A few days later, I insist on taking Winter to see Dr. Taylor.
Of course, the tyrant, Adrian, doesn’t like it and even says that my safety is in jeopardy, especially if anyone who’s watching figures out that I have a look-alike.
So I made sure Winter and I dressed differently and I even helped her bleach her hair to a shiny blonde. It’s strange how a mere factor such as hair color can change so much about a person. When I stand beside her and we look in the mirror, there’s much less of a resemblance between us.
In fact, I’m a bit shorter than Winter and my dark hair softly frames my face. The blue of my eyes stands out in a sparkling, almost demure kind of way. I’ve never had a piercing stare or even a convincing glare. Winter, on the other hand, has her hair in a ponytail, which brings out her cheekbones that I spent some time highlighting with makeup. Her eyes are also a raging blue, but until now, that all seemed to be hidden under the surface.
I’m almost sure she’s bottling something inside. I can tell by her distant glances and how she escapes into her mind sometimes. If there’s anyone who understands what it means to be lost, it’s me.
And I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she doesn’t come close to having a meltdown like I did at the top of that cliff.
I link my arm with hers and smile at her in the mirror. “Ready?”
“To go outside, yes. To see the shrink? I don’t know.”
“I won’t coerce you if you’re not ready. Unless you take that step yourself, no one can help you. But I do want to be there for you if you’ll let me.”
She fingers the collar of her coat—my coat. I make a mental note to take her shopping for her own clothes so that she won’t be forced to wear mine. “You don’t have to do this, Lia. I’m thankful for just…being treated as if I’m normal.”
“You are normal. If anyone tells you otherwise, I won’t let them get away with it.”
She smiles a little, then nods. “Okay. I’m ready.”
We step out of Winter’s room in the safe house. Once we’re downstairs, she physically jerks further into my side, her body stiffening.
The reason behind her reaction stands by the exit.
Yan is oblivious to his surroundings as he takes a drag of his cigarette with one hand and checks the magazine of his gun with the other. Daylight slips through the ajar door and casts a harsh shadow across his face. Yan might be beautiful, but he can actually look scary when he’s being serious. Especially to those who don’t know him.
I pat Winter’s hand to placate her. She’s usually afraid of Adrian and all of his men, but she only ever gets this urge to hide whenever Yan is in sight. Wait…did something happen between them behind my back? He couldn’t have hurt her, right?
No. My friend wouldn’t do that.
I clear my throat and Yan raises his head, but instead of hiding his gun, he makes a show out of clicking the magazine into place, his attention fixed on Winter. She visibly shivers, her lips parting.
Once we’re near the front door, I point at the car, where Boris is behind the wheel. “Go on out ahead of me.”
She basically trips over her own feet, still staring at Yan and his gun as she hurries outside. When she passes him, he blows a cloud of smoke in her face that instantly turns red. She doesn’t stop, though, until she’s next to the car.
The moment she’s out of earshot, I grab Yan by the sleeve of his jacket. “What the hell are you doing?”
He grins. “Putting the fear of God in her so she doesn’t try anything funny.”
“She wouldn’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You sound just like Adrian right now.”
“Hey! I’m younger. I can’t possibly sound like him. Besides, he’s not entirely wrong. She seems off.”
“Because she’s scared and homeless. Anyone would be off in that situation. Stop making it worse.”
“We’ll see.”
“I mean it, Yan.”
“I mean it, too. If she poses any type of threat, I’m shooting her between the eyes.” He motions outside. “Time to go.”
I shake my head as we leave the safe house. Winter is fidgeting by the car, probably contemplating whether she wants to be inside the same vehicle with Boris. However, upon seeing Yan, she opens the door with trembling fingers and slips inside.
Yan tilts his head to watch her and I snap my fingers in front of his face. “Stop it.”
He lifts his shoulder and gets into the passenger seat. I’m about to join Winter when a little voice calls me, “Mommy!”
I crouch as Jeremy throws himself at me in a hug. Resting my nose against his scalp, I inhale his marshmallow scent. “I’m going to miss you, my angel.”
“It’s okay, Mommy. I’ll play with Papa.”
“I’m sure you will.” I straighten and glimpse at Adrian who’s standing behind him.
A scowl is etched across his beautiful features and his shoulders crowd with tension. If it were up to him, he would’ve chained me to the bed or at least come with me. But due to everything that’s happened within the Bratva, he’s under close scrutiny and will get a visit from the brotherhood’s kings today.
But he also said he’ll play with Jeremy while I’m out with Winter.
After stroking Jeremy’s hair, I take a step toward Adrian and place a hand on his chest. “We’ll be fine.”
He makes a vague sound but says nothing.
“Adrian…I told you I dislike your silent treatment.”
“It’s not a silent treatment. I just don’t want you out there and in danger.”
“I won’t be. Do you have so little faith in Boris and Yan?”
“After they went against my orders, yes, I do. That’s why I’m sending Fedor and two others in a separate car.”
“I’m not even surprised.”
“As you shouldn’t be.”
I touch my lips to his, careful to not reopen the cut on the corner of his mouth, but Adrian wraps his arm around my waist and nibbles on my bottom lip until I open them with a moan.
By the time he releases me, I’m dizzy. Adrian’s mouth finds my ear and he whispers, “Be good.”
I bite my lower lip. “Do I get a reward for that?”
“Depends on how good you are,” his voice drops with dark dominance.
Jeremy tugs on my coat and Adrian reluctantly lets me go. After kissing my son one last time, I get in the back seat beside Winter. She’s glued to the farthest corner of the vehicle, her attention on Yan, who has his gun on his lap. I poke him, and he pretends not to notice.
I didn’t think I’d ever say this about my friend, but he can be a major jerk.
During the ride, I try to distract Winter from the two men in the front and the car following behind us. At first, she seems too scared to even listen, but with time, she starts talking, too.
As we round a corner, something catches in my peripheral vision. I stare out the window because I swear I just saw a man in black leather clothes, a black baseball cap, and a mask, riding a motorcycle, staring at our car despite the tinted windows.
I strain my neck to search the crowd of people and cars, but there’s no trace of him.
That was my imagination, right? Otherwise, I think I just saw Luca.
