She chuckles, and it helps lessen the pressure threatening to crush me.
“It was strange,” she says, thoughtful now. “Everyone else had backed off, and then suddenly he grabbed me around the waist like he was trying to pull me away.” Her brows knit. “Like he was watching to see how I’d react. Then he yelled that I hit him and swung.”
I feel the familiar, dangerous heat stir again, but I keep my voice steady. “You think he wanted an excuse?”
“Or an audience,” she says. “He must have thought I was the easier target.” She shrugs lightly.
“Lucky for him, the crowd stepped in.”
“Lucky?”
“Yeah,” I say mildly. “Gave him a head start before you kicked his ass.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she smirks, putting the ice on her face again. “Thanks for the ice.”
She glances at the clock and winces. “We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be another long day.” She moves to her bed. “And Liev?”
“Yeah?”
“Next time you bolt like the world’s ending because I got hurt, we’re going to have a problem. Whatever else is going on between us, we’re on this job as equals. Can you handle that?”
I hold her gaze without blinking. “Not a problem.”
“Good.”
I watch her pull back her sheets and climb under before I speak.
“Just because I know you can handle yourself, doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry.” I flick off the overhead light and tuck my arm under my head, listening to her angrily mutter in her pillow.
In the dark, I know that’s the line we’re going to keep tripping over—her need to stand alone, and my need to stand between her and anything that might hurt her.
21
SERA
Thankfully, Keke is satisfied with a day of shopping before her store appearance in the evening the following day. Because while I might not want to admit that punch made me see stars, I had a hellacious headache all day. Fortunately, the episode seemed to have earned me the respect of the French guards. Though the way Liev glares at them every time Etienne praises me, you’d think he’d grabbed my ass.
By the time we make it to the private lounge at the small executive airport the next morning, it feels like everything is working against us. An accident made us late arriving, followed by a mechanical problem with the jet. We ended up missing our slip spot to take off and are now waiting for our new assigned take-off time. With weather causing delay after delay for the other flights, I’m starting to wonder if we will make it to Dallas today.
Keke and her entourage have taken over one entire corner, sprawled out over several seats oblivious to the other private jet patrons sharing the room with them. Apparently after we’d all gone to bed, she’d gone live on social media again attacking ‘the tree-hugging losers’ who were trying to ruin her life. Needless to say, the public hadn’t reacted well.
Marco and Keke have been on the phone the entire time. Every call sounds worse than the last.
My head still aches with a dull pressure behind my eyes, and my face is a little sore but nowhere as bad as yesterday. I take a slow drink of water and roll my shoulders, trying to shake out the tightness in my neck.
“You’re acting like I’m twelve,” Keke snaps, loud enough to turn heads across the lounge.
Her phone is on speaker. She doesn’t seem to care that she’s disturbing everyone around her.
“That’s because youactlike a spoiled preteen,” Todd fires back. “What were you thinking?”
A couple of people nearby try and fail to hide their smiles. I scan for phones, relieved not to see any lifted toward her.
I glance at Liev.Should we step in?
He gives a small shrug.Not worth it.
Todd keeps going. “Until this tour is over, you’ll be staying at the hotel unless it’s a scheduled event and off your phone. We can’t afford more bad publicity.”
