Page 31
I blinked, jarred and thrust back into the moment. “Hmm?”
“Can I go splash in the fountain again?” Brady asked.
I turned, seeing the large ornamental fountain further back on the property. It was a low-lying basin of shallow water, probably only for décor, but Brady had walked through it, almost using it like a splash pad. “Oh, I wouldn’t want you to make a mess.”
“Oh, nonsense. Go ahead,” Paloma said.
He grinned and ran off to walk and splash in the water.
“Are you all right?” she asked once he was out of earshot.
I exhaled long and hard. “I don’t know what I am, or what I’m supposed to feel.”
She smiled and patted my hand, watching Brady as I did. “Feelings just are.”
“Am I allowed to talk to you?” I asked.
She huffed. “Of course. I’ve worked for the Volkovs for over forty years. You can tell me anything.”
“Because anything I say would get back to them?” I guessed wryly.
She smirked. “You’d only ask that if there was anything you failed to tell them yourself.”
“No. That’s not it. I’ve told them all I know. I showed them what they wanted to know.” I rubbed my face, feeling the start of a headache. “But I’m still so confused.”
“About what? Maybe I can help.”
“Well, why me? Why…” I shook my head. “Nothing could have predicted the fact that I’d be on shift that night and happen to see the video that they wanted to know about.”
“Is that true?” Nikolai asked, coming back to the patio.
I sat up, aware of him all over again. Like this, he wasn’t a protector in authority, he wasn’t a killer breaking into my home, and he wasn’t a gentle host at this amazing house.
He looked casual, more approachable without his brother or cousin with him as he took a seat.
Paloma laughed at Brady’s antics and excused herself to go play with him.
“Is what true?”
“Is it due to chance that you happened to be on that shift that night and watching those monitors?” he asked.
“Are you implying that someone could’ve set me up to be a witness to whatever was on that feed?” I asked.
He shrugged.
“It’s not like that. We’re assigned different sectors to watch, but it’s all on a rotational basis…” I frowned, wondering if he was onto something. “Owen might have been able to adjust the random slots, but… If he was setting me up to be a witness, why me?”
“It doesn’t sound like he cares much for you. Other than taking videos of you and manipulating them for his own pleasure.”
I jerked upright, breathing hard as fury cut through me. “What?”
He nodded. “Seems like an asshole.”
“He is an asshole.” He was an asshole boss. “Are you saying he—”
He nodded again. “One of our IT specialists is looking into him. He’s had a habit of recording you at your cubicle and saving the videos to manipulate. That’s only from what we’ve uncovered from his social media posts, though.”
I grimaced, feeling sick to my stomach. Hugging my arms over myself, I added rabid rage to this mess of emotions.
