AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Pavel was with him when I was grabbing the supplies.” When he sees the look on Timofey’s face, he continues, “But I’ll go make sure he’s not trying to feed him pieces of cereal again.”
Akim skips around the corner with an undeserved pep in his step.
“You two are friends, but he’s still afraid of you,” I observe.
“Everyone is afraid of me.”
“Lovely thought,” I mutter sarcastically. “You should have that engraved on your tombstone.”
Without warning, Timofey whips around and turns the water off. He wraps a linen towel around my arm and directs me to the island.
His gentle touch is shocking enough that I don’t resist. Not even when he grips me around the waist and places me on the countertop.
"Take these." He folds two white pills into my hand.
"What are they?"
"Poison.”
I roll my eyes. “Hilarious.”
“They’re Tylenol, Piper. Just take them. You’re going to be hurting a lot in a little while if you don’t.”
I scrutinize the pills as if I’ll be able to detect anything untoward. With all the drug addiction I’ve seen in work and my personal life, I’m afraid to overdose on vitamins. Plus, if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a woman on this Earth, it’s to never take the unknown pills a man hands to you.
"Is there a bottle I can look at?”
"If I wanted to incapacitate you, I wouldn't need drugs to do it." He flips my arm over to apply the antibiotic treatment.
Fair enough. If these drugs do knock me out, I’d probably rather be unconscious for whatever sick kind of torture he has planned, anyway.
I pop the pills in my mouth, and Timofey slides a glass towards me.
It's amazing how he can be everywhere at once. He anticipates needs, gracefully solves problems, and always knows what to do. If he wasn't using his skillset for evil, he could rule the world.
On second thought, he might do that anyway.
The notion sends a shiver up my spine.
"You’re in pain.”
I shake my head. "Not right now. It’s just an overflow of adrenaline." And possibly some other "feel good" hormones I don't need to mention. Timofey's calloused hands on my skin are doing strange things to my processing center. He's like a drug in his own right.
"You've had a big day. Started a new job, got thrown in jail, had a panic attack. And now, you caught on fire." He shakes his head. "You'll be dead on your feet tonight."
I narrow my eyes. "Is that a threat?"
His mouth twists into a smirk that twists my insides right along with it. "Are you always on guard like this, or am I special?"
"You're special all right," I murmur. Then the joke fades and reality creeps in. "But this is normal for me. You might not believe me since the first time we met I walked into a dark alley without looking around, but that was a fluke. I'm usually on high alert."
"Because of your shitty parents, I presume." When I look up, his blue eyes meet mine. "Your words, not mine."
I nod. "I know. Either way, they're the right words. Shitty,shittyparents.”
You’d think that, working in Child Protective Services, I’d see enough terrible situations to feel a little grateful for my own parents. Maybe extend them a little grace.
But no. They rank right up there amongst the worst I’ve ever encountered.
