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“It’s beautiful,” I whisper reverently. I feel as if I’ve just stepped into an art gallery. Aleks and Nikko share a look.
“You should see Nikko’s place.”
I hold back a gasp. I can only imagine.
“Should be called the armory,” I murmur. “Why theholding?”
Frowning, Aleksandr looks back to Nikko. They share a silent understanding.They’re wondering how much they can tell me.
Do they trust me?
I haven’t known them long enough to really trust them, though marriage and bringing a child into the home, not to mention the tutelage we had outside on the lawn, seem to lend themselves to an almost immediate intimacy.
“Take another look at the table and weapons, Harper,” Aleks says quietly.
A shiver runs down my spine.
Beside the workplace table there’s a sturdy metal chair bolted to the ground. At second glance, I note the black restraints that hang nearly to the floor. A large black box sits next to the chair.
The secure room doesn’t house just weapons, but also various items meant to torture and interrogate.
I remember Aleks’s gentle way with Ivy even while I remind myself that I can’t ever forget who he truly is. He’s been kind to me, but if I ever turned on him. If I ever betrayed his family…
I wouldn’t. I’d die before I did that.
They’re my family now.
I look up at the two of them, my heart pounding, and point to the box. “May I?”
“Yes, but we don’t have a lot of time.” Aleks nods toward it. “Go on.”
I know what I’m going to find before I open it. I unfasten the latch and stare at the neatly coiled rope, blindfold, pliers, and remote control. Items meant for interrogation.
“If I looked around this room, I’d find more than weapons, wouldn’t I?”
Aleks nods. “You would.”
“Do I need to?”
He shakes his head. “Not now, no. Let’s get you out there and shoot down that fucking drone.”
Five minutes later, I exit the room feeling ten feet tall and invincible. The fact that he’s made me wear a bulletproof vest probably has something to do with that.
We head to the entrance that takes us to the roof, my gun by my side. Nikko’s packing a weapon, too.
“Hey. I thought I was doing this.”
“Harper, asking Nikko to go anywhere without a weapon’s like asking him to cut his eyes out. Not gonna happen.”
“Fine, but this is my turn.”
Nikko grins and holds his hands up. “Have at it. Let’s see what you’ve got. Do you see it?”
I look up at the night sky and narrow my eyes. “Yep.”
It’s hovering at a distance, ducking into the shadows, but even from here I can see the camera lens pointed at our property.
“Not today, boys,” I say under my breath. I lift the sniper rifle Nikko chose. Take a minute to aim. Control my breathing. My focus snaps into place like a camera lens framing a focal point.
