Page 23 of Babies for the Boss
“No mistakes. The principal is a key asset. The highest level. Understood?”
She falls silent for a breath. “I will pretend you did not just insult me, Pavel.” The line goes dead.
Vet is right. I should not have said the thing about mistakes. Vet doesn’t make mistakes. Ever.
Molly has been managing the office alone for long enough that additional support is a legitimate operational need. I should have addressed it sooner, in fact, and the fact that I didn’t is an administrative oversight I am correcting now. This is the framing I will use, and it’s not entirely untrue.
I call Molly into my office. Her low-cut blouse makes it hard to concentrate, but I manage. “You’re getting an assistant.”
“Why? Did I screw up or overlook something, because I’m sorry?—”
“No, no. Nothing like that.” I drag my hand over my face. This is not going how I’d hoped. “You are overworked, Molly. It has been a long time coming. I finally found someone I like for you.”
She looks mildly surprised and then pleased, because she’s professional enough to recognize the practical value even when she suspects she’s being managed. “Oh. Thank you, Pavel.”
“I should have done it sooner.”
She gives me the look she gives me when she knows I’m being less than completely forthcoming, and I hold her gaze until she drops it, which takes longer than it used to. She reads me better these days, and it’s a blessing and a curse.
Vet arrives Monday at eight fifteen. By ten o’clock she has Molly’s coffee order committed to memory. By end of day she has made Molly laugh two times that I can hear. There might have been more.
By the end of the first week, Molly has introduced her to the office as her assistant and is already leaning on her with the easy comfort of someone who trusts quickly once trust has been earned. Vet earns it without appearing to try, which is exactly what I hired her to do.
It’s a relief to know Vet has her back.
The secondary arrangements are quietly put in place. A monitored thermal camera on Molly’s apartment. Check-ins from Vet twice daily. Once midday, once when Molly is securedfor the night. Vet knows where Molly is at all times without the need for an inserted tracker, and it puts my mind at ease as much as that’s possible.
The arrangement has been in place for a few weeks by the time Igor stands in my doorway with the stillness of a man choosing his words. From Igor, it means he is genuinely uncertain how to proceed, which is uncommon enough to have my full attention before he says anything.
Once the door is closed, he comes out with it. “Why is Vet pretending not to know me?”
“Because that is her job. You didn’t say anything to the contrary, did you?”
He shakes his head. “Of course not. I’ve been around enough to know better, Pavel, and you know that better than anyone, so why would you ask? I’m no amateur?—”
“I know, I know,” I mutter, holding a hand up to salve the wound he speaks of. “Apologies. I do not doubt you.”
He’s quiet for a moment, looking at me with the measured expression he has worn in my service for eleven years, the one that means he has an opinion and is deciding whether I want to hear it. “It’s the girl, isn’t it?”
I draw a long, aggravated breath. I could lie to him. Tell him to mind his own business. “Since when do I dive into my personal life with you?”
“Since when do you have a personal life to dive into?”
Shit. I’m not thinking clearly. “Fair enough.” I motion for him to sit, and we both do. “I have a personal life. It involves Molly. Vet is here to protect her, and no one else knows.”
He sits with that for a moment. “Is that wise?”
“Me and Molly? Absolutely not.”
“I meant Vet.”
“Why?”
“She spent time in the field. Several of your men know her face. If anyone recognizes her, then someone with the wrong connections and enough motivation might do the same.”
Reality is an ugly beast. “I am aware of that. I’m also aware that she’s the best at what she does.”
Igor nods slowly. He’s not a man who needs things spelled out, which is why he has lasted as long as he has. “I will quietly reposition two of our street men to extend coverage on Molly’s block for redundancy.”
