I pulled into traffic. “Okay, I’m mad, but not at you. I’m pissed that your safety was compromised and you were put at risk.”
She looked out the window but didn’t speak.
“What?” I asked her in a tone I knew was confrontational.
“So would it be a bad time to show you this?” She held up a message from her phone.
Unknown number: You really shouldn’t be walking around without security
My molars hurt from how hard I was grinding my jaw. “Whose number is that?”
“I don’t know. I got the text at lunchtime.”
“Were you at the mall?”
“School cafeteria.”
I wanted to hit something. “Okay, I’m mad now.”
“That part doesn’t matter. What matters is I almost missed my math exam today.”
I looked over at her. “Let me handle it.”
She gave me a skeptical look. “I thought we weren’t dying on hills.”
I pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. “This hill I’ll die on.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t speak.
I wentfor a walk with her and Bandit, and then I tucked them both up in my room with a movie and a snack. Only then did I go downstairs.
I found Grisha and Lena sitting on the couch, drinking my vodka and watching the television.
I casually poured myself a glass of vodka before tossing it back. “So what happened to Mila’s security this morning?”
Lena gave me a sickly sweet smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It was simply a miscommunication. She’s going to need to work around my needs for security and a driver.”
“Can I have assurances that either Anton or Oleg can be with her at least ten hours of the day?” I took another casual sip of the vodka, ignoring the sharp burn in the back of my throat.
She waved her hand. “I can’t guarantee that.”
“No problem.” I pulled up the calendar on my phone and spoke to Grisha. “We have a meeting with the accountant at seven and a breakfast meeting at eight with the South Asia third party shippers that are helping move stuff overseas. I’ll give Sergei directions so you can make those meetings.”
Grisha grunted and pulled his attention away from the news. “What, now?”
I scrolled through my phone. “You’ll have to cover my earlier meetings, but I should be able to make the 10 a.m. Someone is going to have to sign off on weekly inventory before it moves out at ten, which is when I will just be getting back. Perhaps Sergei can cover for me?”
“Why aren’t you going to be at these meetings?” Grisha sputtered.
I focused on my phone. “Anton and Oleg are the only ones I trust with Mila. If they can’t cover her, I’ll have to take over driving her to school.”
His voice rose two levels. “What’s wrong with Anton and Oleg?”
I shut my phone and drained my glass. I paused, giving Lena a confused frown. “Didn’t you just tell me that they’re not available because you need them?”
Grisha looked between me and Lena.
Lena tried to recover. “I have a lot to do.”
