“No, I’m not. I’m just reading,” she says, holding up her book as evidence.
Not wanting to push the matter, I leave her for a bit. Maybe she needs some space. Maybe she’s still a little sick.
But on the third day, when I find her in the kitchen quietly making tea at lunchtime and hardly speaking to me at all, I start to get really worried.
“Hey, little pixie, tell me what’s going on. You’ve hardly said anything these past few days, and I’m missing all the chatter,” I tease her. “It’s far too quiet in the house at themoment,” I add, slipping my arms around her waist and forcing her to look at me.
She smiles tightly.
“I don’t know,” she shrugs. “I think I just need to get out a bit. Maybe it’s cabin fever. I feel like walking around the mall or something.”
“You’re restless? That’s easy to solve! I’ll take you to the mall right now. Go get ready,” I tell her, kissing her forehead.
She stammers, biting at her lip.
Just as I’m about to ask her what’s wrong, my phone rings.
I groan, reaching into my back pocket.
“I’ll be two seconds. You can go get ready in the meantime,” I tell her.
She stands in the kitchen, though, finishing with her tea while I answer the phone.
“Anton here,” I say professionally.
My heart pounds heavier when I realize who is on the other side of the call. Killian Popov. A man I have been trying to get into an alliance with for a very long time.
“Anton, it’s Killian. I’m sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I wanted to know if you were available to meet me now for a quick lunch?”
“Now?” I ask, glancing at Izabel. I want to take her out, but this meeting has been almost impossible to get. Between both of our schedules, we struggled to even set a time to speak on the phone.
“Yes, I had a flight delay and I have a few hours. So, yes, it would have to be right now,” he says.
I can’t ignore this opportunity. Not with the walls closing in with Josiah right on my ass and even the smaller Bratva groups thinking I’m looking weak enough that they can take a chance attacking me.
This meeting equates to protection. Alliances are strengthening, and I need all the strength I can get to keep Izabel safe.
“I can meet you now,” I answer, hiding the disappointment I feel inside because I have to let Izabel down.
We make the arrangements for the meeting and I end the call.
“Pixie, I’m so sorry, I have to go to this meeting. This is really important.”
“It’s okay, but I still want to go shopping. I could take a guard. I wouldn’t even be gone that long,” she says.
My heart constricts. My first instinct is to say no. To immediately have my thoughts spike with the fear of her trying to escape.
But the fear doesn’t come, and it brings a smile to my face.
I trust her!
What a strange thought.
I trust her not to try to leave. I trust her to listen to the guard. I trust that when I come home later today, she will be here waiting for me after an afternoon of shopping.
“You’ll listen to the guard?” I say sternly, raising my brows at her.
“I will,” she smiles, her eyes lighting up.
