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I don’t mention the weird symbiotic relationship she has with her bodyguard, or the creepy silence they share, either.
Most of all, I don’t tell him that there are times I’ve been watching her, and what sounds like a muffled scream comes from the tub when she’s underneath the water and bubbles float up from where she’s screaming her head off where no one can hear her. No one can see her… only me.
I don’t want him to see that she’s growing on me. That I want to know every secret she has. That I want to lock her away, so I can study and dissect her like an insect, so I can see the real her. More than just what I catch on camera.
“She’s a good girl, my Sabrina.”
It feels like a warning now.
“You think I'm doing the right thing, Niko? Marrying this girl?”
“You feel like she’s a valuable asset?”
“I have no feelings regarding my future wife, Nikolai. Which is neither here nor there,” I lie.
“Fuck if I know. I know you’re doing this for the money and to get into the Syndicate meetings. I mean, have you met the mother? You can usually get a good sense of the daughter once you’ve met the mother.”
That’s another fucking thing now - having to fly out of the country in two weeks to stay in Chelsea to meet her mother. All I can hope is that I’m as good an actor as she is.
Chapter Four
Parker.
“Miss Winters?”
She’s doing that thing again, where she just stares out of the window, toes facing inward, hands in her lap, thumbs rotating around each other, worrying her plush bottom lip. We’ve been sitting in the Escalade outside of her family’s jet for almost an hour now, and she hasn’t moved, other than her thumbs. She asked me for a minute, and I obliged her withfifty. But it’s the second time her fiancé’s stuck his bruised face out of the plane and stared at us.
“Miss Winters?” I repeat myself, doing my damnedest not to reach over and touch her like I want to, like every cell in my being is dying to do.I want to break whatever demons are raging on in her mind, take them for myself. Hell, I have so many already but what’s one more? If they’re hers, I’ll take them all on.
“Hmm?” She deadpans to face me, green eyes the color of moss blink at me, as though the fog in her mind is barely clearing up, still gnawing that bottom lip of hers. God, she’s so beautiful. She was beautiful before, just so goddamn annoying and loud. Now… now there’s this… I don't know how to articulate it. She’s lost in her mind a lot, but when she’s clear, she’slethal. Lethal in court, her words, her demeanor. She's incredible to watch - and I'm the luckiest bastard that gets paid to do so.
“Giordano has arrived and is on the plane. They’re waiting for us.”
She blinks as if she’s trying to make sense of what I've said. Her head lifts in a subtle nod. “Yes, thank you, Parker.”
I love the way my name sounds on her lips.
“Are you ready?”
“It’s showtime again, isn’t it?” She blinks again, looking down at her gloved hands, then back at the plane wistfully, reaching into her bagand putting on her sunglasses. The exhaustion etched across her pretty face makes her look older. Wiser. Like she’s kept so many secrets they’re all weighing her down. It makes me want to put the Escalade indriveand make a run for it just so she’d feel free… even if only for a little while.
She used to laugh a lot.
I can feel that same exhaustion from here and it bothers the hell out of me. “Just for the weekend.” I assure her and then, because I know her, “What’s the lie?”
The corners of her mouth lift slightly but it’s enough to be a genuine smile. I love that I can do that for her. “Work call?”
I grin. “Work call sounds fine.” I get out, rounding the vehicle to open her door but Maksim, the giant, beats me to it.
“About goddamn time, do you know how long we’ve been waiting?” Maksim growls, one eye still partially bruised from his fight last weekend. I can’t wait to see Matilda’s face when she takes in her soon-to-be son-in-law in such a state.
“Charming as always, Mr. Giordano. And yes, fifty-one minutes,” Sabrina replies. “I had a work call,” she lies as I grab her luggage from the back. “It ran a little longer than I liked. But you should understand how that goes.”
He makes a face before turning around that tells me he doesn’t believe her one bit.He’s either intuitive or is starting to notice her tells. I’m not sure which one bothers me more.
We board the jet, me sitting beside her in the luxurious seat, Maksim on the other side of the cabin facing us. The plane takes off and as soon as we’re in the air, Sabrina puts her hair in a messy knot on her head and reaches down to grab her trusty briefcase. “Oh no!” she sighs, searching in every pocket.
I hold in my grin and pull out her extra glasses case from the inside pocket of my suit jacket - ironically next to my gun.