Page 47 of Forbidden Boss
“People will test you,” Thom says. “They’ll think you’ve gone soft.”
“They can think whatever they like,” I say. “If someone even flags her on a plan, they’re finished. If anyone inside so much as speaks her name in a way I don’t like, I cut that out before it spreads. If you hear anyone push the idea that a child is a liability, you bring me the name.”
Marcus nods but his mouth tightens. Elyan stares at the floor. Pavel doesn’t react at all. Yuri looks bored, which means he’s with me.
“We’re increasing her protection,” I go on. “The compound is getting upgrades as we speak.”
Then I walk them through the security plan I’ve drawn up to keep her detail locked down tight.
“We’ll need more bodies,” Thom says. “I’m fine running point, but I don’t have the manpower for that much changeover.”
“Get whatever resources you need,” I say. “But I don’t want any rookies near her. Pull from crews we trust. Pay the premium.”
“People are starting to talk,” Marcus cuts in. “Not about Mari. About the restaurant hit and the club hit. You know how it goes. They want to see if you’re spread thin.”
“I’m not,” I say.
“They’ll try to attack you again to prove that,” he says.
“They can try,” I snap. “If they come near her, they don’t breathe again. I will not warn anyone twice.”
He nods but keeps that concern in his eyes. I know it comes from a real place, but I don’t have room for it. Concern only slows me down.
No one argues after that. I set assignments and clocks. I set a schedule for the move and new perimeter checks. I end with the part they don’t want to hear.
“Some of you think a child makes me weak,” I say. “It doesn’t. It makes me faster. If you need proof, test me. You’ll only have one shot.”
Yuri stays when the others file out. I pour water and hand him a glass. He doesn’t touch it.
“You’re running hot,” he says. “But you seem to have a clear head about it all. That’s good.”
“I’m not interested in your speeches today,” I say.
“I don’t have a speech,” he says. “Just a question. Are you sure you want to move to the compound this soon? She’ll fight you.”
“She already fought me,” I reply. “I gave her a month.”
He snorts. “That’s generous of you.”
“It’s reasonable,” I say, borrowing Mari’s word. “She needs the work to feel like herself. I’ll take that from her when I have to. Not before.”
That night I sit with Yuri and watch the feed from the compound. Teams install the new cameras. The second gate goes in beautifully. Floodlights illuminate every corner of the exterior. We’ve set up a room to double as a clinic for now. An OB nurse sends me a list of supplies she wants. I approve it without asking the price.
At midnight, I’m back at the table with a pen and a yellow pad. I write out every task I can think of. I’ll have to work with Mari to get the OB appointments scheduled. I also need my lawyer to draw up legal documents for guardianship, medical access, and changes to my will. I make a note to ensure cash is stocked at the compound.
Then I start running background checks on the nurse, a few drivers, and the doctor Mari insists on using. The truth is, Yuri or Marcus could handle this, but I won’t risk any gaps. As the saying goes, if you want it done right, do it yourself.
At nearly two in the morning, I sit back and look at my list. I can’t possibly add more to it, yet I still feel like it isn’t enough. What am I missing? What could go wrong?
I’m terrified for them. I’m terrified of losing them. Mari will complain, she’ll say I’m being overprotective and controlling, but she can’t understand how this feels.
When I lost my wife, Tatianna, it was like there would never be anything good in this world again. She was kind and good, and I was young enough and stupid enough to believe that love could conquer anything.
In the end, I failed her. When someone went after me, she got caught in the crossfire and was killed. That was my fault. Thatbullet had my name on it, and I couldn’t protect her when it mattered most.
I know Mari understands this now. I know she can see that my protectiveness comes from a real place. I also know it’s driving her crazy, and she doesn’t like the rules I’m imposing.
She’ll just have to get over it. And she will. I know that too. I think she’s starting to feel the same way about me that I feel about her, and if that’s true, she sees that this is a struggle for me too. Any time I’m away from her, I’m terrified that’s the moment someone takes her away from me forever.