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“Miss me?”
“Not hardly. We don’t know one another,” I point out. I’m not really lying. I didn’tmisshim. I merely wondered where he was occasionally…
Maybe more often than I’d like.
“That will change,” he responds mysteriously.
“What do you mean?” I ask, wondering why I am suddenly scared as I focus on him.
Before he can answer me, his cell rings. He looks down and I can only assume he’s reading the caller ID. For a moment, he looks directly at me. “I need to take this.” I nod because there’s really nothing else to say. I’m starting to regret saying anything to him.
Silence has to be smarter…and safer.
CHAPTER12
Emilia
My father has been locked in his office with Niko since we got home. I’m sitting outside in the library with Vic. I started to go up and change, but Niko requested I stay here. It was really an order since he left Vic with me to make sure I did it. He barely looked at me. I don’t think he likes me very much. I’m not sure why that bothers me, I just know it does.
“I don’t understand why I must wait here. It makes no sense to me,” I complain.
“When Niko Petrova tells you to do something, Emmie,alwaysdo it.”
“Thanks for the advice, but I’m thinking doing anything Niko tells me to do would be bad,” I grumble.
“He’ll protect you. He’s doing everything in his power to shield you from Dante Russo and others who are just as toxic as he is.”
“Dante? But he hasn’t bothered me in a year. He’s harmless. He has a girlfriend—”
“Like that matters with Dante. To him, it’s all about position and power,” Vic mutters. He gets a disgusted look on his face. I don’t have to ask if he likes Dante. It’s clear he doesn’t. Truthfully, I don’t either, but I have never considered him a threat—not really. He was more like a creepy nuisance. At least, that’s how I felt about him. Ever since my sixteenth birthday when Niko sent him away, Dante hasn’t truly bothered me once. He hasn’t even tried to get me alone. If anything, he’s tried to be a friend. It’s weird, but I’m just glad he’s changed. I haven’t thought about why he’s changed, but Vic’s crazy. I mean nothing to Niko, so Dante’s change couldn’t have anything to do with him.
I push my thoughts away as the door to my father’s office opens. He steps out, Niko following him. They stare at me and I’m glad that I’m sitting. There’s something about the look on my father’s face that makes me believe that if I were standing, my legs would give out.
“Emilia, come here. Niko and I have something we wish to discuss with you.”
I blink.Niko?Why on earth would he be involved with anything to do with me?
And why does my father appear so nervous?
I have a feeling the answer is not going to make me happy.
I look at Vic for reassurance. I think he tries to smile at me, but it looks more like a grimace. That doesn’t exactly boost my confidence. For a minute, I can feel my body flush with a sort of sick feeling of heat. I swallow to try and stall the nausea that always arises. This is a precursor to a full-blown panic attack. I’ve had too many not to recognize them. I don’t want Niko to see me like this. It’s bad enough that my father and Vic have. I hate the way these episodes make me feel.
Before I descend deeper into embarrassment, I feel a hand on my upper arm. I force myself to move my gaze from the hand on my bicep up to the face smiling down at me. The face of the only friend I’ve truly had outside of Zoe.
“It will be okay, Emmie. Breathe.”
I nod, taking a deep breath. It’s then I realize just how fast my heart is beating and I hate it. I hate being weak. That’s not the person I want to be. I know losing my mother was traumatizing, but that happens. People deal with it every single day. How did it turn me into this person who needs reassurance to function? Before I can fully get myself under control, I feel Niko beside me. I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t need to look to know that it’s Niko with his hand against the base of my back. There’s an energy in his touch that seems to suck away the air around me. It’s intimidating—and that’s putting it mildly. It’s so strong that I can feel it echo inside of me, making my body vibrate with tension.
“Now, Emilia.” I jump when I hear his voice so close to my ear. I can literally feel his heated breath fan against the back of my neck. I look to Vic for reassurance, and he nods, slowly dropping his hand. “Victorio,” he adds. My gaze darts between the two men. Niko’s features are cold and emotionless.
“Yes, sir,” Vic answers, suddenly sounding all business.
“Her name is Emilia or Miss Korslova. She is your charge. Her safety is your only purpose.”
Something passes between the two men that I don’t like. I turn to look at Niko, suddenly forgetting all about panicking.
“He is my friend.”
