"Goodnight," I manage. "Thank you all for?—"
"Tomorrow."
Nico's voice again.
"I'll come by tomorrow evening," he says. "To bring the contract and discuss compensation."
I spin around. "I said I have alternatives."
"You said." His expression doesn't change. "Tomorrow at six. We'll talk."
I stare at him. He stares back.
This man doesn't hear the word no.
He probably hasn't heard it his entire life. People like him get told yes, sir and of course and whatever you need.
I could argue. Could plant my feet and refuse until I'm blue in the face.
But Lily's tired. I'm tired. And something tells me Nico Sartori would simply show up tomorrow regardless of what I say right now.
Pick your battles, Kristen.
I exhale slowly. "Goodnight."
It's not agreement. It's not surrender. It's just acknowledgment.
Acknowledgment that this conversation isn't over.
That Nico Sartori has decided something, and my opinion on the matter is apparently irrelevant.
Liam leads us through the maze of hallways toward the front door. Lily chatters about the fish in the garden, about the pretty lights, about how Sir Floppington wants to come back and see the "princess sister."
I don't respond. My mind is too busy spinning.
A job here. In this house. With these people.
Tomorrow, Nico will show up at my apartment.
Or, I think, I could simply not answer the door.
But even as the thought forms, I know it's useless.
Because if there's one thing I've learned tonight, it's this: Nico Sartori doesn't take no for an answer.
And something tells me a locked door won't stop him either.
CHAPTER NINE
Nico
The knock echoes through Bruno's door like a gunshot. No response. I didn't expect one.
I turn the handle and step inside.
The room smells stale. Old coffee. Antiseptic from whatever medical supplies the latest doctor left behind. The curtains are drawn, blocking out the afternoon sun, but a sliver of light cuts through where the fabric doesn't quite meet. Bruno sits in that narrow beam, his wheelchair positioned by the window, his back to me.
He doesn't turn around.
