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Naomi crouched right next to him.
A Naomi he’d seen drive away moments before.
“Sonofabitch,” Eb growled.He kicked the door shut behind him.
“What the hell is this?”Ivan bellowed.And then he reached for his gun.
Naomi had one hand shoved through the bars of the cage, petting the dog’s head, and the other hand had been poised over the latch in front of the cage.When she saw the gun, her eyes widened, and her lips parted to scream.
Eb grabbed Ivan from behind, and he shoved the bastard as hard as he could toward the desk.The gun fired, the blast echoed around them, but it didn’t hit Naomi.Or the dog.The bullet just thudded into the wall.Ivan tried to come up and aim that gun again, but Eb was on him.He slammed the bastard’s hand into the side of the desk.Two slams and the gun dropped to the floor.
Ivan snarled and pushed at Eb, but Eb was not in the mood to be pushed so he just pinned the Russian against the desk.
“Who’s a good boy?”Naomi cooed.“Not just a good boy, but the best boy in the entire world!”
For fuck’s sake.“Naomi!”Eb thundered.
He heard the frantic thuds of footsteps rushing for the office door.
Ivan started laughing.“You’re both dead.Dead—for a damn dog.”More laughter.
Eb backed away from the laughing bastard, but he just retreated so he could pull out his own weapon and, when Ivan faced him, Eb aimed the gun dead center at the gang leader’s chest.“Weird.I feel oddly alive.”
The door began to swing open?—
“Tell them to stay out or I fire,” Eb ordered, voice low.
“Or even better,” Naomi murmured, “why don’t you just tell them that their boss is an informant.Then his own gang can kill him and handle the dirty work for you.”
“Stay out!”Ivan roared to his men.“Out!My gun just misfired.Everything isfinein here.”Then he was rushing toward the door and slamming it fully closed himself.Then locking it.
“Boss?”A fist pounded into the door.“Boss, you sure?”
“Get the fuck away from my office,” Ivan ordered as spittle flew from his mouth.“Now.I’m handling business in here.You know I don’t like to be disturbed when I’m handling my business.”
Naomi had opened the cage door, and the dog bounded right into her arms.She crouched beside him as the Golden Retriever sniffed her neck, then butted its head against her.
Thank you,she mouthed to Eb.She looked all grateful and relieved.Her beautiful face practically glowed.
Screw that.
“I just saved your life,” he snapped at her.“Afteryou lied to me.Believe me when I say…I get more than just a thank you.”But for now, he kept his weapon aimed at a glowering Ivan.“You stole her dog.”Talk about a dick move.
“That’s my dog!”Ivan argued.“Mine!”
Eb spared a glance for a still crouching Naomi.“The dog that is currently cuddled against her isyourdog?That’s the story you’re going with right now?”
“Henry, here!”Ivan boomed.
The dog placed its body in front of Naomi.Sat down.Stared at Ivan.
“Henry,here!” Ivan’s voice broke a bit around the edges.
Henry did not move.
Behind the dog, Naomi rose.Her fingers skimmed over Henry’s head in a brief caress.“I’ll be taking my dog now.And you’ll be staying the hell away from us both.”
Ivan’s eyes narrowed.His head swung from her to Eb.“Not so fast, Hudson’s partner.I know all about you.So many details.”He smiled.“We can make a deal.Same kind of deal I had with Hudson.I figure you’d be coming around, sooner or later.Actually took you a bit longer to show up than I’d originally guessed.”