The word lands hard:Useful.
It makes something twist inside me and I suddenly feel trapped in a way I hadn’t before.
“I’m not your enemy,” I say quietly.
His eyes flash, but his expression remains unreadable. “We’ll see. You may go now.”
I turn and leave, not wanting to stick around for a second longer than necessary. Once I’m in the hall, the office doors close behind me and a sadness takes hold. Tears form in my eyes at how the man who held me like he did last night now views me as a threat.
And there’s nothing I can do about it.
CHAPTER 22
AMALIE
The mall feels odd. Maybe it’s the company I’m with.
It’s Saturday, and I was a bit surprised this morning by Roman’s invitation to take Sasha and me to the mall for a little shopping. We haven’t spoken since our meeting in his office, and things between us are still strange and tense.
Roman walks through the place like he owns it—maybe he does. Sasha’s bundled up in his puffy blue coat, holding my hand on one side and Roman’s on the other.
Andrei’s with us as well. He’s trailing a few paces behind us, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, scanning the scene.
Sasha keeps stopping to stare at displays. Then the fountain. Then a kiosk selling crystals. His attention totally gets stolen by an RC car in a shop window.
“Go ahead and look,” Roman says to him. “But I’m not making any promises.”
“And don’t press your face to the glass like you’re a Victorian orphan hoping for some porridge,” I say as Sasha runs off. “They’ve got to clean those face smears off, you know.”
Roman chuckles. I raise a brow. It’s the first sign in almost a day that he’s even slightly glad to have me around.
I understand why. Still, I don’t have to like it.
“Coffee,” Roman says out loud. I’m not sure if he’s talking to me or Andrei.
“Papa?” Sasha asks as he approaches. “Can we get a pretzel?”
“Sounds like we’ve all got a date with the food court,” I say.
“Indeed,” Roman replies.
The moment hits me as strangely domestic. It’s kind of nice, despite the awkwardness.
“I need to use the little girl’s room,” I say. “I’ll catch up, okay?”
Sasha turns to Roman. “Why is she using the little girl’s room?” he asks. “Isn’t she a grown-up?”
Andrei snorts in amusement. “Figure of speech, kiddo.” He glances over his shoulder at me as he passes, nodding at me.
Roman steps close. “Five minutes. And keep your eyes open.”
Before I have a chance to reply, he places his hand on my hip. It’s a brief touch, but it’s more than enough to send a rush of heat through me.
I swallow and nod. “Got it.”
I break away from the trio and head to the restrooms. As I walk, the touch lingers in my mind. Was that his way of saying it was water under the bridge? Or was it totally incidental?
I sigh, turning the corner to the women’s restrooms, located down a corridor lined with department store ads and mall-map signs. I turn another corner and stop in my tracks.
