Fuck.
My heart pounds. Of course, Emmanuel checked. Of course.
I text back: "Sorry, plans changed. Sera couldn't make it, so I stayed to study. Heading out now."
I make my way back to the student center, trying to calm my breathing. Trying to think of a plausible excuse.
When I get there, Emmanuel is waiting outside his car, arms crossed. His expression is tight.
"Mrs. Marini."
"Sorry, Emmanuel. Sera had to cancel last minute, so I?—"
"Get in the car."
The tone of his voice makes my blood run cold. He knows I lied. Maybe not where I went, but he knows.
I slide into the back seat. Emmanuel gets in the driver's seat and pulls into traffic.
The ride back is silent. But I can feel his disapproval radiating off him. His eyes keep flicking to the rearview mirror, watching me.
He knows something is off. Maybe not what, but something.
And if Emmanuel suspects, how long before Saint finds out?
CHAPTER 13
Gemma
"Pack a bag," Saint says, appearing in the bedroom doorway at six in the morning. I'm blinking rapidly, trying to clear the sleep from my eyes. I'm not a morning person, and Saint is wildly awake.
I swear the man never sleeps.
"What?" I'm trying to process Saint's words, but I need caffeine and a moment to rub the sleep from my eyes.
Luckily, Saint takes care of one of those, as he walks toward me and holds out a cup of coffee.
The smell of the roasted beans tickles my nose, and I sit up, taking a sip of the brown liquid. I close my eyes, enjoying the flavor. Lyla knows how to make a good-ass cup of coffee.
"We're leaving for the weekend."
I glance around, sure that this is a dream. His side of the bed is still cold, and he looks like hell. "Have you slept?"
His green eyes narrow. "No, but I'm fine to drive. Be ready in ten minutes."
My sleep-fogged brain is still trying to process. "Where are we going?" My heart is thrumming against my ribs as I kick off the blankets. This isn't like Saint. I've come to learn that his particular brand of maniac is rooted in violence.
In every other aspect of life, he's controlled.
He doesn't do spontaneous, which means something has happened.
I don't like it.
Saint wanting to go away for the weekend doesn't sit well with me. Does he know what I had done?
Did Alexei betray me already?
"Is it Alexei?" I swallow around the name, trying not to sound guilty.
