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He stands up with me. “Half now, half later, and James will be taking a nice little swim.”
“I’ll have someone deliver the money to you tonight,” I reply.
There’s a knock on the door just as I’m about to open it and let Bobby out. My maids know that I don’t like being disturbed during my meetings, so either this is something important…
Or it’s Taylor.
Bobby opens the door without asking, and sure enough, Taylor is standing there with her hands clasped together and a nervous smile on her face.
“Oh,” she says, looking at Bobby with a slight frown. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“He was just leaving,” I say, pushing Bobby out the door before he can try to introduce himself to Taylor. I don’t trust him around women.
“Okay, see you later, and remember what I told you. Quick and quiet,” I say, hurrying Bobby along.
He waves me goodbye as I snatch Taylor and pull her inside my office. I’m sure he can find the way out on his own.
14
Taylor
Icould’ve sworn I heard my father’s name. I didn’t mean to listen in, but it’s difficult not to pay attention to Danya’s voice when it’s so deep and commanding. It cuts through my thoughts and grabs my attention instantly.
Danya shuts his door, locking me in the smoke-filled office with him.
I cough.
“I’ll turn on the ventilation,” he says, walking toward his desk and flicking a switch on a little control pad beside the lamp.
“Thank you,” I say, feeling awkward finally being in his office.
He had told me before that I would be eaten by his dogs if I ever stepped foot inside, but I’ve yet to see a single dog on his estate, much less hear them bark. I have to assume he wasn’t being entirely truthful.
I look around, taking in the atmosphere as a small vent on the floor sucks the smoke out of the office. As with everything in Danya’s possession, there’s a fine attention to detail, and nothing is without a purpose. Sometimes I feel Danya has lived a thousand lives already to have accumulated so many meaningful artifacts.
“What’s this map?” I ask, pointing to the wall beside his desk.
“The town I was born,” he answers, running his fingers over the yellowing paper. “It doesn’t exist anymore, actually. It’s been turned into a missile testing site.”
“Wow, that’s sad,” I say, thinking about how he might want to visit some of the places he grew up. I can’t imagine trying to go back to my favorite ice cream place only to discover it’s been flattened along with the rest of the city.
“It’s been a long time,” he replies in a melancholy sort of way. “Anyway, what can I help you with? I thought you’d still be sleeping this early in the morning.”
I don’t want to tell him that the reason I woke up was because I was sore from last night, so I try to make it a bit more innocent. “I just missed you,” I say with a smile.
“Sweet,” he replies, leaning on his desk and waiting for a better explanation as to why I’m bothering him.
“Um, so I only wanted to ask you to have breakfast with me, but I may or may not have heard something about my father when you were talking with…”
“Bobby,” he says. “He’s helping me with a few things. You might see him here occasionally, but I encourage you to mind your own business.” His face is stern, and I sense he doesn’t like that I overheard his conversation.
It wasn’t on purpose, but now that I’ve heard it, I need to know more.
“I’m sorry for being nosey, but I think I should know the full story,” I say, feeling a sudden burst of confidence when I remember we’re married. There’s an equality about marriage that can’t be denied. I have power even if he wants me to think I don’t.
To my surprise, Danya doesn’t wave me off in that dismissive way he did before. He motions for me to sit down, and then he takes a seat on the other side of the desk.
“You really want to know the truth?” he asks, lacing his tattooed fingers together and leaning forward.
