Together, Axel and I stepped onto the patio. He studied me with a level of intensity that I didn’t know how to interpret.
“Are you okay?”
I fanned myself in the warm evening air and decided to confess. “I don’t know anything about buying a house.”
“Do you think you’d like living here?”
I looked around the yard and, for the first time, really saw what was in front of me. The backyard was lush and immersive, and peaceful. My mom would have loved it here. “I really like the pool.”
“You can swim?”
A smile escaped me. “Yes.”
His gray eyes continued to watch me. Today, his gaze seemed different. He was no longer looking at me like I was something he tolerated. Today he actually looked concerned. “What about the furniture?”
I hadn’t really looked at it. “It was nice.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Anything else?”
For some reason, he was taking my opinion into consideration, and that did something to me. It made me feel like maybe I mattered, so I responded with some real enthusiasm. “This is a very beautiful home. We’d be lucky to live here.”
And I meant it.
He evaluated my reaction. Finally, he spoke. “Let me take care of the paperwork, and then we’ll go find something to eat.”
Axel stoodbeside me on the hotel elevator, reading his phone. “They accepted the conditional offer. We take possession on the first of the month.”
“Congratulations.” I struggled to comprehend the idea that he had just bought a house.
He continued to read his phone for a moment and then switched gears. “Things are really chaotic at work, so I’m going to be working a lot. That means you’ll be left on your own.”
I wasn’t sure where he was going with this. “Okay.”
“We’ll be staying at the hotel until we take possession. I put my number into your phone, along with Maksim’s number. If you can’t get a hold of me, Maksim should know how to find me.”
I tried to imagine being completely away from the watchful eyes of guards, Sergei, my controlling aunt, guns and violence. The thought of no one monitoring me felt like a dream come true, even if it did scare me a bit. “I’m okay with that.”
He stood outside my hotel door. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m good.”
He didn’t look like he believed me. “I’ll be next door.”
“I know,” I told him.
Once inside my room,I took a shower and got ready for bed. I was wrapped in a robe with my hair in a towel, and I was about to step into my hotel slippers when I saw a large spider run across the carpet.
My involuntary scream pierced the air for a sharp second.
I covered my mouth with both my hands and watched as the spider scuttled underneath my bed.
I heard a door slam, and with wide eyes, I froze and listened.
A moment later, he was banging on my door.
“Mila, open up now.” Axel’s voice belonged to the man from the cornfield. Lethal and terrifying.
I flew to the door and swung it open, feeling my towel turban fall awkwardly down the side of my head.
