Sister, Sister

"Are you sure you want to go in alone?"
I stopped digging around in my purse and glanced over at Ivan. Sitting behind the

wheel of his SUV, he studied me carefully. We were in the parking lot of the jail where
my sister was serving time for a number of drug-related charges. "Not really."

He reached out and swept his thick fingers along the curve of my cheek. "I don’t

mind going in with you."

He said it so earnestly that anyone else would have believed him but I knew better.

He absolutely would mind. Jails and police stations ranked near the very top of Ivan's
list of places he wanted to avoid at all costs. They were ugly reminders of the criminal
past he'd finally escaped.

But he'd bear the constant discomfort and agitation for me.
And I loved him all the more for it.
I turned my head and kissed his callused palm. "I'll be fine."
He traced my lower lip with his thumb. "Don't let her be nasty with you, Erin."
"I won't."
"I don’t like saying that to you." His jaw visibly tightened with regret. "I know how

much you love her, but I can't stand the idea of sitting here, waiting for you, while she's
in there abusing you."

I bristled at the way he described my tense relationship with my sister. "Abuse is a

strong word, Ivan."

His brow arched rather imperiously. "How else would you describe the way she

screamed at you in the hospital and threw things at you? Or all the ways she
manipulated you into handling her drug debts?"

"Well…"
His big, strong hand slid down to my nape. Ivan gently tilted my head so I couldn't

avoid his intense gaze. "You deserve to be treated with respect. From everyone.
Including your sister."

Since he'd come into my life, Ivan had been encouraging me to grow a damn

backbone when it came to my older sister. Where others had failed, he'd finally
managed to succeed. Letting Ruby go to jail for her crimes had been the hardest thing in
the world for me to do but I understood that I had to stop enabling her. If she was going
to have any chance of getting her life together, I had to stop cleaning up her messes and
sparing her the consequences.

"Have I upset you?"
I shook my head and his tense expression softened. "I know you just want what's

best for me."

"Always, angel." He quirked a lopsided smile. "But it's okay if you want to tell me

off for being bossy."

I leaned over and pecked his mouth. "Maybe later."
Laughing, he slid those incredibly muscled arms of his around me and dragged me

out of the seat for a better kiss. Even though we'd made love that morning before he

headed into the gym, Ivan kissed me now as if he hadn't had a taste of my mouth in
weeks. There was no fighting the demanding insistence of his lips. All I could do was
hang on tight and surrender to the sweeping invasion of his tongue.

Just when I started to really get into the kiss, Ivan backed off the intensity. He

nibbled my lower lip before finally breaking away from my mouth. "You'd better go
now or else I'm going to throw you down in that backseat and you'll miss your visiting
window."

Breathless and throbbing with need, I playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You

did that on purpose! You got me all hot-and-bothered, and now you're shutting me
down."

"I'm giving you something to look forward to," he said with a mischievous grin.
"Uh-huh," I replied dryly. After a quick touch-up of my lips, I reached over to swipe

away the berry pink stain clinging to Ivan's mouth. "You're not as pretty as me in
lipstick."

He laughed softly. More serious now, he caressed my leg. "Be careful in there.

You're walking into a building filled with criminals."

I wanted to scoff at his over-protectiveness but I understood that he'd seen things

inside prisons and jails that I couldn't even imagine. "I'll be very careful."

Certain my purse was empty of any of the contraband listed on the family visitor

information pamphlet, I hopped out of the SUV and crossed the parking lot. There were
small groups of visitors filing into the jail already. The sight of little kids following their
grandmothers into the jail to visit their mamas saddened me so much. It made me think
of Vivian and Lena and the way their fathers had been in and out of prison during most
of their childhoods.

On my way down the hall to the visitor check-in station, I fished in my purse for

my wallet and ID. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. Two hands reached
out to steady me before I walked into a water fountain. I gasped and stared up into the
smiling face of Detective Eric Santos. "Oh. Hey!"

"Better watch your step, Erin. You almost clipped yourself on this fountain."
"Thanks for saving me from embarrassing myself."
"All part of my oath to protect and serve," he said with a laugh. His smile faded.

"Are you here to see your sister?"

I nodded. "I wanted to see her last week, but she got into trouble of some kind and

they took away her visitation privileges. Are you here visiting someone?"

He shook his head. "I'm on official business."
"Ah."
He gave my shoulder a squeeze. "I won't keep you. Good luck."
"Thanks."
Still smiling and slightly bemused from my run-in with the detective, I made my

way to the check-in station. The officers on duty made the experience as painless as
possible but it was nerve-wracking. When I was cleared, I dropped my purse into a
storage locker. They waved me into a room that reminded me of a high school cafeteria.

There were round tables with metal benches attached to them. I assumed they didn't
provide actual chairs because they could be used as weapons.

I found a seat near a grate-covered window and waited for Ruby. When the door

across the room opened, I craned my head to find her. She was one of the last prisoners
to enter the room.

The second I saw her bruised face, I gasped and clapped a hand to my mouth. She

sported a black eye, the puffy skin around it a nasty purplish color. Scratches marked
her right cheek. She looked like she'd been in a knock-down, drag-out fight—and it
terrified me. It was all I could do to stay in my seat and not run across the room to pull
her into my embrace.

What the hell was going on in this place? I'd been told the segregated inpatient-

style rehab unit was one of the safer areas of the jail. Apparently, I'd been misinformed.

"What happened?" I asked in a horrified, rushed whisper as she took the spot across

from me. Leaning forward, I gripped her cold hands in mine. "Ruby, are you okay?"

"Do I fucking look okay?" Her hissed reply garnered the attention of the visiting

families surrounding us. "I got my damn ass beat because of you."

"Because of me?" I reeled back with shock. "What did I do?"
"You're the one who refused to pay my bail," she snarled. "If I get killed in here, it's

your fault."

Guilt gripped me as I stared at her battered face. I thought of all the wonderful

things I'd been experiencing with Ivan during the last two months. While I was
snuggled on his couch and held tightly in his arms or tumbling around in his bed while
he did wickedly pleasurable things to me, my poor sister was in here fighting for her
life—because I hadn't paid her bail.

Ivan's concerned voice suddenly rushed through my head. I remembered his advice

and took a deep breath. As usual, I was on the verge of apologizing and taking all the
responsibility on me.

But I wasn't the one who had been abusing drugs. I wasn't the one who had stolen

from two vicious street gangs and nearly tipped off a war. I wasn't the one who had
escaped from a hospital and broken into a pharmacy in a desperate look for a fix.

"I'm sorry, Ruby."
"You should be." She jerked her hands free from mine. "I don't belong in here. These

women are animals."

I reached for her hand again. She let me take it but continued to glower in my

direction. "I don't like that you're here. I worry about you so much. But—I didn't put
you here."

She tried to snatch her hand free but I wouldn't let go. Sneering, she asked,

"Where's that big, dumb Russian of yours?"

Irritation edged into my voice. "You mean the big, dumb Russian who pays your

lawyer fees? The one who saved your life? The one who kept two crazy gangs from
killing you? That one?"

Working her jaw, Ruby glanced away from me. I tried to read her, to figure out

what the hell was going on in her head, but it was impossible. Instead, I explained,
"He's waiting for me outside."

"Must be nice," she said, her voice suddenly husky. A single tear dripped down her

cheek.

Aching for her, I rubbed her arm. "I'm really sorry that you lost Andrei. I can't even

imagine what that must feel like."

I didn't even want to think about losing Ivan in the way she'd lost her boyfriend.

Yes, Andrei had been a junkie and a thief and he'd dragged her into a mess she didn't
understand—but in their own crazy way they'd loved one another.

"It was my fault." Her voice was barely over a whisper. "He wanted to give me nicer

things, a better life. He didn't know any other way to do it." She wiped at her face. "You
don't realize how stupid and pie-in-the-sky your dreams are when you're blitzed out of
your mind on drugs."

No, I thought sadly. You probably wouldn't.
After a few seconds of silence, she cleared her throat. "So—what's happening with

Mom and Dad's house?"

"I have an appointment with a new realtor next week. Ivan has a friend who owns a

construction business doing some cosmetic upgrades to the place. There was some
damage from when you were…staying at the house."

"Oh. Right." Her cheeks darkened with embarrassment. "About that…"
I shook my head. "It's not worth talking about, Ruby."
Truthfully, I didn't want to talk about what she'd done here in a jail visiting area

where I was sure we were being recorded. After she'd been arrested for breaking into
that pharmacy, I'd followed her clues back to the house we'd inherited from our late
parents.

Inside Ivan had uncovered piles of stolen goods, drugs and guns—all of it taken

from the two gangs that wanted their blood. He'd used his underworld connections to
get everything returned and a peace agreement made to protect me and my sister. I
really didn't want any of that being dragged up again, especially if it would hurt Ivan.

"What happens to my share?"
"It goes into a bank account to wait for you until you get to come home."
"Come home? And where is home for me now?"
"Well…" Honestly, I didn't know how to answer that one.
"Let's not bullshit each other, Erin. There's no way Ivan is going to let me move into

his place."

"No, he won't." I could just imagine the look on his face if I asked him to consider

letting her stay with us. There were a lot of things he was willing to do for me but that
was a line he wasn't going to cross. "Look, we'll figure something out."

"Hell, I've got plenty of time." She picked at the ID bracelet wrapped around her

wrist. "It will probably be another ten months before they consider releasing me."

I tapped her hand to get her attention. "How is treatment? Do you feel any better?"
She shrugged. "I guess."

Considering she'd been hooked on prescription drugs for years, I wondered if she

even remembered what it felt like to be clear-minded and healthy. "You look better. I
mean, except for, you know, the bruises."

"Yeah?"
I nodded. "Your skin is clearing up, and you're not as chalky and pale. I can tell a

difference."

She shrugged again. "I guess."
I squeezed her hand. "Ruby, I know this is hard. I can't even begin to understand

what you're feeling and what you're going through—but I'm so damn proud of you."

"Yeah." Her glum reply saddened me but I understood that she was in a rough

place right now. "Are you really going back to school in September?"

I nodded. "I squeaked in just under the deadline for the fall semester. Since I'd been

thinking of doing it anyway, I had all my paperwork ready. I had to ask one of my
department advisors to put in a good word for me but I got a spot."

"Is he paying for it?" She didn't even try to keep the displeasure out of her voice.
It wasn't any of her business but I answered anyway. "No. I had enough in savings

for this first semester and I filed my FAFSA paperwork for the spring."

She made a humph sound. "But he's taking care of your living expenses."
"Well…we are living together."
"Must be nice."
I bit my tongue. The visit had gone fairly well so far and I wasn't going to take the

bait. I didn't want to fight with her.

Changing the subject, I asked. "Do you need me to add any money to your

account?"

"Yes. Please," she added nicely.
"Sure. I'll stop by the machine in the lobby and make a deposit."
"Thank you."
"Five minutes," one of the guards announced.
I couldn't believe it was time already. We both started to tear up as we gripped each

other's hands. I wasn't sure how much longer she'd be in the detox and rehab program.
When they moved her into the general population, she would be restricted to non-
contact visits. I didn't even want to think about having a pane of glass between us so I
held tightly to her hand, just in case this was the last time we'd touch for months.

When it was time for her to go, we reluctantly parted. I wiped at my eyes as I made

my way down the hall to the storage locker I'd rented. After gathering my purse, I
turned in the key and my visitor badge. I stood in line at the bank of ATM-like
machines in the lobby and waited my turn to add the max amount of cash to Ruby's
inmate account so she could buy toiletries and snacks.

Out in the bright, sunny afternoon, I headed down the sidewalk to clear away from

the crush of visitors streaming in and out of the jail. I opened my purse and searched for
my sunglasses.

"Don't I know you?"
I ignored the raspy male voice at first, thinking he was talking to someone else.

"Hey! You're that junkie thief's sister, aren't you? The one who got Andrei killed."
I glanced up into the face of a man I vaguely remembered. It hit me suddenly. He'd

been in the first crack house I'd visited in my search for Ruby. The house where I'd
come face-to-face with the Albanian crew for the first time. The house where Ivan had
saved me by claiming me as his.

Feeling nervous, I backed away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah, right," he said with a harsh laugh. "Are you really going to stand there and

tell me you don't remember that shit-hole crack house where your sister was turning
tricks for Andrei to support their habit? You gonna stand there and tell me you don't
know anything about the drugs and money your sister stole from us?"

I gulped and took another step back. "Look, I don't want any trouble."
"It's a little late for that. Your sister and Andrei stiffed us about twenty large." He

leered at me and let his tongue swipe his upper lip. "Maybe you'd like to take a page
out of your big sister's book and do some favors to make it right."

Before I could even think of a response to his disgusting remark, a massive hand

with scarred and tattooed knuckles grasped the guy's shoulder. His eyes widened as he
was jerked around to face my big Russian protector.

Ivan slammed his chest against the gang member who had been hassling me and

knocked that loser back a few feet. While he was always tender and gentle with me, I
had no illusions about the feral beast caged up within Ivan. He hadn't earned a
reputation as a bare-knuckle boxing champion by being easy-going and sweet. The man
who had been bothering me obviously knew it.

Hissing in a language I assumed was Albanian, Ivan said something that made the

other man stiffen and go pale. The gang member held up both hands and tried to back
away but Ivan gripped the front of his shirt to keep him in place. He snarled something
else but I was only able to pick out Besian, the name of the Albanian mob boss who had
spared my life and Ruby's after Ivan made him a deal he couldn't refuse.

After poking his thick finger into the guy's face, Ivan finally let him go with a rough

shove. The gangster stumbled backward to get clear from my boyfriend. In the next
breath, Ivan growled a very, very ugly Russian curse word. If we hadn't been on the
steps of a jail, I felt certain Ivan would have spit on him or punched him. He was that
angry.

As the jerk ran to his car, Ivan whirled around to face me. Instantly, the rage

twisting his expression faded. He grasped my hand and tugged me close. Cupping the
back of my neck, he gazed down at me with such concern. "Angel, are you all right? Did
he hurt you?"

"I'm okay." I slid my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek to his solid chest.

His reassuring heartbeat soothed my raw nerves. "He just scared me."

"He won't bother you again." Irritation laced his voice. I had a feeling he would be

having a sit-down with Besian to hammer out this situation once and for all. "I'm sorry I
didn't get here faster."

I couldn't believe he was apologizing for taking thirty seconds to run from one end

of the parking lot to the other. "Ivan!" I rubbed his muscled chest. "You were here when
I needed you. That's all that matters to me."

He kissed my forehead. "Let's get out of here."
"Okay." I clasped his big hand between both of mine as we crossed the parking lot

to his SUV. When we drew near, I realized the back door was open. "Oh no! Did
someone break into your vehicle?"

Ivan laughed and bent down to kiss the top of my head. "No. I was back there

checking on something when I stepped back to see if you'd come out of the jail yet. I
saw that bastard bothering you and took off running."

"Oh." I glanced up at him. "What were you checking on in the cargo area?"
"Nothing." He said and opened the front passenger door. When I didn't make a

move to get inside, he sighed. "Fine. Come here." He tugged me along to the cargo area.
"It was supposed to be a surprise."

My lips parted with a shocked gasp as I spotted the picnic he'd packed and the

comfy pillows and blanket. "You did this for me?"

He caressed the small of my back. "Yes. Do you—do you like it?"
When I looked up at him, he had a slightly embarrassed smile playing upon his

lips. His need to please and pamper me filled me with such love. It wasn't easy for him
to be romantic so I hugged him tightly to let him know how much I appreciated his
gesture. "I love it. Thank you."

Wrapping those burly arms around me, he relaxed a little. "I thought you would

like it but I wasn't absolutely sure." He tilted my chin and kissed me tenderly. "I know
how upset you are after you visit your sister. I thought it would be nice to sit some
place quiet and enjoy the afternoon."

"Ivan," I whispered almost breathlessly. When he did sweet things like this, it just

knocked me off-kilter. "I really love you."

He grinned. "I know you do, angel."
I lifted on tiptoes to kiss him but I still wasn't tall enough. He got the hint and

dipped down to let me have the kiss I wanted so badly. Our lips teased together briefly
but he started to pull back before I was ready to end it.

Gripping the bottom of his shirt, I held him right where I wanted him. The eager

slide of my mouth elicited a low groan from his throat. I let my fingers glide between
the buttons of his shirt to stroke his skin.

"Erin," he said in that lightly warning tone of his.
I smiled coyly up at him. "You know—it's getting pretty hot out here. Maybe we

could take our picnic someplace a little cooler?"

"Like?"
"Our bedroom?"
Ivan's pale blue eyes gleamed with lust. "Da."
Shutting the cargo door, he slid his arm around my shoulders and led me back to

my seat. While I buckled up, he crossed in front of the SUV. I noticed the way his
hawkish gaze scanned the parking lot for any signs of trouble. Thinking of Ruby and all

the trouble she'd caused, I couldn't help but wonder if the three of us would ever be
truly free from the repercussions of what she and Andrei had done.

But as Ivan climbed into his seat and reached for my hand, my panic subsided. He'd

proven that he'd never let anyone hurt me.

I lifted his hand and kissed his scarred knuckles. He shot me a bemused smile while

pulling out of the parking spot. "What was that for?"

"Just because I love you," I answered. Cradling his hand in my lap, I gave it a

squeeze. "Now, hurry up and get me home, you big stud."

Ivan snorted with amusement. "I didn't realize you were that hungry."
I eyed his ridiculously sexy physique and made sure he realized I wasn't thinking

about that delicious picnic he'd packed anymore. "You have no idea…"