“I know what you’re going to say.”
“Do you?”
She nods. “You’re going to rip me a new one for sneaking off the estate when you told me not to, and for endangering Katia’s life. But you knew I wanted to check on my dad, and that he wasn’t answering his phone.”
I remain silent.
“I got in touch with Noah and asked him to check in, but I wasn’t sure he’d do it because of how we left things…”
“I see.”
London drops her hands to her sides. “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t have a choice. I tried to talk to you about this, but you wouldn’t listen, and then you distracted me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So, you thought it would be a good idea to sneak out with Katia, knowing full well that my enemies are lurking around every corner? You’re right. That was a far better option. How did that work out for you?”
London winces. “I figured I was as safe with Katia out there as I am in here. I didn’t know they were going to run us off the bridge—”
“How did you make it back here?”
London blinks. “We hitchhiked. Well, I did most of the talking. Katia was a little out of it. She hit her head pretty hard. She should see a doctor.”
I curl my hands into fists at my side. “So not only did you sneak out, but you also asked a stranger to bring you back? Did it not occur to you that it might’ve been a ploy to get past the Mason estate?”
I can’t tell whether I want to shake some sense into her or hold her to me and never let go.
“Well, when you put it like that, I—”
“You, what? You had good intentions? You made sure they didn’t drop you off at the front gate? Tell me, London, which part of the plan did you think through? Because from where I’m standing, the whole thing was fucking stupid and dangerous, and I should punish you right now for what you did.”
London’s eyes flash. “Okay, I know I screwed up, but what would you have done if you were me? You were off doing God knows what, and I had to make sure my family was safe. You didn’t honestly expect me to sit around, did you? That’s why you had Katia watching me.”
I cover the distance between us and level London with a look that would’ve had my enemies cowering. “I thought you had enough goddamn sense to figure out that Katia was meant to protect you from… uncertainties within, not drag her off on a suicide mission. I should lock you up and take away the key.”
London’s mouth falls open. “You wouldn’t.”
I rake my hands through my hair and scowl. “Today is not the day to test me. Did anything else happen I need to know about?”
London looks away, a furrow appearing between her brows. When she looks back at me, her expression is pained.
“When we were at my dad’s house, there was a sound like a gunshot. Katia told me it was an old car backfiring, but I don’t think that was true.”
I let out a stream of curse words. “Is there anyone else you’d like to announce your presence to? Why don’t I just march you over to my enemies myself? Save us the time and hassle.”
London scowls. “I made sure my dad is safe. You can be pissed all you want, but I’m not going to apologize for that.”
“You will.”
“I will not,” London counters hotly. “It doesn’t matter what you do.”
This stubborn, infuriating woman is going to be the death of me.
“I want to renegotiate the terms of my contract.”
I frown. “Excuse me?”
“I want to extend the terms of my contract in exchange for money to get my family to safety. You can do that, right? Arrange for them to start over somewhere safe.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “The contract is no longer valid.”
