Ivan(20)

Dimitri shrugged out of his thin gray jacket and draped it around me shoulders. "We're leaving."

"Erin! Come back! I'm sorry. Please! I'm sorry!" Ruby's pitiful pleading echoed in the hallway.

I glanced at the open door and the nurses rushing in to deal with Ruby. "I should stay."

"I wasn't asking. You're coming home to Ivan." Dimitri glared at Ruby's room where such a ruckus now erupted. "He wouldn't allow that woman to talk to you like that if he was here—and I won't either. You don't deserve that kind of abuse."

"She's sick."

"She's a junkie. She did this to herself."

"Please," I begged softly. "Don't say that."

His hard expression lost some of its edge but he didn't apologize. "Come on."

There was no use fighting him. Part of me knew Dimitri was right. My presence was only going to agitate Ruby. She needed to rest and heal, not fight with me over imagined slights.

As we made our way to the nurses' station, I heard Ruby screaming such terrible things at the nurses and doctors trying to tend her. My face flamed with embarrassment but the sweet nurse at the desk assured me they were used to dealing with this kind of thing. It didn't make me feel any better. It actually made me feel really bad for the hospital staff who had to put up with that type of crap day in and day out.

After being assured I would be contacted if Ruby's condition changed and that a social worker and counselor were on their way to speak with her, I let Dimitri lead me out of the hospital. He unlocked the passenger side door and waited for me to climb up into the cab before shutting it firmly.

"Would you like to grab something to eat on the way back to Ivan's?" Dimitri started the truck and backed out of the parking space.

"Why are you taking me to Ivan's? Why can't I just go home?"

He glanced at me and frowned. "It's not safe."

"If it's not safe for me to go home, it's not safe for Ruby to be left at the hospital."

"She's being watched. You don't need to worry about her. I have instructions to take you back to Ivan so that's what I'm going to do."

I bristled at the idea that Ivan had simply made all these decisions without even consulting me. I understood why he'd done it. He took my safety very seriously but I wanted to be asked for my opinion. Staring out the window, I figured this was going to be the topic of our first argument as a couple.

A couple.

The idea didn't frighten me as much as it should have. I'd always been timid about men and relationships, always afraid to take chances, but with Ivan I felt none of that. Deep down inside, I recognized that he was something special. The connection we shared was unique and worth pursuing.

"So?"

Dimitri's question drew my gaze. "So what?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Did you want to hit up a drive-thru or not?"

"Oh! Yes."

We settled on my favorite burger chain. As we waited in line, I finally worked up the courage to ask him something that had been nagging me all day. "How do you know that Johnny guy?"

Dimitri studied me for an unnervingly long moment. "He's the younger brother of my landlady."

I hadn't been expecting that. "I see."

"Benny took over her family's bakery last year but I've lived upstairs for nearly five years. Her grandmother let me rent the place cheaply in exchange for certain services. When she died, I decided to stay. It's a nice place. The rent is cheap."

"Services?" I considered what I knew of Dimitri. He didn't strike me as the type of man I'd want to cross. "You keep the place safe?"

He nodded. "It used to be a vibrant neighborhood but it's going through some growing pains. I make sure no one tries to strong arm the bakery into paying protection fees or taxes on deliveries."

"Jesus," I said softly. "I had no idea it was that much of a headache to run a bakery."

"You'd be surprised," he muttered. "People can get nasty when it comes to greed and money."

"And this Johnny? He's in the Hermanos gang?" I touched my neck. "I saw the tattoos he had."

Dimitri scowled as he let his foot off the brake and eased his truck forward in the line. "He's a dumbass kid who thinks being part of a gang makes him tough. He has no idea what kind of mistake he's making."

"But you do?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

Dimitri's jaw tightened. "We're done talking about me."

My eyes widened at his gruff reply. "Okay."

He exhaled a little roughly. "I'm not angry with you. Please don't misunderstand me."

"I get it. We're fine."

And we were. I'd gone too far in my questioning and he'd shut me down. It was that simple and didn't hurt my feelings.