Baby Love (The American Soldier Collection 14)

“No. They don’t need to be involved with this.”

“But I think they care about you, Nina. I think what Corona did was a mistake. He wasn’t fully thinking when he put that money in the account. He just wanted to ensure that you were taken care of, because they couldn’t physically do it.”

“No. I don’t want them involved. I won’t be a burden to them, some problem they got involved with and now feel they have to protect. If Mirella wants to hurt me, and she finds out about them, then they’re in danger, too. If she was watching the club tonight somehow, with people loyal to her, then they could have seen Freeman and me together. Hell, even as she tried to run me over, she would have noticed them running to me. No. No, Viktor, they need to stay away from me. I’m a danger to them. I have too much to protect now.”

“We’ll see what the next step is. We’ll bring you by your place to grab some things, then get you to a safe house. Then I’m to bring you to my uncle,” Viktor told her, and her heart pounded.

She was going to face Nicolai Merkovicz. Who the hell had been watching over her and called him? How powerful of a person were they? She just wanted to go into a dark place and hide until this was all over, but she knew she couldn’t. She needed to be strong. She needed to be smart and to think about the baby no one would ever know about.

Chapter 11

“It’s not her decision. It’s yours and your uncle’s,” Corona said to Viktor as they stood in Viktor’s office along with Cosivan.

Viktor exhaled. “I have my orders, and Nina has her reasons.”

“What reasons? Why would you listen to her when her life is in danger?” Freeman asked.

“She doesn’t want you guys involved at all. She feels that you’re in danger, and to tell you the truth, she’s angry and hurt, too. But aside from the fact that your safety was her reason for asking, we won’t allow you to be involved,” Cosivan said to them.

Cosivan was not a man to beat around the bush at all. He was intimidating and aggressive. They knew not to show any disrespect to him or his team.

“So she wants to protect us?” Atlanta asked.

“We should be protecting her,” Jessup said.

“Why?

” Cosivan asked them.

Corona exhaled and looked at his men. He was their leader, and it was his responsibility to take the lead here. “We fucked up. Well, I fucked up.”

They didn’t respond. Both Viktor and Cosivan stared at him.

“Fuck it. We fell in love with her, okay? We fucking admit it now, but before, we were being stubborn assholes. We thought we couldn’t give her what she needed, her being perfect and so much. I thought I was doing the right thing by giving her that money.”

“She saw it as a payoff. I get that now, because obviously you were intimate with her,” Viktor said to them.

“We fucked up so badly and hurt her. We need her, though. We’re ready to give it all up for her. To retire completely from the service and work civilian jobs, whatever it takes,” Freeman said to them.

“You need to tell her all of this, but you’re still not allowed to be involved with the hunt for Mirella,” Cosivan stated firmly.

“Why not?” Jessup asked.

“Nicolai is respecting Nina’s request. She’s safe where she is and well protected. We’ll find Mirella. We have leads and are getting closer to catching her. We’ve uncovered her resources and the stolen money and drugs she’s been using to get the help she needs. She’s cut off, and she’s desperate, so when she screws up, we’ll be there,” Cosivan told them.

Corona was annoyed, but it seemed that there wasn’t anything they could do at this point to help Nina.

“Can we see her, so we can talk to her?” Freeman asked.

“I think you’re going to have to wait until we find Mirella. You should watch your backs and take precautions in case Nina was right and Mirella figures out that you’re important to her,” Viktor said to them.

“How the fuck did this turn around on us, and now Nina is protecting us?” Jessup asked, sounding frustrated.

Cosivan and Viktor chuckled.

“She’s a special young woman,” Cosivan said, “and her honesty and loyalty to those who have helped her and touched her life come through. If and when you do get the chance to tell her how you really feel, and then beg for her forgiveness, never take her for granted. Life is too short, and in our business, it can all be taken away from you in a snap.”

Corona nodded and realized, in that moment, that Cosivan and his team knew what they were feeling. They had fallen in love with Nalia while they were supposed to be protecting her. How the hell were they going to wait to see Nina and set things right? They had to help find Mirella and end this so they could tell Nina how much they loved her and how they were giving up their military professions to focus on loving her and being the men she deserved to have in her life.