I’m not going to let him touch her, even if it means spending the night in an uncomfortable chair watching over her as she fumes at me in her sleep.
I can handle her being upset and confused and even pissed.
But I can’t handle the thought of anyone harming her.
Halfway through the drink, I stand up and walk over to the bed.
After retrieving a pillow, I prop it up against the dresser and slide against it. A few sips later, I’m cursing my father’s name and wondering if this was his plan all along.
He wouldn’t have risked a shooting to expose the arrangement to London, but somewhere in his warped mind, he thinks Elise is a better fit.
What if the alliance is a ruse meant to push us together?
What if he’s trying to dangle Elise as a better prospect?
She comes from the same world, so it makes sense.
I frown at London’s sleeping form and try to picture Elise instead.
I know that being with someone level-headed and experienced like Elise is better in the long run, but that doesn’t change how I feel about London.
I’ve already risked everything for her once, and I don’t regret it.
As my eyelids grow heavy and I fight sleep, my thoughts drift to my father, and the lengths he’s willing to go to secure his empire.
I wonder how long it will be before he throws me to the wolves.
Chapter Ten
London
“Again,” Katia orders without glancing up from her blade. “That was pathetic, and you know it.”
I grunt and throw another punch, causing the boxing bag to swing a little.
“Harder,” Katia instructs. I feel her eyes on me, but I ignore her. “Just because Nadia isn’t around doesn’t mean I’ll take it easy on you, Princess.”
I know Katia is taunting me by dangling the promise of her colleague, but she’s right.
I want her to be the one handing my ass back to me.
Nadia is skilled, almost as good as Katia, but without an axe to grind with me.
Although I’ve only pieced together a few snippets of the assassin’s friend, what I have learned is enough to make me realize how insane it all is.
Having a former Russian spy as my trainer isn’t what I had in mind, especially not someone who specializes in blank stares and grunts.
Knowing Katia, you can’t be all that surprised that this is who she chose. You told her you wanted someone good and discreet.
I picture the two of them sharpening blades together in the wilderness somewhere, and it fills me with unease.
All it takes is one wrong move for Katia to sic her friend on me.
Suddenly, going to Katia for help doesn’t seem like the inspired idea it was, not when Nadia is even more temperamental than her friend.
I pause to wipe away the thin sheen of sweat. “This is you taking it easy on me?”
Katia scoffs. “If I wanted to, I’d have you curled up on the floor trying to breathe through the pain, and there would be more than a few bruises on you.”
