Chapter 42
Addy
Ifsomeonehadtoldme a few months ago I’d end up living in a heavily guarded house overlooking the ocean, sharing meals with men who casually carried guns, and discussing shipping schedules over muffins, I probably would have thought I’d made some terrible life choices.
And yet here I was.
The delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the kitchen as the sunlight poured in through the tall windows and turning the counters into long rivers of gold. Outside, the ocean lapped lazily against the distant docks, the air thick with salt, heat, and the kind of quiet only existing before the day starts demanding things of people.
I was sitting cross-legged on one of the kitchen stools with a notebook open in front of me and a half-eatenpastry balanced precariously in my hand, scribbling down notes.
Across the island, Danil was watching me as though he were witnessing advanced mathematics.
“You’re writing again.” He narrowed his eyes.
“It’s a list.”
“You always say that.”
“That’s because itisindeed a list,” I insisted.
Misha leaned over my shoulder, trying to peek at the notebook. “Why is there a diagram?”
“It’s not a diagram,” I snapped, closing the notebook.
“Itlookslike a diagram.”
“It’s aflow chart, if you must know.”
Danil squinted, while Misha looked deeply suspicious.
“You’re planning something.”
“I’m always planning something,” I said cheerfully.
This seemed to be the wrong answer, as both of them looked alarmed.
Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, guys.
Behind them, Sasha was leaning against the doorway with his arms folded, watching the entire scene unfold with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Danil gestured toward the pastry tray. “You made extra today.”
“Ialwaysmake extra.”
“Yes,” he said carefully, “but today you made a lot extra.”
“That’s because Kyrill eats like a rabid raccoon.”
As if summoned by insult alone, Kyrill appeared in the doorway.
“I know I did not hear you calling me a raccoon.”
I shot him a mischievous smile. “Maybe, maybe not.”
Danil immediately handed him a pastry. “She made extra.”
“That eases the sting of insult slightly.” Kyrill took a bite and closed his eyes briefly. “So good.”