Page 59 of His Forbidden Obsession

I scowled at my brother. Now was not the time to anger Remington any further. We needed his help, and I needed him to work with me to keep Niko safe, because I would go against him if I had to, but it could be a death sentence for me.

“Very astute, Rafael. Do you have any other advice for me?”

“Well, I⁠—”

“No,” I said. “He doesn’t.”

Lancelot, who’d been so much like Rafe at Rafe’s age, saved us by sending his pet monkey, Tony, over to Rafe. “Keep him company. I know all the plans, so I’ll go watch over Niko. Do you approve of that, Renzo?”

Lancelot was crazy, but I trusted him completely. “Yes. I’ll introduce you.” I turned to the stairs. Remington surprised me by letting me go without comment.

Lance had charmed Nikolai immediately, as I’d known the bastard would. If he weren’t so in love with Julian, I would have been worried, but I knew Niko was in danger with him.

When I returned, I joined Dante on the sofa across from Remington. Rafael was pacing with Tony on his shoulder. He wasn’t capable of sitting still for more than a few moments, and neither was the monkey.

“I promised Nikolai he will not be sent back to his father, no matter what happens.” I wanted that out in the open. It wasn’t something I would go back on, no matter what Remington said or did.

I’d let myself be tempted. I’d done something selfish and reckless, but this time I was going to make sure that everyone involved remained safe.

Remington’s face remained neutral as he held my gaze for several long seconds.

“Any man who would give his son to Ivanov doesn’t deserve to have a son,” he said. “We’ll make sure Nikolai can start his life over somewhere else.”

I nodded. That was as big a concession as I could expect. The fact that my insides were all twisted up at the thought of sending him away didn’t matter. Niko’s safety did. Dante glanced at me, but I deliberately looked away. If he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t push the situation.

“Have you found out anything about Nikolai’s mother?”

“Nothing concrete. My best guess is she’s with Ivanov. He’d contacted her to see if she’d rat out Dimitri’s secrets.”

That wasn’t good. Ivanov wouldn’t keep her alive long.

“For now,” Remington said. “We’ll send Nikolai to a safe house.”

“With who?”

“With guards that I trust, and you should too. If I vouch for them, then they are certainly of a fine enough quality to take care of a Russian twink.”

I balled my fist at my side and started to stand. Dante used a hand on my shoulder to shove me back into my seat.

“You don’t like that description?” Remington asked. “Do you have another one you’d prefer?”

“Nikolai deserves respect and protection. He’s been abused, manipulated, and nearly handed over for Ivanov to destroy.”

“I know what Ivanov is. I wouldn’t risk Nikolai being put with him.”

“Then why are we working with him?” Rafe asked.

Remington snarled at me. “Keep your brother in line.”

“Rafe, keep your mouth closed and just listen.”

He glared at me, but he didn’t protest.

“As I said, Nikolai will go to a safe house. He’ll remain there until we have taken care of our problem with the Russians.”

“What is this problem, exactly?” Dante asked. “I understand we need Dimitri’s weapons connections, but surely we could⁠—”

Remington held up a hand. “I’ve been watching Dimitri for some time. He’s been angling for an alliance with Ivanov, but until recently, Ivanov hasn’t been willing to entertain it. Then something shifted. I needed to know what would make Ivanov willing to prop up a man like Dimitri. What could Dimitri offer him? The man is known for having no sense of discretion, something Ivanov obviously values highly.”