“And sweet-talking me for food.”
Aleksei clutched his chest as if in pain. “I can’t help it if Hazel makes the best food. You wouldn’t want me to waste away, would you?” Aleksei pouted, sticking out his bottom lip for good measure.
Hazel rolled her eyes before fixing him a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon then adding two buttered biscuits. “Now go.” She tilted her chin toward the exit.
“Thank you, Hazel.” Aleksei smiled broadly at her, showing off all of his pearly white teeth.
Hazel just waved him off.
“So what are you doing down here?” Aleksei asked her around a mouth full of food.
“I came looking for you actually.”
“What for?”
“What are you two doing?”
Zoe jumped about a foot at the newcomer and their booming voice even though she knew she hadn’t done anything wrong. “Boris, I—”
“We were speaking, Boris,” Aleksei said coming to her rescue. Not at all surprised to see his brother lurking around him. “Last I checked that wasn’t a crime.”
Boris looked her over with a critical eye as if she were the one who’d spoken and not Aleksei. “What are you doing on this side of the mansion? Only servants come here.”
“Last I checked, Boris, I don’t answer to you.”
A muscle ticked in the corner of Boris’s jaw. He didn’t like being told no, and he just plain didn’t like her. “Get back to your post, Aleksei,” Boris said before storming off.
Zoe sighed in relief when Boris walked away. “Your brother.”
For once, Aleksei didn’t have an easy grin. He actually looked sad. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she responded, straightening up.
“Boris was right. You shouldn’t be down here. So what is going on? Sneaking down here. Using my phone.”
“What are you talking about?” Zoe heard the warble in her voice and prayed Aleksei hadn’t.
“I saw you using my phone.” He balanced his plate on one hand and pulled it out then frowned. “I know, I saw you use it.”
Zoe shrugged helplessly.
“You’re acting funny, Silver.”
“I guess I’m just a little nervous about tonight is all.”
Aleksei didn’t look like he was buying it, and she couldn’t blame him. She was acting terribly suspicious right now. “Now I know something is wrong, you never let me get away with calling you Silver.”
“I’m fine, Tree.” She used his nickname to try and diffuse the situation, but it seemed to make things worse.
“This is no time to joke, Zoe. What is going on?”
Zoe felt at war with herself. She wanted to tell him. She trusted Aleksei with the truth, but there was also the nagging fear he could tell Boris and ruin all of their plans.
“I can’t tell you, Aleksei.”
Aleksei’s nostrils flared out in frustration. “Can’t or won’t.”
“Both.”
