His eyes snap up to mine. I can’t place the look on his face. It’s not fury. But it’s close to it. Like he hates the sound of it.
Or hates that I’m the one saying it.
There’s something else there too, though. Something almost… startled.
“You don’t like it,” I say quietly.
His lips press thin. “It’s my father’s name.”
That tells me nothing, but it also tells me everything.
He doesn’t look away. He doesn’t blink. He just stares at me like I’ve stepped somewhere I shouldn’t have.
“Okay, no Leyla and no Nikolai,” I mutter grabbing my fork and stabbing my eggs.
The kitchen goes silent again, his eyes don’t leave me. He doesn’t pick his fork back up.
“Who drugged you?”
I almost choke on my eggs. “What?”
“You won’t eat unless I taste your food, so who drugged you before?”
I scoff out a laugh. This asshole is annoyingly observant.
“It’s not smart to trust anyone,” I answer taking another bite of my food.
He grunts. “I agree.”
I don’t miss the way his eyes linger on me as I eat. Like he’s cataloging every bite. Every swallow. Making sure I actually finish.
It should irritate me.
It does irritate me.
I push the half empty plate away and stand. “I have things to check on.”
His fork stops mid-air. “No.”
“Maksim—”
“You’re not going anywhere alone.” He sets his fork down. “If you need to see those little friends of yours, I’ll take you.”
My hands curl into fists. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
His chair scrapes back.
The sound is small, but it feels loud.
“And yet,” he says, standing, “you can’t eat breakfast unless I poison-test your plate.”
My jaw tightens. “That’s not the same thing.”
“It’s exactly the same thing.” He rounds the table like a slow-moving storm, eyes fixed on me. “You don’t trust anyone, Beda.Smart.So tell me why you suddenly trust the streets to be kind to you.”
“I never said that.” Heat crawls up my neck. I hate that he’s tall enough that I have to tip my head back to glare at him. “I trust myself.”
“Do you?” His gaze drops, flicks briefly to my ribs, then to the waistband of my jeans where the weight of the gun sits warm against my spine. “Because last time I checked, you disappear for days and I find you barely able to walk.”
