“Taking a walk.” His voice was low.
Our steps fell into rhythm on the pavement, the night wrapping around us. I slipped my free hand into my pocket and smiled. This action was simple and human, and it’s all that I needed.
“You’re sweating,” he said.
I pulled my hand free, wiping it against my coat. “I was nervous back there.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t expect you to show up.” He did not take my hand again, so I shoved it into my pocket. “You disappeared.”
“Work,” he replied, like that one word should explain everything.
I nodded, watching the headlights of a car sweep past. Sprawling mansions lined the street, each one heavy with power and wealth.
“How are you?” Rodion asked, and I almost laughed. The question sounded simple, but the truth weighed too much. I had not been okay until he returned. At one point, I even feared breathing, afraid they would summon me to answer about Renat’s death.
“I can breathe now,” I breathed. “When you left, I barely stepped out of the dorms.”
His profile caught the glow of the streetlights as he glanced down at me. “Didn’t I tell you that you would be safe there?”
“Well, your relatives are everywhere. What if they knew I was part of the mess with Renat?”
“You think they don’t know?”
My heart lurched. “They do?” He stayed silent. “Renat was your half-brother. That means they can do anything.”
He chuckled, and I lifted my gaze to him.
“It’s not funny,” I muttered, looking ahead. “I thought about going home, but I knew you wouldn’t let me. And speaking ofhome, can I visit my parents tomorrow? Something feels off.”
“How so?”
I sighed. “My parents keep brushing me off.” Rodion drew my hand from my pocket and laced his fingers with mine. Warmth slid down my spine. “When I call, Mamma says she’s busy.” My chest tightened. “And Carina is suddenly too busy for me too. Something isn’t right.”
Rodion said nothing.
“Do you think they’re okay?” I asked, searching his face.
“They should be.”
The way he said it unsettled me, but I clung to the trust I had in him. “I don’t like how they’re treating me. I assumed the worst.”
“Did you speak to your father?”
“Yes. I called him today, and he only said we’d talk later, that he was handling something. It reminded me of how they used to fight. Back then, I felt so alone, and I would run to Carina. Now even she’s distant.” My thoughts raced. “Maybe I did something wrong,” I murmured.
His thumb brushed over my knuckles. “You didn’t. Renat did.”
I snapped my head up. “Renat?”
“Before I killed him, he attacked your parents and shot your father. But he should be healing.”
I stopped walking, and so did he. His words detonated in my chest. “What?” I yanked my hand free, as if his touch blocked me from thinking straight. “Wait, Papa was shot?”
“He is fine.”
“No,” I scoffed, running a hand through my hair. “Don’t do that. That was almost a week ago, and I’m just hearing about it now? You’re telling me this now?”