“Well, I’d never think to question glitter, Uncle,” I joke, smiling at my little cousin’s creative spirit. “I’m sure they’re lovely.”
Dad chuckles, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Do you want to get out of here,dochen’ka?”
“So much,” I breathe out excitedly. “I’ll miss it a little bit, I think. But not nearly as much as I miss my bedroom.” And my ballet studio. Something tells me I’m going to be doing more than yoga in there soon, and I can’t help but be eager for my time in my favorite space to come.
“She missed her bedroom more than she missed us, I wager,” Uncle Lev teases, leaning down to scoop up one of my bags.
I scoff at him, playfully swatting his arm. “My bedroom isn’t rude to my friends. I may have missed it more thanyou, at least.”
His eyes sparkle and he shakes his head, walking toward the exit to hold the door for us. “Two months away and she’s ready to confront me. Irina will be thrilled.”
“Nadya, too,” Dad adds, leading me out of the building, our arms interlocked. He has the rest of my stuff in his other arm, carrying the sacks of clothes like they weigh nothing.
Uncle Lev groans in front of us. “Yes, please remind me that both my wife and daughter like the little shit.”
“He’s done nothing to make you call him names,” I reprimand in a huff. “You’re too judgmental, Uncle.”
“I could be worse.”
A resigned laugh leaves me.I don’t doubt it.
When we’re half way to the parking lot, I feel a familiar sensation and turn my head to try and spot it. A few yards away, I finally find it and my heartbeat picks up in speed. I never mentioned to anyone that I had a suspicion someone was watching me, but I knew it was true. And I knew the person responsible was a safe one.
“Hey, can you two give me a second? I have to say goodbye to one last person.” Before either of them can ask questions or deny my request, I break off from them.
Jogging across the front yard, I find him hidden amongst the trees in a small clearing. It’s on the property within the gate, but not somewhere any staff of patients seem to explore. Just a nondescript bit of land that seems to have become home to a man who can hide himself as well as a ghost.
“I thought I felt eyes on me,” I say by way of greeting, stopping in front of him. He made no move to disguise himself or hide as he saw me coming, so I have to imagine he’s not put off by me coming to see him. “Hello, Nico.”
“You thought you felt eyes on you and you didn’t tell your father or any of the staff?” He lifts an eyebrow, dropping his lit cigarette and crushing it under his boot. “And here I thought you were a clever one.”
“I felt eyes, I didn’t feel a threat,” I counter, tilting my head to the side to assess him. “I’m not sure why you’d think I’m clever. This is the first real conversation we’ve had.”
He shrugs. “You called me to protect you, that makes you clever.”
An incredulous laugh bursts from my lips. “I called you to ask you to keep an eye on Matteo. I didn’t ask you for this.”
His lips purse in disagreement. “You told me you were going to spend two months surrounded by strangers without your family guarding you. You asked me whether you spoke the words or not.”
“You care about me,” I say bluntly. It should be surprising, but it’s not. The man has spent two months watching me around the clock. So I know he cares, I just don’t know why. “I didn’t realize.”
“That’s presumptuous of you.”
“You watched over me for sixty days without pay or asking for anything in return. You care about me.”
“Fifty-nine days,” Nico corrects. “I had to attend Apollo’s wedding—boring as it was. My family would lose it if I didn’t see our future Capo get hitched. My team stayed behind to watch you for the twenty-four hours I was gone.”
“You still haven’t denied caring about me,” I point out stubbornly. “You flew back and forth on a plane and stayed in the woods for two months to watch over me. It couldn’t have been comfortable for you.”
“Not just the woods, we’ve been all around,” he corrects, arching a brow. “I didn’t go two months without showers,sleeping, and warm meals. I know how to go unnoticed in precarious situations.”
“Humble,” I joke, no disdain in my sarcasm. “Did I do something to deserve your watchful protection?”
Nico doesn’t blink. “Been looking out for you for a long time, it doesn’t mean anything. I just do it.”
“It means something to me,” I counter, arching a brow slowly. I don’t know what he means by looking out for me for a long time, but I have a feeling he won’t tell me if I ask. “And it would mean something to Matteo if you told him.”
“Matteo, my brother who you claim not to be dating,” he snarks, offering a rude smirk. “Why should I care what my actions mean to him?”
