“You should go home,” she murmured, swiftly reorganizing her thoughts as he snorted. There would be no leaving tonight; that much was clear. So, too, was the fact that she was going to have to suffer through one more interaction with Alekzander. Fine. He would show up, see that her apartment reflected the small daycare she ran, and she would let him believe Lekzi was one of her charges. After Sacha told him off and sent him on his way, she would take the baby and run. Simple. One more meeting with him. She could get through that.
Resigned, she reached for the door handle. “Go. I will call you tomorrow.”
Justin grabbed her arm. “Get your head on straight, Ms. Urusski. Your attorney has no intention of leaving you here to deal with this on your own.”
Her heart softened. What Justin didn’t realize was that she was on her own. Seeing these men—who she was convinced were Tarasov associates—with the police officer was proof. No one could help her.
She gave his hand a squeeze. “It is okay. He will not harm me. I will be all right.”
“I know you will be because I’ll be standing next to you.”
She looked at the men and then back at Justin, wanting to strangle him and hug him at the same time. “Listen, I will not have you in my apartment when he arrives. Why would I do that to you? It would cause much more trouble than it is worth. For both of us. He is…possessive of what he considers his.” God, how she remembered that. And if she hadn’t, the aggression that had all but choked her in front of the restaurant had been all the refresher she’d needed. That confused her.
I don’t know how the hell you came to be here tonight, Sacha, but if you think I’m going to let this opportunity go without taking full advantage, then you’ve forgotten who I am.
He’d made it sound as if running into her had been something special.
“It seems Alekzander still thinks of me as one of his toys.” Arrogant, spoiled brat. “I will correct that misconception when he comes, and then this will be over. I do not need or want an audience for that.”
“Fine,” Justin muttered after glowering at her for an extended minute. “At least let me come up with you to Steve and Angela’s to get Lekzi. I’ll bring you back down to your place and leave. I swear. But, and this is a go whether you want it or not, I’m calling one of our family lawyers and finding out what your options are.” He pointed at the men. “If this display is your Russian throwing his weight around, you’re going to need that information.”
“Okay.” She agreed more so he would drop it than for any other reason.
They got out of the car and approached the four men standing at the end of the walk they needed to travel to get to her front door.
“Evening,” Justin greeted as they went to pass.
All she could see were their shoes because she kept her head down. Her vision quivered when an expensive black leather pair stepped into her path. She looked up at a tall man with light eyes and a long, clean-shaven face. Under the bright streetlight, she could see a portion of his left earlobe was missing but long since healed.
“Excuse me, Ms. Urusski?”
“Da?” She automatically reverted to Russian when she heard his accent was as thick as hers.
That warmed his expression slightly, and he did the same. “I am Anton. Mr. Tarasov has asked that you allow us to remain on the perimeter of your home until his nephew has had an opportunity to meet with you.”
Goosebumps flashed across her clammy skin. As she’d feared. Only it wasn’t Alekzander who’d sent them; it was Vasily. Worse. So much worse. Yes, she and the Pakhan had shared an amiable rapport when she’d dated his nephew, but he was still who he was.
Her eyes darted to the two windows at street level to the left of the entrance. Her apartment. Blood roared in her ears. Had these men already been here when Angela had taken Lekzi upstairs?
All moisture dried in her mouth and she had to swallow a few times before she could speak. Having a witness would be wise, she reminded herself. “I am sorry.” She switched to English and dug her fingers into Justin’s arm where she was holding him. “Could you repeat that? In English, please.”
As Alekzander had in front of the restaurant, Justin put his hand out and introduced himself.
Anton politely shook and did the same, giving only his first name again. “Crisp evening,” he commented casually. “Though I hear the temperature is about to drop to uncomfortable levels.” Returning to Sacha with a knowing smile curving his mouth, he went back to their language, rudely excluding Justin. “There is no need to involve outsiders here. We have been instructed to allow you to carry on with your routine as you normally would. Maksim assumed there would be little disruption since you do not work outside the home. Though you may not appreciate it,” he finished, “we are to accompany you if you take the children off the premises.”