by Nadia Lee
I shake my head. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kristen. We couldn’t have stayed there forever, anyway. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks. I just can’t believe Andy’s such a…bad person! TV shows always say people like him hurt animals, but I’ve never seen anything like that. I just thought he was nice, always killing those bugs for me.”
“How old were you?” Tolyan asks.
“Maybe five or six?” She flushes. “We didn’t spend that much time together.
“So he was a beginner,” Tolyan says flatly. “Everyone starts out small. There wasn’t any reason for him to kill bugs, except to be cruel.” He thinks for a moment. “Unless they were centipedes. They deserve death.” He pulls boxes out from the bags. “Are you hungry, Lizochka?” He shoots me a look that says I’d better be. He knows how often I skip meals when I’m stressed or anxious.
But that was the old me. The new me won’t let anything prevent refueling. I need the energy to fight for what’s right and what’s mine.
“Famished,” I say.
Tolyan nods with a grunt, then spreads the food on the table. It’s Thai, my favorite. Antoine brings out plates and utensils, and we sit around the table and start eating.
“I’ve warned everyone in your family, even the ones who don’t deserve it,” Tolyan begins. “I also had a talk with the foundation’s security.” He gives Dominic a look. “Your company, too.”
“Thanks,” I say, after swallowing a bite of green curry chicken.
“It’ll be virtually impossible for Andy to get close to you if you follow—”
“She should stay in until we have Andy,” Dominic says.
Tolyan’s eyebrows jump. “Really?” He gestures at me, one broad palm tilted upward. “By all means. Convince her.”
“He’s right. I’m not going to hide,” I say mildly, enjoying the fiery, tingling sensation on my lips from the spicy curry.
“It’s too dangerous,” Dominic says.
“You heard Tolyan. It’s not if I stick to certain routines.”
Dominic fires a death glare at Tolyan. A lesser man would be cowering, but Tolyan merely shovels more noodles into his mouth, his pale eyes on Dominic.
Inhaling deeply, Dominic turns back to me. “He lost Andy before.”
“The men I hired did, which is why I plan to stick by her myself this time,” Tolyan interjects, his tone pained.
“I can’t hide forever,” I tell Dominic.
Dominic’s expression turns stubborn. “Only until he’s caught.”
“What if we never catch him? Then what?”
“Of course we’ll catch him,” he says, as though the other possibilities have never crossed his mind.
“He can decide to flee, Dominic. I can’t let his decision dictate the rest of my life.” The muscles in his jaw flex. “Please?”
He huffs out a breath. “Fine. But you can’t even go to the bathroom without Tolyan tagging you along.”
“I’m not going into the stall with her,” Tolyan says dryly.
Kristen snorts, pressing her lips together to contain a laugh. I just giggle. The only ones who don’t appreciate the humor are Dominic and Antoine.
“I’ll be with you twenty-four-seven,” Antoine tells Dominic. “I’m sure you’re on Andy’s radar, too, as a guy who interrupted him when he was about to take Elizabeth from St. Cecilia.”
I sober at the reminder of the danger Dominic’s in because of me.
“He’s a coward. I doubt he’ll come after someone who can fight back,” Dominic says. “I’m bigger than he is, too.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Tolyan says.
“What about me?” Kristen says, turning to Antoine.
“What about you?” he replies.
“If you’re guarding my brother, who’s guarding me?”
“I have a team in place for you.”
“Oh my God! You gotta be kidding!”
He looks slightly confused. “I’m completely serious.”
“We should swap. Dominic needs more people guarding him. He’s the big, important guy.”
I choke on my curry, the spices exploding in my throat.
“Kristen, that’s ridiculous,” Dominic says. “You’re every bit as important as I am.”
Tolyan sighs and stuffs his mouth with more food, and I eye Kristen and Antoine. She’s flushed and annoyed, while Antoine is smug. There’s definitely something going on there, even though Dominic seems totally oblivious.
When dinner is over and the men are strategizing in the living room, I help Kristen load the dishwasher.
“So. You and Antoine, huh?” I say, sotto voce.
Her face falls. “Was I that obvious?”
“Dominic didn’t catch anything. Tolyan might’ve, but he’s not the type to gossip.”
Kristen scrunches her nose. “That’s good.”
“He’s not a bad choice.” My gaze finds Antoine. Intense green eyes. Thick black hair. A big, strong body. And the authentic British accent. I can see the charm. “Actually, he’s a great choice if you’re going to fall for someone.”
“Exactly!” She snaps her fingers. “But he’s saying I’m Dominic’s baby sister, blah blah blah…so he can’t.”
“He can’t what?”
“You know. Date me. He’d rather date a basset hound with a bad Botox job.”
“Really?”
She nods. “He told me so himself.”
“Wow.”
“I know.” She heaves a long sigh. “But the more he resists, the more I want to get under his skin. That makes me a brat, doesn’t it?”
I shake my head. “Nope. It makes you a woman who knows what she wants.”
She grins, even though annoyance still lurks in her eyes. “You’re so damn awesome. I’m glad you’re back.”
“So am I.” And I’m going to make sure Andy’s evil never touches her the way it touched me.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Elizabeth
Facing Monday morning feels almost strange. On the island, nights and days blurred, like chapters in a never-ending book, their sunrises and sunsets all running together like paint poured into a mountain stream.
I know I should get ready for work, but it’s impossible to get up and go when I’m feeling so languid from sweet, bone-melting sex with Dominic just before the shower. My body seems to sing, my nerve endings still humming from the two hot orgasms I got before he came deep inside me.
My clothes hang in Dominic’s walk-in closet, and my shoes line the built-in shelves. Half the center island holds my jewelry and accessories. Tolyan must’ve brought them over from Ryder’s. I select a fitted silver and purple dress with an asymmetrical skirt. I bought it a couple of years ago in Milan, but have never worn it. The colors are too bold. My usual preference tends to run to a soft, feminine style. But today, I don’t want to be soft. I want to be bold, brave and outrageous.
By the time I’ve put on my makeup and gone downstairs to the kitchen, everyone else is there. Tolyan and Antoine are dressed in button-down shirts and slacks with jackets to hide their weapons. Kristen’s in a sundress in hot pink and teal, the color combination surprisingly eye-catching and vivacious without being overly loud.
Dominic…
My breath catches. He’s stunning in a starched white dress shirt covering the gorgeous, lean torso I ran my hands all over just hours ago, and a pair of black slacks, the soft material skimming his tight ass and strong legs. He hands me a fresh cup of coffee.
“I put extra sugar in it,” he whispers into my ear.
I give him a small grin. “Thanks.”
“Bagel and cream cheese?”
“Yes, please.” I filch a couple strips of bacon from a plate. As I start to nibble on the perfect breakfast, Tolyan raises an eyebrow.
I arch an eyebrow in response. What?
He shrugs.
Dominic and Antoine leave first, but not before the love of my life gives me a lingering kiss first. “Have a great da
y.”
“You too.”
Kristen sighs as the door closes behind them, then grabs her purse and stands. “You guys have a great day, too,” she says forlornly to the foyer, then gives me a quick hug. “See you later, Liza.”
“Bye.” A couple of men appear from the vestibule and follow her out.
I swallow the last bite of my bagel and finish the coffee.
“Ready?” Tolyan asks.
“Ready.” I nod.
To be honest, I’m unsure if I’m really ready. It’s been a few weeks since I went to the office. I’ve never been away for this long. Although the people at the foundation are amazing, I can’t help but feel nervous.
“Relax,” Tolyan says, driving the Mercedes toward the office. “Nothing’s changed.”
“That’s what you think. I feel like everything is different today.”
He considers. “You’re right. Things are a little different.” His dark eyebrows pull together. “Dominic probably doesn’t deserve to have his face kicked in for hurting you before.”
I’m half surprised and half shocked. Tolyan never changes his mind about people. “Really? What makes you think that?”
“You ate dinner last night, and then breakfast this morning. Last night could be chalked up to hunger from travel, but not the breakfast. When you’re tense or anxious, you don’t eat…or you eat and then have indigestion.”
I smile. “You like Dominic.”
“Don’t push it,” he says coolly, but I know better.
My mood lightens. Dominic’s the one for me, but Tolyan, who’s been with me for so long, is my anchor. The two of them getting along matters a lot.
The security guard at the entrance, a man who’s been with us for almost twenty years, tips his hat, then flinches when he sees Tolyan.
When Tolyan and I are in the elevator, we face the mirror-like doors. I ask, “What did you do to him?”
“What?” he says innocently. “Nothing he can’t handle.”
“You know he almost had a heart attack last year. And he has a family. If he goes after Andy or something…”
“I never asked him to run after Andy. I told him to shoot the bastard on sight.”
“Oh, very good for the heart.”
“He won’t shirk. And he’s a great shot. Why do you think I hired him in the first place?”
My jaw slackens, and I swivel my whole body to face him. “You hired him?”
“Of course. Shirley had me decide who would be good for security. She knew her limitations.”
The revelation stuns me. My grandmother valued control, and she ran the foundation with an iron fist. I try to imagine her letting others decide something like this, and I just can’t.
The second our elevator doors open, and Tolyan and I step into the office, Rhonda jumps from her seat. “Elizabeth! You look great!”
“Thanks.” I grin. “It’s the tan.”
“Not the tan. You’re glowing.”
“From the tan. It’s a tan glow.”
Patrice gives me a sidelong glance. “Uh-huh. A long, romantic getaway will make any woman glow, even if she’s paler than a ghost. You don’t have to hide from us, boss.”
I laugh. “Sorry I’ve been gone for long.”
“Ha! Don’t be,” Rhonda says. “Do you have any idea how many unpaid vacation days you have?”
“Nope.” Paid time off has always been for staff, and the salary the foundation would pay me is better spent on our people or causes.
“I have a few updates for you to review on the latest projects and some letters that came,” Patrice says.
Rhonda glances at Tolyan. “Is he going to be here all day?” Her stage whisper’s loud enough for him to hear, but he ignores her, parking himself on a couch and pulling a magazine on guns out from an inner pocket in his jacket.
“Yes,” I say. “Make him feel comfortable, ladies.”
I turn to my office as the elevator chimes. There are muffled clicks of stilettos against the carpeted floor in a familiar rhythm.
My stomach starts to knot. It’s my mother.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Elizabeth
Mom’s form-fitting dress would be appropriate if she were thirty years younger and prowling for a hot date at a club. Still, most wouldn’t place her in her late fifties. Her raven hair shines under the light, and her mouth is set flat with two small downturns at the corners, which gives her the air of moneyed disdain she’s perfected over the years. She exercises and diets all the time to maintain her shape, and her body’s nicer than a lot of women half her age.
Sapphires sparkle from her ears and throat. She breezes past Tolyan, Rhonda and Patrice as though they don’t exist.
“Elizabeth Catherine Lucrezia Pryce-Reed. We need to talk.”
I inhale sharply. This is no simple visit. Nor is it going to end quickly. “Come in.” I gesture toward my office.
She walks past, leaving a whiff of some floral perfume I can’t identify. I follow her in and shut the door. We don’t need an audience.
“Something to drink?” I ask, more to be polite than as an invitation, but not before taking the sole armchair perpendicular to the couch. It used to be Shirley’s seat, positioned to show everyone she was in charge.
“No. This isn’t that sort of visit.” Mom glares at me for taking the seat she obviously wanted, but sits on the couch and crosses her toned legs. “What’s the meaning of that man’s text?”
“Whose text?”
She tilts her head toward the door. “Your Russian pit bull.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen it.”
“He told me to avoid Andy Brown. Why should I? He’s just a sniveling little fool.”
My intestines knot at the mention of his name. “You know what he did to me.”
“That was five years ago. Since then he hasn’t done anything.”
“Because his parents have had him on a leash. Now there’s nobody keeping him under control.”
Mom sniffs. “He doesn’t have what it takes. I’m not going to hide in my home because of some…some…boy.”
“He’s probably the one who sent me a dead puppy. He also tried to kidnap me in St. Cecilia.”
She pales under the flawless makeup. “What?”
“I don’t think he’s going to go after you, but it’d be wise to take precautions.”
“If that’s the case, why did you move out of Ryder’s? There can’t be many places safer than his mansion.” She licks her lips, the skin around her throat flexing as she swallows.
“He’s a newlywed. He and his wife need some privacy, especially with her being pregnant now, don’t you agree?” The last thing Paige needs is my mother living with them. Even under the best of circumstances, she isn’t an easy person to be around, with her endless criticism about everything. You could give her the world’s richest chocolate, and she’d complain that it wasn’t calorie-free.
“So where are you staying that’s as safe as Ryder’s?”
“It doesn’t concern you, Mom.” She hates Dominic. I don’t want to bring him up and have her lose her temper in the office.
Her eyes narrow. “You moved in with Dominic King, didn’t you?”
“Mom.”
“Why would you debase yourself with a man like him?”
“Mother!”
“He’s nouveau riche—classless and tasteless, but somehow believes he’s our equal because of his money.”
“We were nouveau riche once. The Pryce family didn’t exactly drop from the sky with millions.”
“We’re different.”
“Of course. Unlike Dominic, we made our fortune smuggling and bootlegging.”
Red blotches her face. “That isn’t true.”
“Isn’t it? Not talking about it doesn’t make it untrue.”
“Do you think your Dominic’s that upstanding and precious? Then ask him why he gave a job to a sociopath like Andy.”
“Is Andy still working for Domin
ic?”
Mom blinks at the abrupt question.
“He’s gone. He and Dominic have nothing to do with each other.”
“How do you know Dominic isn’t the one who set his cousin on you?” Mom demands. “A rapist like him wouldn’t think twice about grooming another man—”
“Mother.” I put all the fury I’ve been suppressing in the last ten years into those two syllables, all the scorn and contempt pouring out. “I met him the evening before my eighteenth birthday, and we didn’t leave the bar until after eleven, so by the time we got naked, I had definitely turned eighteen, even if it was just by a few minutes. He was twenty-one, not some fifty-year-old perv. Most importantly, he thought I was twenty-one at that time, so stop with the faux-outrage about him taking advantage of me when I was too young to know any better.” I pull myself back, shoulders straight and my chin tilting up. “But let’s talk about you.”
“Me?” She pulls back slightly, a look of incredulity on her face.
“You used what happened between me and Dominic to whore me out.”
“How dare you!”
“You didn’t care about my happiness…or even if the men you picked out would treat me decently. The only priority for you was how rich and influential they were, so you could show Dad how you and your precious Pryce name could get me a husband beyond his social standing.”
“I never did that! I always picked the most proper men.”
“Then how did you end up sending me to Andy Brown?”
She swallows, blinks twice. “That…that was…”
“Let me guess—different? Of course. I totally forgot. Who cares if he’s a rapist? I might marry into the politically powerful Brown family. And my goodness, wouldn’t that have been a coup for you? You could have rubbed it in every time you saw Dad.”
“Elizabeth, it isn’t too late,” she says, completely ignoring what I just said. “I know Nate Sterling proposed.”
That’s surprising. Her social network must be a lot better than I thought.
She continues, “You can go to him. He can keep you safe. He can make you happy. The Sterlings are our equals.”
“If you’re worried about our family forming proper ties to the Sterlings, Vanessa already accomplished that by marrying Justin.” And I know my cousin’s marriage is going to last forever. Not many couples are as in love as those two.