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Tatyana understood. She didn't know if she wanted Igroek for a grandfather, either. He was awfully grumpy and he had disowned her much sweeter mom. He'd end up disowning her, also. That would hurt, even more than his rejection did now. Yes, not wanting her was for the best.

"It would be complicated, wouldn't it?" Nikky was his grandfather's choice to lead his family. She was Igroek's only grandchild.

"It would. If it turned out he was responsible, I'd have to..."

Oh, damn. She hadn't even thought of that. "You'd have no choice. If he killed my mom, his own daughter, there's no telling what he'd do." For him to have done that... "Do you think insanity runs in my family?"

Nikky lifted his head to look around the crowded room, filled with wedding stuff. "I'm sure it does, Brat." He laughed.

They had had a very successful trip to Walmart. "Aren't you glad we have separate rooms now?" Where he'd return eventually. She held onto him, not yet.

"No." He curled a lock of her hair around his finger. "I'm not glad. I miss your early morning wake-ups."

"Then you're in luck." She grinned, relaxing. He wouldn't be upset, then. "I booked the blood tests for eight o'clock." Tomorrow a busy day.

Nikky groaned.

"He didn't get on the plane, Boss." Pavel walked with Nik to the restaurant.

Shit. "Igroek know?"

"He hasn't made contact." A pause. "With him."

Double shit. Nik looked behind him. His cousin watched them closely. That backstabbing bastard. "Stepan?"

"They met in person, Boss."

He had been meeting with the enemy, putting the family, putting Tatyana, in danger. He couldn't ignore Stepan anymore. He'd have to deal with him. Family. It was fucked up. Nik entered the private room where Grandfather sat, an envelope on the table in front of him.

There was no sign of Igroek. "The news?" He sat down.

"We'll wait for Igroek and Tatyana."

"She'll be here soon." She was on her way back from fittings at the boutique. His bride. His wife. "We have another situation, Grandfather."

"I am aware the flight was missed."

That wasn't surprising. Grandfather had his own sources of information. "That's not it."

"Ah." Grandfather's eyes gleamed. "About time, Nikolay. He almost got you killed at Chan's."

He had gotten Ivan killed, a good man with a loving wife. "If you want to lead this family, you have to make the tough decisions. But don't take action just yet. He could be useful."

If isolated and carefully fed information.

"It is a tough decision. Auntie..." Was a good woman. He'd cause her pain. He'd have to face, tell her...

"It is necessary. A man who betrays family will betray anyone." Grandfather folded his hands. "Have I mentioned why I don't trust Igroek's brother?"

The door opened and shut behind him. From the quiet, he knew it wasn't Tatyana. "No."

"Igroek thinks it is because of his shady dealings with me. No." A shake of the head. "What showed me his true colors were his dealings with your grandmother. Although she loved me from our first meeting, she was an honorable woman, committed to her engagement.

Until she found out about an indiscretion Igroek had with a woman in Cincinnati. Only four of us knew of that night. One, the woman, was dead."

"He said you told her." Igroek's face was grave.

"Your grandmother was very much like Tatyana, Nikolay. What would Tatyana do if Stepan told her you cheated on her?"

Nik didn't want to contemplate it. "She'd beat Stepan senseless with her shoe and then shoot me." Multiple times with her .22.

Grandfather nodded. "Close. Your grandmother broke the messenger's nose and then left her fiance for his best friend. We married the next day."

"He said it was a street thug." Igroek's fists clenched.

"He probably said he was going to fly out today, too." Grandfather finally acknowledged the man. "Ask a man you trust, you trust, not one of your brother's men, if he got on that flight.

A man who betrays family will betray anyone."

Igroek sat down. "Why would he do that? When I return to New YorkȄ"

"If you return to New York." A sad shake of Grandfather's head. "What are the implications for our family if this stubborn ass dies here, Nikolay?"

Grandfather knew damn well what the implications were but, well trained dog that he was, Nik played along. "We'll get dragged into a war."

"We don't want that. Not when we have a wedding to host." A wide grin. "So until Nikolay cleans up your mess, where I go, you go, Igroek. You're under our protection."

"You can keep your protection, Kaerta." Igroek scowled. "I don't need it. Avel won't do anything. If he were going to kill me, he would have done it by now. He had the opportunity."

"But not the inclination, not until now when he has no choice." Grandfather puffed on his cigar. "Would you follow Avel, Nikolay?"

"No." Although the man was a cunning bastard and clearly intelligent, he didn't impress Nik.

"No one would. Your brother could never lead your empire. He isn't an idiot. He knows that.

Once you're dead, his days are numbered."

Igroek took out a cigar, clipped the end, lit up. He puffed, silent for once. Because he knew it was the truth. His own brother. Nik, about to deal with his cousin, felt sympathy for the old man.

"You can't keep me a prisoner, Kaerta."

"Oh, I can." Grandfather's face was set in stubborn determination. "You're on my turf now, Igroek. I'll do anything to keep my family safe."

"You wanted to see me, Grandfather?" Tatyana flounced in, a white veil billowing behind her. "Nikky!" She pitched herself into his arms.

He caught her, welcoming the interruption, pulling her into his lap. "Did you wear that all day, Brat?" He eyed the floral headpiece, which appeared a little worse for wear. She'd had it on during the blood tests this morning.

"Pretty much. It's my spare veil, I'm testing it." She kissed him. "Did you like your tuxedo?"

"Children, please," Grandfather grumbled. "Let's do this." He waved the envelope.

"Do what?" Tatyana tilted her head.

Oh, shit. She didn't know. "DNA tests," Nik told her. "They used your blood samples from this morning." Grandfather used his influence to rush the results.

"Nikky?" Betrayal reflected in those mud green eyes.

He should have told her, warned her. They were a team. "TatyanaȄ"

"It wasn't Nikolay's decision," Grandfather soothed. "It was mine." He passed the envelope to Igroek. "She's your granddaughter. You do the honors."

The envelope was pushed back. "That is what we are here to determine." Igroek was a stubborn fool. He didn't deserve Tatyana.

"If you don't care, Igroek, why should I?" Grandfather rebutted, leaving the envelope on the table.

"We know why you care, Kaerta. You've put a lot of work into this charade andȄ"

"Oh, for shit's sake." Tatyana picked the envelope up. "I'll do it."

"Language, Brat." Nik grinned. That was his fearless girl.

She stared at the enclosed paper. She held it up to her nose. She turned it as though looking at it upside down would help. She sighed, setting it back down, lines etched between her eyes. "I have no idea."

How hard could it be? "Let me see it." Nik took it from her. Numbers. Probabilities.

Paternity indexes. Were they good or bad? He didn't want to fuck this up. "Pavel!" he bellowed.

"Yes, Boss?" The big man entered the room.

"Tell me what this says." He tossed the papers to him. "In plain terms."

"Wait a minute," Igroek protested.

Because he already knew what the paper said. Tatyana was his granddaughter. Igroek knew it. And although he wanted to deny it, wanted Tatyana to belong to him and him alone, Nik knew it. "I'd trust Pavel with my life. He won't discuss what is said in this room,"

Nik bit out. And he'd need to know the results to properly protect the brat.

"He is Nikolay's top man," Grandfather added.

Pavel, that conceited ass, stood a little bit taller, puffing out his chest. "No testing is 100

percent accurate. The probability of paternity isȄ"

"Cut the posturing, Pavel." What part of 'in plain terms', didn't he understand? "Are they related? Yes or no?"

Silence filled the room. All eyes were on Pavel. Tatyana trembled in Nik's arms.

The man took a deep breath. "Yes, they're related."

Twelve

"Whenever possible, hedge your bets."ȄSergei Kaerta
After delivering that bombshell, Pavel backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

No one spoke because there was nothing to say. They were related. She had a living relative, something she dearly wanted, but that relative despised her. Igroek glared at her as though this situation was all her fault.

As though she wanted this. She didn't. It changed nothing, that he was her grandfather. She wouldn't allow it to. The crazy gnome had disowned her sweet mom. He would disown her just as easily.

"Now that that's done," Tatyana said in her most casual voice, turning to Nikky, "Did you like your tuxedo?"

"Which one?" He quirked an eyebrow. That action reassured her. Nothing had changed. He was still the same. He still loved her.

"You are not getting married," the crazy gnome spouted.

Great. Another man thought he could boss her around. She ignored him and continued,

"The baby blue one was a joke."

"I figured as much." Nikky put his arm around her shoulder, creating a protective barrier between her and Igroek. "The other one is very similar to the tuxedo I own."

"Oh." He would own a tuxedo, wouldn't he? The jet-setting ass. "No need to rent then.

That'll save some money." As his mom was going overboard on the flowers.

"You are not getting married," Igroek repeated.

She ignored him. She had to. She couldn't deal with this right now. "Speaking of money, your mom is insisting on a band."

Nikky kissed the tip of her nose. She blinked. "Get the band. Money is not a consideration."

"Listen to me!" Igroek rose out of his seat.

She frowned. "But a DJ allows us to have a wider variety of music. Boris knows a cute little DJ." She suspected he was sweet on her. "She's available." In more ways than one.

"Tatyana," Nikky's grandfather growled.

"Grandfather," she addressed him.

"He is not your grandfather." The crazy gnome was red in the face now. "I am."

He thought their relationship had changed? They hadn't. "A DNA test doesn't make you family, you should know that." She paused. "Or maybe you don't." He hadn't any family left, had he? Except for that sneaky ass of a brother. "Nikky's grandfather has earned a right to interfere in our lives. You haven't," she explained.

"You are not getting married." Igroek stood.

"Oh, we are." Tatyana stood also. The crazy gnome didn't intimidate her. He was mere inches taller than she was. "See this finger?" She held up her hand, her engagement ring sparkling. "Tomorrow, there'll be a wedding band on it. Nothing you can do will stop it."

"I will stop it!" Igroek shook.

"Why would you want to? We're in love. We're happy. If you cared about me at all, you'd be happy for us." But he didn't. Care. He didn't even know her.

"Because you're in love?" His laugh was bitter. "That happiness won't last."

"My parents' happiness lasted almost twenty years. It would have lasted longer if you hadn't killed them." He took her parents away. Now, he wanted to take Nikky away. He wanted her as alone as he was.

Igroek paled. "I didn't kill them."

"Whether you pulled the trigger or not," she shrugged. "One thing the Kaertas have taught me..." She looked over at Nikky. His lips twitched. "...is that a failure to protect someone you love is the same as harming them yourself. You failed to protect my mom."

"Her so-called husband failed to protect her."

"Shut your damn mouth about my dad." She picked up a shoe. One more insult and she'd throw it. Right at that thick bald head.

"Language, Brat," Nikky cautioned.

The ass. She dropped her shoe. "You have no right to criticize him. He kept mom alive for almost two decades. Alone. With your professional killers after us. All while raising a family. And they were happy, happy with that life. Could you have done any better?"

The gnome's eyes bulged as she yelled. "I don't think so. Dad was more than worthy of mom's love. You insult your daughter by implying anything else and you insult me by implying the same of my choice." She paced in front of him, angry as hell. "Nikky and I are getting married. Deal with it. Or don't. I don't care." She had enough of this. "Now if you excuse me, Grandfather." She nodded at Nikky's grandfather. "Nikky." She gave him a quick kiss. "Mr. Igroek, I have a wedding to organize." Without a backward glance, she stomped off.

Nikky watched her go, his vengeful she-wolf. Damn, no one told people off like Tatyana. It took all his willpower to keep from smiling.

Grandfather wasn't as considerate of Igroek's situation. He chuckled, lighting another cigar.

"That went well."

"Go to hell, Kaerta." Igroek sat back down.

"Older, but not wiser. All these years and you still haven't figured out how to deal with strong women," Grandfather needled.

"I'll deal with her in New York. She's coming home with me."

Nik's good humor fled. He straightened to his full height. "She is going nowhere." Not without him.

"There you go." Grandfather shrugged. "Her husband-tobe says no and since you're a dead man walkingȄ"

"I'll deal with my brother. There will be no wedding." Igroek turned to him. "You'll tell my granddaughter you changed your mind." He didn't ask, he told.

That was one command he wouldn't obey. "No, I won't." Not ever. Tatyana was his.

"Why would Nikolay do that?" Grandfather asked.

"I'll kill him, otherwise."

He could try. The old fool. Nik reached behind his back, placing a hand on his gun.

"And likely kill your granddaughter in the process. I have dozens of grandsons. How many grandchildren do you have?"