He shot me an unimpressed look. “Because I know you.”
Well, fuck me sideways.
“You know I’m too nosy for this shit. Where are we going?” I huffed.
“To fix something.”
“Oh good,” I said, mockingly cheerful. “Love that. That’s not giving me anxiety at all. Big fan of all this vagueness we’ve got going on here.”
Sasha rolled his eyes, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch.
We cut through a part of the property feeling a lot less curated and more like a tiny jungle. The air was still heavy from the day, but the sun had started to set, turning everything soft and golden.
“Sooo,” I drawled after a minute. “Are you going to tell me what we’re fixing, or is this one of those immersivelearning experiences where I undergo a transformation and gain clarity in the end?”
Sasha didn’t answer right away.
Why did that make me nervous?
“I’ve been thinking,” he said eventually, his tone calm. “And I realized we’ve got a problem.”
I raised my brows. “Oh?”
“You’re part of my world now, but you have no idea how it works yet.”
Ah. That.
“I mean — yes,” I said slowly. “In a broad, philosophical sense, I’m aware you’re a very dangerous man with very dangeroushobbies.”
Sasha snorted. “That’s the understatement of the century. You’re surrounded by men who tend to shoot first and ask questions later.” He came to a stop and gestured around us. “You live in a place lots of people would consider a target. And you move through it like none of it applies to you.”
“Why would I? I’m just … here.”
“That’s not how this works, baby.” He pursed his lips.
“I feel like it should be.”
“Well, it isn’t,” he said dryly. “I can control most variables. I can anticipate threats. I can implement systems to minimize risk.”
I eyed him skeptically. “That soundsreassuring.”
“Itshould.”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’.”
Sasha sighed. “There is.”
Of course there was.
“I’m not always going to be within reach,” he continued, his voice taking on a quieter, more deliberate tone. “And I don’t rely on luck.”
I sobered up and shifted my weight slightly, sensing how serious he was now.
“You’ve been within reach pretty consistently so far.”
“And I’d love for it to continue to be this way, but unfortunately, that’s not a guarantee.”
Okay, fair enough.