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"To be fair, I wasn't trying to break in, per se. I came in with the cleaning crew, hoping to find out more about you and your connection with Connor. But considering those guys tried to kill you too, I don't really think you're working with Connor."
"Clocked that finally, have you?"
"Sorry. What was I supposed to think?"
He shook his head. "I don't have time for this conversation right now. You just stay here. Stay out of trouble. And try to eat something."
He kept talking, but my gaze was focused on the television. I frowned at the familiar sights of Ealing and the school campus and the stone road from my flat. Then I recognized the building itself. Smoke was billowing out of my building at the end of the road.
The reporter stood away from it all as the camera panned back to his face, and he said, “Gas explosion.”
The bottom of my stomach fell out and goosebumps lifted on my forearms. My heart beat a hummingbird tattoo against my ribs and the room started to spin.
Saint noticed my face. "What's wrong?"
All I could do was point at the television. "That's my flat."
He frowned and turned around. "What?"
"My flat. It just blew up in a gas explosion."
I could see it in the set of his shoulders. He didn't believe anything about that, and neither did I.
"My flat, my home, the only place I've ever had on my own. Those men are trying tokillme."
"It's okay, Kaya. I’ve got you Sprite." He wrapped his arms around me then. Strong. Solid.
I held myself stiffly, the shock of the truth of the whole thing settling in. Last night I told myself that I could go back to my life. I could return. That everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours was only temporary. But I was just lying to myself. The truth was, I had nowhere to go.
And then suddenly, my truth became Saint's arms. The smell of sandalwood and something clean and earthy wrapped around me, making me feel cocooned and safe. He smoothed a hand down my back.
"You're going to be okay. You're safe here." He stepped back, his arms on my shoulders. "But I need you to stay here. I don't want you to leave, okay? I just want to make sure you're safe. If you still want to leave tonight when I get back, I'll take you wherever you want to go. But for now, just stay put for me, all right?"
“No one helps a stranger like this for no reason.”
“You’ve never met me before.”
There was a knock at the door and Saint frowned. I might not entirely trust him, but I knew for now he’d keep me safe so I tucked myself behind him.
It was a survivor’s move.
You’re starting to trust him.
No. No, I was not.
I watched warily as he sauntered to the door, feeling like I was perched on a razor’s edge. He used a panel near the door toverify who it was, and I watched as even more tension dumped on his shoulders.
He yanked the door open and crossed his arms. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Someone on the other side of the door whom I couldn’t see said, “Hey boss. Just reporting for duty.”
Boss? I poked my head around Saint’s broad shoulders and my gaze landed on another stunning looker of a man. Dark blond hair, dazzling blue eyes, with a scruff dusting his jaw. He was also built tall and lean like Saint. “Who do we have here, boss?”
I flushed at having been caught being nosy. “I’m Kaya. Nice to meet you.”
The bloke smirked at me. “Hello, beautiful, I’m Westin. I’m a member of Saint’s security team.”
Of course he had a security team. “Oh, uh, nice to meet you.”
