Minutes later, I’m seated in the back of my car, Andrei at the wheel. Silence stretches for several moments as I consider what just occurred.
“Find out everything about him.”
“Will do.”
“Something reeks,” I add.
“Yes,” Andrei says quietly. “It does.”
I stare out the window, watching as the city passes by, pieces clicking together in my head. Garin. The bankers. The press. And now the cops are sniffing around.
Someone’s trying to tighten a noose around my neck.
CHAPTER 16
AMALIE
“What are you making?”
It’s just after lunch and Sasha and I are in the art room. I’ve grown to love this space. The rest of the mansion is vast and cold, but this room is so warm and inviting. It’s our little world where we can work and have fun. Not to mention a little bit of a refuge from the confusion Roman and the rest of the job represent.
Sasha and I are working with clay. I’m rolling a bit between my palms, enjoying the cool sensation against my skin.
He shrugs, eyes down. “Something.”
I smile. “That’s a good place to start.”
He glances up at me for a moment with those big, adorable eyes, then goes back to work. It’s not long before his tongue is peeking out between his lips—Sasha’s sign that he’s in the zone.
I try to return to my project, but my thoughts are all wound up, my mind tangled in knots.
I’m conflicted. About Roman. About the danger he represents. And at how quickly this job has stopped feeling like a temporary gig. It’s been just over a week since starting, and already this place feels like home. But it isn’t. For all I know, Roman could tell me to hit the road once the two months are up. I shouldn’t get too comfortable.
I reach for my coffee, realizing my mug is empty. The sudden need to stretch my legs hits me.
“I’m going to get more coffee,” I say to Sasha. “You cool here for a few minutes, buddy?”
He nods. “Yeah. Just working on this.”
I wipe my hands, then ruffle his hair before getting up. As I leave, I nod to Andrei, who’s seated across the hall with his copy of theTribune—a familiar sight that’s growing on me. Andrei peers over the paper. I waggle my mug at him, letting him know without words where I’m going. He nods, folding the paper and setting it on his lap to give his full attention to Sasha while I’m gone.
I head down to the kitchen and straight to the espresso machine. I stand at the window, my eyes on the white expanse of the backyard as the machine works. My thoughts drift to Kyle. I want to talk to him, to make sure he’s alright. But that’s not an option right now. Besides, I’m not even sure I’d be able to get a message to him at this point.
After topping my espresso off with a little almond milk, I head back up to the art room.
“Alright, dude,” I say, going over to the table and taking my seat. “What’ve you got?”
Sasha says nothing, instead pushing the object toward me. It takes me a second to understand what I’m looking at, and when I do, I gasp.
It’s a necklace. Round beads strung together with a thin piece of twine he must’ve found in the craft box. One of the beads is bigger than the others and is inscribed with a little loopy design—likely with a toothpick.
“Sasha, this is gorgeous.”
“It’s for you,” he says, his voice quiet and shy, like he’s worried about whether or not I like it.
My heart squeezes. “For me?”
He nods. “Because I like you. And I want you to stay.”
