I sighed. “No. Go on, tell me what you’re here for.” Maybe my secret relationship with Alexi wasn’t so secret after all, and Rory was here to hand me my ass on a plate.
He seemed surprised. “You’re not going to make this a little hard on me? Damn, I was hoping for a fight.” He laughed.
“As you said, it’s not as quick to drive. I’m tired and hungry.”
“I’ve ordered dinner. It’ll be here in thirty.”
There was no doubt Rory was here to do Sergei’s dirty work and make me apologize for leaving Alexi behind in Connecticut. Although if he was here, it meant— “Is Alexi back too? Wait.I’m… How do you know where I live? How did you know what time I was arriving?”
I walked into my apartment, dropping my bag on the floor by the door. I’d take care of it later.
Rory went over to the couch in the living room and sat down.
“I’m married to the head of security of the royal family of a European country. Whether you like it or not, we’re all connected in some way to the royal family, which means we’re all targets but also have a degree of protection most people aren’t afforded. I’m surprised you thought you could get away with keeping your secret for so long. Although, to give my husband credit, he was going to let it stay a secret.”
Maybe playing the dumb approach would save my ass. “What are you talking about?”
He crooked his head and narrowed his eyes. “Elite Connections.”
“Shit.”
He laughed.
I dropped onto the opposite couch and held my head in my hands with my elbows on my knees.
“It’s okay. Don’t panic,” he said. “Charlie loves you, so when you came to college here, he asked Sergei to keep an eye on you. At first, there was nothing to report. You were safe and doing what college students usually do.”
“What? Study?”
He laughed. “Okay, you weren’t doing what other college students do. A year later, your name came up against a new company with a hefty start-up capital. Most of the record was sealed, but”—he shrugged—“Sergei has his ways. He followed your movements for a while, but your grades were up, the company was doing well, and there was no reason for concern…until Alexi asked to move colleges and come here, of all places.”
I straightened and stared at Rory. “I didn’t ask him to come.”
“I know. Was Elite the reason you kept your distance from him? You’ve been thick as thieves since you met, but until recently, you’ve barely seen each other on campus.”
“I’m not sure I want to know how you know where I am or where I’ve been.”
“Probably not.”
“It was easier keeping Elite a secret than telling my parents I’d found a way to offer premium services to rich people. I’m not sure how well it would go down saying that I’d helped a senator find a date to an important charity ball or that the company facilitated marriages of convenience as well as tickets for sold-out concerts.”
“Oh my god, is that what you do?”
I startled. “Wait, you didn’t know?”
“No, you guys did a good job keeping that part a secret.”
“It wasn’t necessary to tell my family because we’re selling the company after we graduate.”
He nodded. “So, you kept your distance from Alexi, supposedly so your secret wouldn’t come out, and somehow he kept appearing in the same place you were.”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever thought about that?”
“About what?”
“Alexi appearing in the exact same place and time as you?”
