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This trip into an illusion of wealth and comfort couldn’t last.

Once he lowered him, slowly and gently so as not to wake him up, he backed up and indicated for me to do the same.

“What do you want from me?” I repeated in a whisper as I watched Brady sleep. The sooner I knew what this strong, rich man expected of me, then I’d be free to get back to what I knew. To the world Brady and I belonged to.

The heavy gaze Nikolai gave me had butterflies taking off in my stomach. His serious once-over confused me, but I refused to allow the slightest idea that he could want… me.

“What do you want from me?” I asked again.

“Right now, I want you to sleep.”

I furrowed my brow and shook my head.

“You are safe here. And when you are rested, you’ll be able to give me what I… need.”

Need.

Want.

Somehow, there was a very thick distinction between those two words.

He’d admitted that he needed answers from me.

But all he wanted was for me to relax?

I didn’t understand, and I was so bewildered that I doubted I’d ever begin to lower my guard.

“Stay here with him or take another guest room,” he replied quietly. “Once you’re rested, I’ll come back and we’ll talk.”

Even if I had a word of protest to give him as a response, he wouldn’t have heard it. He walked out of the room, leaving me to accept that my life, my sense of reality, had just been irrevocably changed.

9

NIKOLAI

In the morning, I came back to the house I’d taken Louisa and Brady to last night. When I drove them there, I texted Paloma to be there and ready to assist them, referring to them as guests. Guards were stationed there as well.

Instead of staying close, I entrusted my housekeeper and security staff to manage the situation. Something told me that if I hovered and stayed too close, Louisa would clam up and not want to cooperate. It was the look in her eyes that gave it away.

She was scared.

Defensive and confused.

A little space and time for her to adjust would probably help, not hurt, my goal of getting answers. One night and morning of letting her and Brady rest wouldn’t be a setback.

When I pulled up at the house the next day to question her, though, I realized that the space and time I’d allowed her were conditioned with Paloma’s presence.

“Oh, I like her, Nikolai,” she said with a sly smile while she wiped the counter down.

I rolled my eyes.

“She’s not just a guest, is she?” she asked.

“Where are they?”

She pointed toward the back of the house. “Brady is playing in the yard and she’s more or less acting like a guard over his every moment. That is, when she’s not cringing and worrying that he’ll break something or get something dirty or be an inconvenience.”

“In other words, she’s still tense.”