Page 19 of Floodgates

And I did. The dish was called pelmeni. It was like ravioli filled with minced pork, and I could eat a million of them if no one stopped me. There were also crepes filled with cottage cheese that Dimah slathered with apricot jam for me, and more vodka, but I got to take a pass after two more glasses and had tea instead.

Afterward, sated and exhausted, I was afraid I was going to fall into a coma if I didn’t get home.

“Get up,” Dimah ordered, and I followed his direction.

I shook hands with all the men I had sat with, and then walked with Dimah, Vassi, and Danya back to the Hummer.

Inside, Dimah and I again sat in the back as he gave the driver my address in Noe Valley. I sprawled over the seat, head rolled sideways, looking at him as he gently put a hand on my knee.

“Are you afraid to return to the office on Friday?”

“No, why? Should I be?”

“No,” he insisted quietly. “You have nothing to concern yourself with. Those men will not come again, I have made certain.”

“Well, no, of course not, they were obviously in the wrong place.”

“Da,” Dimah agreed softly, “in wrong place.”

“Wait,” I said, my brain fuzzy with vodka and the need to sleep. “Tomorrow’s Thursday? How come I’m not working tomorrow?”

“You take the day for rest. You sleep, you eat, and that’s all. I will have the office cleaned up tomorrow while you are not there. Friday, you come back. It will be nice again.”

“Do me a favor,” I said with a yawn. “Don’t replace the picture of the dogs playing cards, all right? I saw some nice paintings at that new gallery down the street from us. Let’s get some actual art in there.”

“Whatever you want, dorogoi. You take the checkbook, get what you think.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Whatever you want.”

“Can I do that tomorrow if I want? Shop for the office?”

“Da. I will have Vassi bring by the checkbook in the morning, and he can drive. What time do you plan to get up?”

“I dunno. Noon?”

“You’re funny man.”

“That’s what I hear,” I said sarcastically.

It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep again in the car, and when we arrived at my house, Dimah gently shook me and put me out on the sidewalk. I was confused because he had been so concerned all night, and then to sort of dump me outside my little A-frame with the wood-planked porch seemed cold. But when I swiveled around, almost taking a header over my little white picket fence, I saw Cord sitting on my front steps.

“Why are you here?” I called over to him.

“I came to check on you.”

“Why?” I whined without meaning to.

“Because I should.”

“That makes no sense,” I mumbled as I opened and closed the front gate and started toward him.

“Don’t mutter,” he scolded me. “If you have something to say, speak up.”

“Does Alex know you’re here?” I asked, noticing the gold shield on his belt. Normally whatever jacket he was wearing covered it, but he only had a sweater on over a T-shirt, and it was hung up on his holster. I could admit to finding the badge and gun ridiculously sexy; I was as susceptible to the whole danger thing as the next person.

“No.”