Russian Enforcer's Royal Engagement (Russian Enforcers Book 7) by Nic Saint Page B

billionaire had merely told them he would take the matter under advisement, which was basically the same thing as giving them a big FU. “I just don’t understand! I mean, this is his sister we’re talking about, right? His own flesh and blood? And he doesn’t want to know who targeted her? Held her at gunpoint and stole her inheritance? It just doesn’t make sense.”
    “Unless Yulian is involved somehow,” said Rudolph thoughtfully.
    Jack frowned. “How do you figure that? Why would he go after his own sister? And steal his own money?”
    “But it wasn’t his money, was it?” Rudolph pointed out. “This money was in a separate account, only accessible to Diana.”
    “But why would Yulian need that money? He’s got billions of his own.”
    Rudolph shrugged. “Just a thought that occurred to me.” Then he abruptly changed the subject. “Speaking of Diana, how are things?”
    “Things? What things?” he returned irritably.
    “Between you and the young wench,” Rudolph added helpfully, then looked inscrutable when Jack threw him a look that could kill.
    Jack was inclined to tell his brother to mind his own fucking business, but then thought better of it. He threw himself into his chair and propped his feet on the desk. “I don’t know, buddy. I’ve managed to convince her to stay on for a couple of days. At least until we get to the bottom of this whole mess.”
    “Ah, so that’s the reason you asked her to stay, huh?”
    He detected the mocking tone in his brother’s voice and decided he didn’t like it. “That’s the only reason she’s staying,” he grumbled.
    “Just checking,” Rudolph said innocently. He picked up a seashell. “Remember collecting these?”
    Jack’s frown softened. “Course I do. I bet there’s buckets more upstairs.”
    Rudolph gazed at him earnestly. “You like this woman, don’t you, Jack?”
    Jack was about to deny the matter vehemently, but then relented. “I do,” he admitted, also picking up a seashell and pressing his thumb inside, enjoying the smoothness. It reminded him of the halcyon days of his childhood.
    It now seemed to him that he and Rudolph had spent more time on the beach than elsewhere, trolling along the shoreline with their mother, collecting seashells in little plastic buckets. Those moments featured amongst his fondest memories. Mom had died when he was only ten and Rudolph twelve, and the tragedy had shattered their lives. Ever since those innocent times he hadn’t really been able to enjoy life as much as he had then. He’d grown into a somber man. Some people had even described him as ornery and a real grinch.
    “She’s a wonderful young woman,” Rudolph said pensively, then quickly added, “And I mean that strictly in a brotherly way, of course.”
    Jack directed his gaze through the bay windows and let his eyes drift over the red-roofed houses of Montinia. “She’s…different, you know. Not like any woman I’ve ever met.”
    “You do realize she’s also the daughter of a well-known mobster, don’t you?”
    He looked up sharply. “Are you lecturing me now?”
    “Not at all. Just pointing out the facts. Your involvement with her will raise a lot of red flags. The media will be all over her.”
    Jack nodded. The House of Montinia had always been under great scrutiny. The two princes couldn’t move a finger or a picture appeared in the tabloids. Any woman they went out with was photographed, analyzed and written about ad nauseam. The idea of Diana going through all that made him sick to the stomach. Already pictures of her at the casino had appeared, and speculation had begun.
    “Her entire family will be put to the test,” Rudolph continued. “Her name will be dragged through the mud, and so will that of her family. Both of them,” he added when Jack opened his mouth to speak. “The Petrovs and the Gornakovs.”
    “It’s none of their fucking business,” he growled viciously.
    “Of course it isn’t, but that won’t