Page 75 of Devious Corruption

Before I can even start where I left off, the door to suite opens and Lev walks back in. He grabs the vacuum from my hands and turns it off.

“No more cleaning. And stay out of trouble.” He turns on his heel and stalks from the room, slamming the door behind him.

“You’re killing me, Lev.” Nicolette frowns at me through my computer screen.

“I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t necessary,” I explain. She’s looking a little worn out. Her eyes aren’t as bright as they usually are. “Did you get enough sleep last night?”

“Lev.” She glances up from her phone. “I’m still jet lagged. I’ve only been here a few days.”

“Still. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep.”

She locks her eyes with mine before rolling them. Secure in the fact that she’s hundreds of miles away.

“You can’t keep worrying about me, Lev. I’m all grown up?—”

“So you’ve told me repeatedly for the last four years.”

“Yes, since I hit adulthood.” She brushes her dark hairback from her face. I’m second guessing my decision to let her move an ocean away. She’s still too young, to impulsive.

“I’m fine,” she says again, this time with more sincerity. “This is a big deal for me, Lev. I don’t want this internship messed up because I have security all over me every second of the day. There are places I’m not sure they can be with me.”

“They can be with you everywhere you are.” I lean forward. “When I agreed to let you go, you gave me your word you wouldn’t fight me on the security measures.”

“That’s when you had two men with me, now you’re talking about adding more? Where? At my loft, at the office?”

“It’s unavoidable, Nicolette. You need to listen to me here.” I suck back my annoyance.

This isn’t her fault. She never asked to be part of all of this darkness, but when our parents died she became my responsibility. I will never allow anything to happen her, even if it means listening to her rant and rave at how I’m overbearing and annoying.

“Can you at least promise they won’t get in the way?”

“Like they aren’t even there.” I vow.

Besides, she already thinks I let her move to Europe for a full year with only a two-man security detail. If she knew about the other five watching over her, I’d really have an angry little sister on my hands.

And they’d be having a hell of a time trying to keep herin their sights. The girl can be slippery as a fish when she wants her privacy.

“Fine.” She sighs. “It’s not like I really have an option, right?”

“No.” I grin. “You don’t. And it’s not forever, just until this issue is handled.”

“This issue with Maxine or the Volkovs?”

“Yes.” I nod.

She shakes her head. “Is she all right?”

“Maxine? She’s fine.”

“She’s probably worried sick about her brothers. You still don’t have any idea where they flew off to?” There are a lot of things I won’t tell my sister for her safety and to keep her from worrying, but I trust her with my life, so there’s also a lot I keep her informed about.

And when it comes to Max, her friend, I’m trying to be as open about the whole situation as I can be. Especially since she’s having to accept more armed guards in her life as a result.

“No, but we’ll know soon enough. They can’t hide forever.”

“What if they’re not hiding from anyone? What if they just took off. They’ve never been exactly good to her.”

“Does she think they’d do that? They’d just abandon her?” Maxine does nothing but defend the little pricks at every turn. I haven’t been able to get a serious read on the situation from her eyes other than she’s worried about them.