. Which means there’s really no point and you should just help me take down Yuri so you can step into the boss position.”
“You know,” Ivan drawled, “you’re putting an awful lot of faith in my ability to circumvent the process that usually goes with that whole appointment-to-the-rank-of-boss thing. We have rules and protocol.” He pointed right back at her. “Unless you think your magic FBI friends have some way to just step in and give me a recommendation, which would work so well for me. Really.”
“We have our ways,” she said mysteriously.
Ivan grimaced. “I’m not an FBI puppet, Samantha. I’ve helped you because it suited my purposes and because you’ve been a friend much longer than you’ve been an agent. If that changes, then my cooperation will change too.”
“Meaning if I’m no longer useful, you’ll just turn around and dump me on the nearest corner,” Samantha said irritably. “Yeah, I get it.”
“That’s not exactly what I mean.” He rolled his eyes. “Women! You ladies are all gut reaction and emotion. Will you calm down? I’m simply stating that our purposes run parallel for the moment. It doesn’t mean they always will.”
“I suppose that’s fair.” Samantha finished her breakfast. “Although I think you’re being a complete ass about this whole thing with Yuri. It’s very simple.”
“Sure it is,” he growled. “Your bosses are getting tired of only plucking low-hanging fruit. That was fine in the beginning, but now they’re greedy because there is no difference between FBI agents and the criminals they chase. All they want is more, more, more.”
“No difference?” Samantha looked incensed. “We’re trying to keep drugs off the street, Ivan. And you’re busy flooding the streets with prescription drugs so you can make a buck. I don’t see how that’s the same at all.”
“That’s because you’re an idealist and not a realist,” he said irritably. “I’d say you would understand when you get a bit older, but you’re already well past that time.”
“Nice,” Samantha groused. “Real classy.”
***
Emily carefully folded her clothing and placed it in her suitcase. She didn’t know where Sergei was, and she didn’t care. For the moment, she was just glad he wasn’t home so she didn’t have to listen to him whine and complain about her choices. She would not have been able to deal with that this morning. Not after being so easily brushed off by Ivan less than an hour ago.
She could have shoved her things into her overnight bag and stormed around like a woman spurned, but that really wasn’t her style. It was time to reflect. Ivan was obviously trying to use her as a way to get revenge on her brother. Okay, fine. But she knew there was more to him than that. Perhaps the best way to thwart his revenge and protect herself was to worm her way past his defenses and make him fall in love with her.
Creasing a pair of
Chapter Eight
“Okay, that was harsh,” Samantha said once the elevator doors had closed and Emily was on her way downstairs. “I have to admit that I did not think you had that in you.”
“What?” he snorted. “You thought we were in there making love all night long like two star-crossed lovers finally reunited?”
“Something like that.” She was looking at him with a more than critical eye. “You’ve had a thing for her since you met her, Ivan. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He shoveled a bite of omelet into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “That’s not true. My attraction to Emily is what got me into trouble with Sergei. If I’d have kept my dick in my pants, he wouldn’t have fired me.”
“I thought the point was that he treated you like a lower-class human being and thought his sister was too good for you.” Samantha pointed at him with her fork. “You’re completely losing sight of your purpose here, Ivan. Which means there’s really no point and you should just help me take down Yuri so you can step into the boss position.”
“You know,” Ivan drawled, “you’re putting an awful lot of faith in my ability to circumvent the process that usually goes with that whole appointment-to-the-rank-of-boss thing. We have rules and protocol.” He pointed right back at her. “Unless you think your magic FBI friends have some way to just step in and give me a recommendation, which would work so well for me. Really.”
“We have our ways,” she said mysteriously.
Ivan grimaced. “I’m not an FBI puppet, Samantha. I’ve helped you because it suited my purposes and because you’ve been a friend much longer than you’ve been an agent. If that changes, then my cooperation will change too.”
“Meaning if I’m no longer useful, you’ll just turn around and dump me on the nearest corner,” Samantha said irritably. “Yeah, I get it.”
“That’s not exactly what I mean.” He rolled his eyes. “Women! You ladies are all gut reaction and emotion. Will you calm down? I’m simply stating that our purposes run parallel for the moment. It doesn’t mean they always will.”
“I suppose that’s fair.” Samantha finished her breakfast. “Although I think you’re being a complete ass about this whole thing with Yuri. It’s very simple.”
“Sure it is,” he growled. “Your bosses are getting tired of only plucking low-hanging fruit. That was fine in the beginning, but now they’re greedy because there is no difference between FBI agents and the criminals they chase. All they want is more, more, more.”
“No difference?” Samantha looked incensed. “We’re trying to keep drugs off the street, Ivan. And you’re busy flooding the streets with prescription drugs so you can make a buck. I don’t see how that’s the same at all.”
“That’s because you’re an idealist and not a realist,” he said irritably. “I’d say you would understand when you get a bit older, but you’re already well past that time.”
“Nice,” Samantha groused. “Real classy.”
***
Emily carefully folded her clothing and placed it in her suitcase. She didn’t know where Sergei was, and she didn’t care. For the moment, she was just glad he wasn’t home so she didn’t have to listen to him whine and complain about her choices. She would not have been able to deal with that this morning. Not after being so easily brushed off by Ivan less than an hour ago.
She could have shoved her things into her overnight bag and stormed around like a woman spurned, but that really wasn’t her style. It was time to reflect. Ivan was obviously trying to use her as a way to get revenge on her brother. Okay, fine. But she knew there was more to him than that. Perhaps the best way to thwart his revenge and protect herself was to worm her way past his defenses and make him fall in love with her.
Creasing a pair of
Similar Books
