He tried to hug me, but I leaned back instinctively, and to his credit, he stopped short. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the decorations with a nod that was a little too energetic.
“Nice place. Cozy. Expensive as fuck. Looks like you’ve been busy.”
Before I could respond, the door opened again. Georgi stepped in—sharp-eyed, composed, dark hair pulled back, oversized winter coat, the weight of seriousness wrapped around her like armor. She nodded once to me. But her gaze immediately locked on Dmitri.
“We need to talk, Daddy.” she said.
He jerked his chin toward his office. “Now.”
They disappeared down the hallway, the door shutting with a soft thud that carried too much tension. That left me and Cori. He plopped himself onto the couch with a groan, rubbing his hands over his face.
“So…” he said, peeking at me through his fingers. “You good? I heard you had a shit night. Dimitri’s been stomping around like a rabid bear.”
“I’m okay.” I sat on the edge of a chair, keeping the Christmas tree between us like a safety barrier. “And you don’t look so great either.”
Cori snorted. “I’m terrific. Thriving. Absolutely phenomenal.”
The sarcasm was thick enough to chew.
He slouched deeper. “Look, I’m not here to bitch. I wanted to make sure you’re alright, y’know? The whole family’s on high alert about that stalker situation.”
My stomach tightened. “Georgi found something?”
“Is that her name?” Cori said, nodding toward the office. “She’s fine as fuck.”
I snickered. I wasn’t about to tell Georgi’s secret. But he was right, she was gorgeous. Dmitri’s explanation about her made me positive that there wasn’t something to worry about, but I still didn’t like that she called him Daddy. It rattled my nerves and made me want to claw her eyes out.
Easy, girl.
Right. Because it’s not like Dmitri was my man. But the things that we’d done, the way he was treating me, and catering to me had me questioning why it was supposed to be a bad idea in the first place. Maybe that’s why I was in my feelings about Georgi calling him ‘Daddy’.
The chef clattered a pan in the kitchen, filling the silence with sizzling and the smell of rosemary.
Cori glanced toward the office again, jaw flexing. “Dmitri’s gonna flip his shit if they found anything bad.”
I didn’t respond.
My mind was already spiraling—what did they find? Was I in danger? Were the last twenty-four hours just the beginning? What was taking them so long to come out of there?
Cori must’ve noticed, because he sat up straighter.
“Hey.” His voice softened. “You’re safe here. Dmitri won’t let anything happen to you.”
I hated how much comfort that gave me. I hated even more how much I needed it. Nothing should have mattered about Dmitri, but it did.
Cori rubbed his hands over his face again, the heels of his palms pressing into his eye sockets like he could force clarity into himself. He looked jittery. Over-caffeinated. But not only that.
He lookedwrong. His knee bounced. His fingers twitched. His pupils were a little too blown for the lighting in the room.
I hesitated, weighing my words carefully.
“Cori?” I said softly.
His knee stopped bouncing. One eye cracked open.
“Yeah?”
“When are you getting help?”
