Page 100 of No Longer Mine

My head fell back and I stared at the ceiling. “I’ll make it a half day. Come on, let’s get you to the toilet.”

Her cheeks colored as my gaze slid back to her. “Fine.”

I helped Scarlett get out of the bed. When I helped her to the bathroom door and offered to get her to the toilet, she yelled at me to leave already. I couldn’t help but laugh. I even joked I would get her a walker before I went so she wouldn’t need Don to bring her to the toilet. She didn’t find any of it very comical.

Don brought me to work, and I promised Scarlett he wouldn’t be too long. She rolled her eyes and said she didn’t care if he came back at all, but I knew better. I’d seen how pale her face was when she returned from the bathroom. She didn’t like needing to depend on others, I could relate. I’d had so many wins since I’d been elected, but not a single one of them I could focus on, not when I knew she needed me. When councilmen from other districts paid visits to my office to congratulate me, I could hardly celebrate with them. It was a good thing I was such a good actor, or else I wouldn’t have gotten through the first hour back at work.

Chapter Forty-Four

Scarlett

Dimitri setme up on the couch as I told him that I didn’t need to be in bed all day. As much as I loved the view and the thought of going out to the terrace, I knew I couldn’t do that with Don in my house. I didn’t know him, but for some odd reason, he was watching over me instead of Dimitri.

I raised my chin as he strolled into my home as if he owned the place. He had a small board tucked under his arm and a newspaper in his other hand. He didn’t smile or make a face. He simply set up the board on my coffee table between us and stared me down.

“What’s that?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what it was.

One of his brows raised. “It’s a chessboard.”

I sat there and stared back at him, unsure of how to proceed. I couldn’t exactly lean forward. “Why aren’t you watching over your councilman?”

“He insisted that a young, defenseless woman needed me more.”

I didn’t take the bait. This was another game of chess. “Oh.”

His lips twitched. “I sent one of my friends to drive him around today and make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“What about trouble finding him?”

He fought a smile. “He is very good at that. But Vance is the best of the best, he will stop the trouble before it even thinks of Dimitri.”

“Why didn’t he hire Vance then?”

Vance would have intercepted me, I was sure. If he was as good as Don was implying.

“Dimitri likes trouble to find him.”

“Hmmm,” My eyes flicked back to the chessboard between us. “Why chess?”

“It allows you to get to know your opponent better, it’s a great game, and I figured you would like it.”

I didn’t know if I liked where the conversation was headed, but I also wasn’t going to argue. I did like chess, a long time ago, in another life. I thought I’d buried that part of myself when I left Vanewood, but as he began to set up the board, I felt excitement shoot through me once again.

Don moved with practiced efficiency, placing each piece with quiet precision. His hands were steady, his gaze unreadable as he studied the board, then me.

“White or black?” he asked.

I hesitated. White moved first, controlled the pace, dictated the game. But black? Black watched, black adapted. Black waited for the perfect moment to strike.

“Black,” I said.

Something in his expression shifted—approval, maybe. With careful hands and steady arms, he moved the board from the table and set it on the couch. He sat down carefully on the other side of the board and then moved his first pawn forward.

“So,” I said, mirroring his move with my own, “Dimitri trusts you.”

He let out a short laugh. “He tolerates me.”

That wasn’t an answer.