I held up a hand. “What call are you making?”
A heavy sigh escaped his lips. “Theone, Wren. It’s time for my father and I to meet with Nikolai.”
That meant the war between them would ignite in full force. The thought of that sent energizing trembles through my entire body. I wasn’t accustomed to their world but I was about to be thrust right into it. What surprised me most was that I wasn’t afraid; I was looking forward to the fight. There were a million things I wanted to do to Nikolai, all of them heinous and morally wrong.
Did Nikolai deserve to get his balls sawed off with a butter knife? Why yes, he did. And if I had the chance, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Did it make me evil that I had those thoughts? Maybe, but I didn’t care.
I started toward the door and one of Seth’s men opened it before I could touch the handle. Seth placed a hand gently on the small of my back, his breath warm against my neck.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to make the phone call.”
He disappeared down the hallway toward his study while I stood in the foyer, my mind going ninety miles an hour. I turned for the stairs, but Ripp’s voice stopped me.
“Did you have a good night?”
“Surprisingly, I did,” I said, facing him.
His eyes raked down my body and he whistled. “Wow. You look amazing. New dress?”
I nodded. “Seth got it for me.”
He tilted his head toward the back door. “Can we talk outside?”
I followed him to the door, and we stepped outside to the pool area. One of Seth’s men could be seen across the yard on one side, while another stood guard on the opposite end. We sat together on one of the lounge chairs by the steaming pool.
“We were followed tonight,” I whispered.
Ripp grumbled and hung his head. “Soon it won’t be just following, Wren. All it takes is just one bullet. Nikolai doesn’t have to leave the car to do that.”
“True,” I agreed. “I’m just hoping God doesn’t let me go out that way. I still have so much to do in this world before I die.”
Ripp chuckled and bumped me with his shoulder. “Yes, you do.”
“We went out with Seth’s mother tonight,” I said, meeting his gaze. “What’s weird is she’s nothing like I imagined the wife of a mafia boss to be. She was sweet and down-to-earth.”
Ripp shrugged. “Nothing makes sense anymore.” Then he cleared his throat. “Which brings me to my next question.” His eyes searched mine and he huffed. “You’re not falling for Michelson, are you?”
The laugh that escaped my lips echoed in the night air. Was it convincing enough, or would Ripp see right through me? I didn’t want him to know I was attracted to Seth.
“Seriously? Have you lost your fucking mind?” I came back with.
Ripp held up his hands in defeat. “Hey, I’m just going by what I see. I’ve seen how he looks at you and you him.”
I playfully nudged his arm. “You have nothing to worry about. I respect Seth, but that’s as far as it goes.”
His shoulders relaxed, and a smile spread across his face. “Okay.” He rose from his seat and reached out to take my hand. “I’m heading to the pool house for the night. Do you want to hang out with me for a while?”
I allowed him to help me up, then declined the offer. “Actually, I want to change my clothes and watch a movie. But I’ll see you in the morning for training.”
He nodded and slowly started walking backward toward the pool house. “See you then. Good night, Wren.”
I waved goodbye and watched him disappear into the pool house before returning to my room. Once changed into a set of Kali’s comfortable pajamas—a pair of flannel pants and a T-shirt—I decided to explore the hallway I had yet to venture down. The walls were decorated with stunning landscape paintings, though these depicted the rugged terrain of a desert rather than majestic mountains or lakes like the others I’d seen throughout the mansion.
Walking down the hall, I noticed four closed doors on either side. Curiosity got the best of me, so I opened the first one on my left. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. My jaw practically hit the floor when my eyes fell upon what was inside. It was a massive library, shelves stacked from floor to ceiling with books of all genres imaginable. I wasn’t a big reader, but I always wanted to be.
I shut the door quietly and moved on to the next door on the right. The second I opened it, the breath whooshed out of my lungs.
