The sulk turns to mortification when I do a stock take of my possessions. There are items there—extremely personal rechargeable items—that a bunch of Yuri clones must have laughed over.
Or worse.
My stomach clenches into a tight little ball at the thought.
The lack of control nibbles at my brain and my emotions swing from relieved to furious. Yes, it’s nice that Baxter has chosen to protect me instead of tossing me to the wolves but on the other hand,how dare he?
At midday, I venture from my room and immediately walk into Yuri. “Shouldn’t you be off guarding someone important?” I mutter under my breath.
“I am. I’m guarding you.”
It would have been sweet if it didn’t make me want to choke the living breath out of him.
“Do you mind guarding me from the other side of the house?” I ask, trying to get by him. “Or at least a few metres behind?”
“Where do you want to go?”
He’s not budging so I answer him since tackling him to the ground isn’t a viable option. “I’d like some lunch.” Although, given how much I ate at breakfast, what I’m really seeking is something to do.
“Nora will let me know when it’s ready, then I’ll bring it to you.”
He shoos me back into my room like that’s the end of it. I plant my feet and cross my arms to let him know different. “Do I have to ask you for permission to do anything?”
“Yes.”
“Baxter said I could pick out a different suite if I wanted.”
“Sure.” He gestures for me to walk in front of him. “I’ll take you on a tour.”
“This is silly. It’s not like anyone’s going to attack meinsidethe house.”
Yuri doesn’t respond, but he presses his lips together more firmly.
“Wait a minute.” I hold up my hand for him to stop. “The kidnapping. Did the abduction happenhere?”
“No and it’s being dealt with.”
“Sure. That’s why I can’t walk along the corridor without a massive bodyguard.” I chew my lip. “Were other staff members involved?”
“I’m escorting you because Mr Balabanov is a cautious man.”
“Yeah. Tell me about it.”
Yuri leads me to another wing of the house and explains a few features that I’m not the slightest bit interested in. My current room is fine. Not, not fine. My current room surpasses any expectation I’ve ever held for accommodation.
This is just for something to do because I’m not used to having time on my hands. Not during the day. Even the quiet times at the skating rink, there were always chores to do. Busywork that no one cared about for the most part but work all the same.
Here, I can’t even do housework. I’ve never seen a place as spotless. And that’s with a small child to run around and cause mayhem. At least one small child, there may be more.
“How big is Mr Balabanov’s team?”
Yuri shrugs in a manner that suggests he doesn’t plan on enlightening me any further.
“Can I meet some of them?”
“You will do, shortly. There’ll be people around at dinner.”
“But not breakfast? How’s that work?”
