Being outside the walls of the estate is weird. I’ve only been there for a few weeks, but it’s quickly become my safe space, even if I begged Storm to leave today. The moment the guard drove us from the gates and toward the city, I almost asked him to turn around and take me back.
But I couldn’t do that. I needed to do this. I needed to put all my plans first, because otherwise what’s left of my identity will disappear.
Stepping foot on campus is even stranger than leaving the estate. It feels like a lifetime since I was last here, but in reality, it’s only been a little over a month. It was the same day my sister insisted we go out clubbing and the same day my life changed forever.
Three security guards blend in among the crowd of students as I make my way from class to class, their watchful eye calming my racing heart enough that I can breathe. I didn’t think it was going to be so hard being away from the estate, away from Storm and everything I’ve found comfort in, but the more time I spend away, the more I want to go home.
Home.
When did I come to consider the estate my home? When did it go from being my prison to my palace?
“I’m glad you were able to make today’s session, Ayvah.” Jasmine smiles genuinely once the rest of the group has left. I’ve only spoken to her by email and seen her in some of my classes, but she’s so much nicer than I expected. She’s the head of our group project and has been so understanding about all the fake illnesses and family issues I’ve had to create to get out of coming each week they’ve met.
“Thank you so much for your understanding with all this.”
Her green eyes are warm and kind just like the rest of her. Her mousy brown hair is pulled back into a high ponytail and her summer dress accentuates her curves. She doesn’t wear a lick of makeup on her face, her natural high cheekbones giving her a youthful look I imagine will last long into her future. “I know life can get a little much sometimes and everything always happens all at once.”
I say a quick goodbye and look around for my guards. They’ve been a lot more discreet than I expected them to be when Storm introduced me to the burly men, and for that I’m grateful. The last thing I need is for the other students at The University of Chicago to know I’m dating a mafia boss and the CEO of Frost Industries.
Relief washes over me. It’s finally time to return to the safety of the estate. Although I’ve known I’m safe all day, my skin has crawled since I first stepped out of the car. The feeling of being watched has had my stomach rolling uncomfortably all day.
“Are you ready to head back to the estate?” Jack asks me. He’s the only one who has spoken to me all day, but that doesn’t make him any less intimidating. He’s so tall I have to crane my neck back to look up at him, and his shoulders are wide and imposing. But he’s been nothing but nice to me, his dark eyes always kind when he speaks to me, as if he knows he can be kind of scary. His black hair is clipped short and if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say Jack isn’t far out of the military, which begs the question, how did he end up working for Storm?
I give him a quick nod and look around the crowd again. I can’t get past the feeling of being watched and it’s unsettling. “I just need to go to the bathroom.” I point to the door across the hall. “I’ll only be a minute.”
He looks hesitant to allow me out of his sight, especially because he can’t sweep it like they have every other room I’ve stepped into today, but I’m not going to make it home without using the bathroom, and he eventually relents with a sharp nod.
I scurry across the hall and close myself in the stall closest to the door. I’ve taken my safety for granted all these years, never thought twice about being out of the house and out in public, but I guess things change when you’re involved in the things the Saint James family are.
Once I’ve done my business, I cross to the sinks and wash my hands, but it’s not until I look up into the mirror that I realize I’m not alone.
“Ayvah, how nice to see you again.” Annalise smiles, but it doesn’t touch her eyes. I have a feeling she’s never been happy in her life, always too set on destroying her enemies to enjoy life. Storm has given me a very short, concise run down on her and why she’s coming after them, but I never thought I would need the knowledge.
“What do you want?” I turn away from the sink and lean against it, using the porcelain to keep me steady when my legs shake beneath me. I don’t want her to see my fear, even if it is coursing through my veins with each passing second.
“I just wanted to have a little chat without your guard dogs around.”
“Then talk.” My words come out harsh and strong, despite how hard my hands grip the sink behind me.
“Do you know you’ve found yourself a target by being with Storm? He can only keep you so safe, but there are people, myself included, who can get to you no matter where you are, no matter how well he protects you.”
“Are you getting to the point soon?”
She lets out a chuckle, but I’m dead serious. The sooner she’s finished with her narrative bullshit, the sooner I can get back to the estate where I’m safe. “I see why he likes you. Men like Storm think they want a wallflower who will follow their every order, but they need someone strong who will challenge them. They just don’t know it until they find that person.”
“Is that how it was with your husband?”
She nods, looking wistfully out the small window. “Yes. When Stephen acquired me, he had these grand notions about a wife who would stand by his side and look pretty, but then he met me and saw I was destined for so much more. He lost some good men over the decision, men who thought they knew better, that thought a woman, a young one at that, couldn’t possibly run a cartel with the same brutality as her husband. But they met their maker at the hand of the very woman they underestimated.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because you deserve to know what you’ve got yourself into.” She shrugs. “I can promise you that they will lose this war. I’ve never met a competitor I couldn’t beat, and your boyfriend isn’t any different. I would suggest you think long and hard about whether you want to risk being collateral damage.”
“Because my other options are so great? I go back to my family who sold me to your organization and end up with some sicko who chains me up in his basement and that’s the rest of my life? I don’t think so.”
“On the contrary, dear Ayvah. The buyer we have for you would not treat you in such a way. Perhaps at first he wanted the quiet mouse your father told us you were, but the more we tell him about your… spirit, the more interested he is in other arrangements.”
What does that even mean? Before I can ask anything else, more so out of confusion than curiosity, she nods toward the door. “You should go. We don’t want Jacky out there bursting into the ladies room, now would we?”
I open my mouth to ask how she knows my guard’s name, but snap it shut immediately. Of course she knows. She seems to know everything, and it’s that fact that has my feet moving of their own accord.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, Ayvah,” Annalise calls out, but I don’t turn back, too focused on getting out of here before she can do anything else.
“Ayvah?” Jack’s worried eyes meet mine as I cross the hallway to where he’s leaning against the wall. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Annalise,” I whisper, unable to tell him anything else about our run-in.
Can Storm really keep me safe from the woman who threatens to tear down his whole empire?
