Page 101 of No Longer Mine

“Are you his friend?”

“I work for him,” he corrected smoothly, moving another piece. “That doesn’t mean we’re friends.”

“And yet he left you here with me.”

Another flicker of amusement crossed his face. “He didn’t have much choice, did he?”

I studied him. Don wasn’t like Dimitri. There was no barely-leashed fury in him, no sharp edges hidden beneath velvet-soft words. He was steady, measured—calculating in a way that felt less volatile, but no less dangerous.

I moved a knight. “And you? Do you trust Dimitri?”

His eyes met mine, sharp and assessing.

“I trust him to be exactly who he is.”

A non-answer. Again.

I bit back a smirk. “You’re very good at saying a lot without actually saying anything.”

His queen slid forward, taking one of my pawns. “And you’re very good at pretending you don’t care when you do.”

My fingers stilled on my bishop.

Check.

I hadn’t even noticed. Don leaned back, watching me, waiting to see what I’d do next. I exhaled slowly. The game wasn’t over yet.

I slid my king to safety, barely avoiding a checkmate that had come too soon. I was rusty, but the thrill of the game sent a pulse of energy through me, waking up something I thought I had long buried.

Don gave a slow nod, acknowledging my move. “Not bad.”

I arched a brow. “Did you think I’d be easy to beat?”

“Not at all.” He repositioned his knight. “But you hesitate.”

I scoffed. “I just avoided your trap, didn’t I?”

“You did.” His gaze flickered to me before settling back on the board. “But real power isn’t in reacting—it’s in controlling the board before your opponent realizes they’re already losing.”

I pursed my lips, studying the pieces between us. He was right. I’d been playing defensively, waiting for him to make his move first. That wasn’t me. At least, it hadn’t been.

I moved my queen forward, aggressive and direct. His lips twitched.

“Better,” he murmured.

We played in silence for a few more moves, the only sounds in the apartment being the occasional clink of chess pieces and the distant hum of the city outside. I felt a sharp pang of nostalgia. I pushed the thoughts and the memories away.

“Why did you think I would enjoy chess?” I asked as I watched the board.

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

Yes and no.

“Yes,” I said instead.

“It was a guess based on all of the chessboards in the common area at Vanewood Manor.”

There was that place again. I swallowed back the bitter taste that it brought. It would have been easy to get angry or even defensive with Don, but I didn’t want to be. There was no reason to have a fight, not now, not when I was so physically and emotionally exhausted. I couldn’t keep running. Maybe it was better for me if I did finally confide in someone outside of my inner circle. I didn’t know why I knew Don was the best choice, but I figured it was a good first step and I knew he wouldn’t go blab my secrets either. Whether he didn’t say anything because he worked for Dimitri or not, I could feel it in my gut that he was trustworthy.