Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“That’s not happening,” I growl. “We’re going someplace safe to work out what’s going on.”
“Where?”
“My father’s penthouse. It’s a fortress.”
“Will M-Molly be there?”
I know why she hesitated. She was going to say, “Mom.” She can’t help herself. It’s because she wants and deserves a mother, and part of the hope that died a few hours ago is still inside her.
“Probably, but it’s a big place. You won’t have to see her if you don’t want to.”
“Good. I don’t.”
Another pouty fold of her arms, lips pursed, like she’s trying to convince herself she means what she just said. She seems so young as she stares at the road, so vulnerable, so inappropriate for me. Yet I want to keep her all the same, just for me.
CHAPTER 12
ANIA
Istand in the middle of the gym, doing simple balance drills. It’s been roughly thirty minutes since we arrived at this “penthouse.” It’s more like a fortress in the sky, with two big metal doors before entering the actual apartment. It reminds me a lot of the compound back home.
Aiden left me here, saying he was going to talk with his dad and that I should make myself comfortable. This is how I usually make myself comfortable, but I can’t focus. My mother is in here somewhere. My brothers burned down the lodge, or some men they hired did.
I wonder if I even want them to take me back. I wouldn’t say this aloud, especially not to Aiden, but I was almost relieved when he said he wasn’t letting me go. It’s cowardly but nice not to have to decide for myself. I can just be here, in this gym, like the studio back home.
After around forty minutes, I sit on one of the benches, looking at myself in the mirror. Wicked thoughts try to tell me I’m ugly and gross, but then something magical happens. I hear Aiden instead, whispering things he’d never say in real life.
You’re beautiful. You’re angelic. You’re perfect.
I jump up when somebody knocks on the door.
“It’s me,” Aiden calls.
“Okay.”
“Can I come in?”
“It’s a gym, not a bedroom.”
“I’m trying to be polite here.”
Another smile. How does he keep doing this? “Okay, come in.”
He pushes the door open, his T-shirt seeming so damn tight around his arms. I hate and love that’s the first thing I notice. His face is serious and mature, telling me he’s definitely a few years older than I am. He walks right up to me, his hands behind his back, looking more like a military man than ever. I resist the insane urge to reach over and touch his firm chest. I can smell him, and it does something to me.
“Your brothers hired a local Bratva to look for you. You were right. They were morons. They figured they’d take it upon themselves to send a message, but neither Dimitri nor Mikhail ordered that fire.”
My mouth falls open. Is he serious? Does he think that’s big news? “Oh, wow, thanks for telling me my brothers didn’t try to kill me. That’s really useful information.”
“I’m just getting the facts straight,” he growls. “They worked fast for criminals.”
I’m sure he adds the for criminals part just to annoy me, but I don’t rise to the bait. We’re standing so close to each other. It would be so easy to lean forward, to rest my head against his chest, to feel his firmness, to savor just him.
“How do you know any of this, then?”
“I’ve got cameras with long-life batteries all over the forest. The footage showed a tattoo on one of the men’s arms, and then it was a simple phone call.”
“Phone call?”
“Their leader is in prison. I threatened to move him to a worse one if his lackey doesn’t back down.”
“You work fast, too,” I murmur, thinking about how this is why my brothers never wanted tattoos. It identifies people too quickly when caught on camera or in trouble with the law.
“Not fast enough,” he says. “That never should’ve happened. Those idiots. What if you’d been inside?”
Something in his voice makes me turn away. There’s too much passion in it, like he thinks he owns me or could own me, whatever that means. I’ve heard Mikhail and Dimitri talk about their love for their new wives and the intensity of their feelings, but I never thought I’d feel it. Truthfully, I’m not even sure if this is it. I’ve never had a boyfriend. Not even close.
“Well, I’m safe,” I say, wanting him to change the subject.
“Hmm.”
“What now? Are you sending me home?”
He reaches over and touches my chin. It’s so abrupt that I almost flinch away. Yet somehow, it feels natural, too. It feels like something he should do. He looks down at me like he can’t decide what to do. He seems so unsure, which is strange for him. He’s a stranger, and already, some things seem normal while others seem odd.