I step into the hallway, and Nico follows. His presence fills the narrow space, making me acutely aware of how close he stands.
"What's wrong?" His voice is low. Controlled.
I glance back at the doorway, making sure Lily can't hear. When I speak, the words come out barely above a whisper.
"This is too much."
His jaw tightens. "She needed?—"
"I know what she needed." I cut him off, keeping my voice hushed. "But Nico, we're not going to live here forever. This isn't our home. What happens when we leave and she has to give all of this back?"
"If there comes a day you want out," he says slowly, closing his eyes like he's in pain forming words, "everything in that room goes with you. The furniture. The books. Every single stuffed rabbit. It's hers."
Relief washes through me. Brief. Incomplete.
Because that's not the only problem.
"I already owe you a hundred and forty thousand dollars." The number tastes bitter on my tongue. "And now this? Nico, I can't—" I shake my head, frustration building in my chest. "I can't keep taking from you. It's not right."
His expression goes serious. Not angry.
"Kristen." My name sounds different when he says it. "I wanted to give Lily a gift. That's all this is."
"But—"
"It's for her." He steps closer, and suddenly there's barely any air between us. "It has nothing to do with the debt. Nothing to do with you paying anything back. I saw a kid who deserved something good, and I made it happen."
My throat tightens. "You can't just?—"
"I can." His voice drops even lower. "And I did."
I stare at him, searching for the catch. The angle. The manipulation hiding beneath the surface.
There's always an angle.
Jack taught me that. Every gift came with strings. Every kindness was leverage for later. Every moment of generosity was a weapon he'd eventually use against me.
You're so ungrateful. After everything I've done for you.
But Nico isn't looking at me like Jack used to. There's no smugness. No calculation. Just... frustration. Like he genuinely doesn't understand why this is complicated.
"In my world," he continues, "you take care of the people under your protection. That's not debt. That's not transaction. It's just..." He pauses, searching for words. "It's what you do."
"I'm not in your world."
"You are now."
"She's going to get attached," I whisper. "To all of this. To... you."
His dark eyes hold mine. "Is that a problem?"
Yes. No. I don't know anymore.
"What happens when this ends?" I ask. "When Jack's handled and the Russians are gone and there's no reason for us to stay?"
Silence stretches between us. Thick and loaded with everything neither of us is saying.
Finally, Nico speaks.. Simple. Direct.
