“I’m fine.”
His eyes move over my face slowly, lingering on the tension still pulled tight through my shoulders. Heat climbs into my cheeks under the intensity of his attention.
“Maggie.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“You look exhausted,” he insists.
“Well, it’s been one hell of a day around here.”
He almost smiles, but it fades. Then his hand brushes against my elbow, light enough to seem accidental, but my entire body reacts to the contact anyway.
“You should have called me sooner,” he says.
Frustration sparks immediately through my chest. “And said what exactly? Hey Alexei, another creepy man threatened me while your security watched?”
The air around us thickens. Jules suddenly finds the donation table across the room deeply fascinating.
Alexei lowers his voice further. “You think I don’t understand how serious this is?”
The folded drawing inside my bag suddenly feels impossible to ignore. I think about Ivy’s crooked flowers covered in black marker.
SHE DOESN’T BELONG TO YOU.
Guilt twists sharply through my stomach, but stubbornness rises right beside it. The second I tell him about the drawing, this entire situation explodes. More security, more control, and more of Alexei looking at me like I’m already standing in the middle of a war I still barely understand.
“I think nobody is tellin’ me the truth.”
“That’s because the truth isn’t safe.”
Anger runs hot through me. “You don’t get to decide what I can handle.”
His back teeth grind while we stare at each other, surrounded by dogs, cats, and stressed volunteers. Then one of his security men approaches quickly from the entrance.
“Boss.”
Alexei turns.
The guard speaks quietly enough that I only catch pieces.
“…vehicle returned…”
“…two blocks east…”
“…still watching…”
My blood turns cold.
Alexei’s expression darkens, and suddenly the entire room feels smaller. He looks back at me, and whatever he sees on my face softens his own slightly.
“This isn’t over,” he says quietly.
Deep down, I already know that. I swallow hard realizing too late that he knows something else is wrong.
“What is it?” he asks.
I look away first. Ivy laughs somewhere near the front desk while Irina helps her refill water bowls. I motion for Alexei to follow me to the office.
