“Good question,” I mutter. “To piss me off. To hurt Anika. Who knows.”
“Poor Sebastian.”
Her sympathy is quiet, genuine, and it catches me off guard.
“Do you have siblings?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, but I’ve got Kate, my best friend from home. She’s like a sister. And our friend Filip. Then there’s Aunt Lucy, who’s kind of a mum, aunt, and sister all rolled into one. So, I don’t really feel like I missed out.”
“And yet you left them all to come here?”
Her fingers knot together in her lap. “It was hard after Mum died,” she says softly. “Nothing felt the same anymore.” Then she looks at me. “What about you? Any siblings?”
I shake my head. “No. Just me, Anika, and Sebastian.” I pause. “And Dale, I suppose.”
That makes her smile, lighting up her whole face. For one stupid second, I find myself wanting to be the reason she does it again.
“You’ve got a good little family,” she says.
I finish the last of my drink and set the glass down. “I should check on downstairs,” I tell her. “Will you be okay here?” She nods. “Call me if there’s any change with Anika.” She nods again.
I force myself to stand and walk away.
CHAPTER FIVE
WYNTER
It’s been a full week since Catherine left.
Anika’s infection finally seems to be easing, and as I spoon cereal into her mouth, I notice the first real spark of herself returning. Her answers come quicker. Her eyes are brighter. She even rolled them at one of my jokes ten minutes ago, which I’m taking as progress.
A sharp ringing sound cuts through the room, and Anika frowns. “That’s the elevator alarm.”
I glance up. “The what now?”
“It means someone’s downstairs who doesn’t have access to come up.” She nods towards the bedroom door. “There’s a panel by the entrance. Press the button and the screen will show you who it is.”
“No one mentioned that,” I mutter, already heading out.
“It doesn’t usually go off. Visitors go to the main reception. Tell me who it is before you let them up,” she calls after me.
I press the panel and the screen flickers to life.
A man appears. Dark hair. Expensive coat. Handsome in a polished, dangerous sort of way. I don’t recognise him and before I can speak, he leans closer to the camera.
“It’s Luke,” he says. And then I spot Sebastian beside him. My stomach drops.
I hurry back into Anika’s room.
“It’s Luke,” I say. “And Sebastian’s with him.”
Her whole face changes. “Let him up.”
I stop dead. “What?”
“Let him up,” she repeats. “Sebastian might be unwell.”
My pulse kicks up. “But Ray specifically said—”
