Page 40 of King of Malice

Would he be able to help me with Cadence if I asked?

I’m competent, hard-working. But I’m out of my depth with what’s happening with my best friend, and I don’t know how to move forward.

Standing up to a man like the one I heard on the phone…

Blood rushes in my ears. It’s my worst nightmare. I draw in several jagged breaths, trying to calm my racing nerves.

Dragging myself into the shower, I stand under the hot water, trying to relax. I’m both wired and exhausted.

I finally leave the bathroom, getting dressed, and, drawing in several deep breaths, I open my door and step into the hall.

I am hit by the smell of coffee and bacon, a combination that instantly perks me up.

Heading out into the kitchen, I find Anna already in her booster chair, scrambled eggs in front of her.

Without a word, Dimitri hands me a cup of coffee. “Thank you,” I sigh, taking the steaming cup from his hands. “I need this.”

“Rough night?”

“Yeah.”

“Up late working?”

“No,” I wince, remembering I told him I had work to do. I wish that had been the case.

“Worried about today?”

“What’s today?” I ask, my furrowed brow meeting his over the top of my mug.

“Your appointment with the therapist I made for you. Remember?”

I lower my mug, my eyes going wide. “Appointment?” He’d told me, but with all that’s been happening, I completely forgot. Which is so not like me. “But what about Anna?”

“Normally she’d go to preschool. But with a fever yesterday, I thought it best she stays home. So…I called in the speech therapist for an extra session.”

Dimitri went through so much trouble for this. But the idea of digging into my past, today of all days… “I don’t…”

“It will be good for you, milaya.”

“But I’ve been doing so much better with you,” I softly answer, taking another swig of my coffee.

“You have.” He smiles over his shoulder from his spot at the stove, before he comes around the island, dropping a light kiss on my forehead. “But I really think that a therapist will help you come to terms with your past.”

“Dimitri,” I softly plead. God, I want to hide in this man’s strength, let him wrap me up and protect me from the world.

I bet a woman who has a man like Dimitri never has to worry about other men hurting her. That thought makes me hold the air in my lungs as my eyes go wide.

His hand comes to my jaw, softly cupping my face. “I can reschedule if you’d like. But I want to help you, sweetheart. Know that.”

I know he does. That’s the crazy part. It hits me again. That Steve thinks this is the man responsible for Cadence’s disappearance. “No. You don’t need to reschedule. I just forgot. I…I’m not myself.”

He puts his arm around me, pulling me close. A week ago, I couldn’t imagine being touched like this. Now, I sink into him, burying my face into his shirt. I draw in his scent like it will infuse me with his strength.

“Ava,” he whispers close to my ear. “I’m worried about you.”

I shake my head against his shirt. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Am I… I’m pushing too fast, aren’t I? You seem far less balanced than when we first met…”