Page 16

EMMA

T here's a small army of bodyguards at the mall.

"This is a joke, right?" I turn to look at Mr. Sinclair.

"Do I appear to be amused?" he replies.

"This is some POTUS-level security," I say, walking toward the mall entrance. Ten massive guards are standing on either side of the entrance. They're dressed in civilian clothes, but it's apparent that they're armed.

"As I've mentioned before, I don't take the children's security lightly," he says, pursing his lips. "And neither should you."

There's an edge to his voice that silences me.

There's no trace of the man sitting at the kitchen table decorating cookies just an hour ago. This man is all business. His eyes scan the surroundings even though there's nobody else here but us.

The children don't notice anything odd about this situation. This is normal for them.

"How did you manage to have the entire mall evacuated?" I ask. There's truly not a single person in sight.

"I own this town," he replies matter-of-factly.

"And I can see it's done wonders for your humility," I say under my breath.

We enter the department store. Only two sales staff members are present, and neither of them makes eye contact with me.

"We have twenty minutes," Klaus says, glancing at his watch.

"Can I be in charge of the pumpkins?" Rosalie asks. She's nearly bouncing on her heels. Her eyes shine bright with excitement. "You can get the rest of the decorations, Miss Turner."

I glance over at Mr. Sinclair, who gives a slight nod to the bodyguards. The guards escort the kids to the pumpkin patch located at the far end of the store.

"I'm glad she's forgiven me for calling her by her old nickname," I say.

"She's not mad at you. She's mad at the world," he says.

We walk through the aisles together, just him and I. The second we're alone together, something electric sizzles to life between us, tugging at me like an invisible cord.

"I know that feeling," I whisper, stopping to inspect some life-size skeletons. "I was about her age when I lost my mother too. It bothered me so much how unaffected the rest of the world remained. Everything had changed for me, but everything was still the same."

"I'm sorry," he says.

"It was a long time ago," I say. "I'm lucky that my grandmother took me under her wing. She made sure that I knew I wasn't alone in the world."

Tears prick the backs of my eyes. They always do whenever I think about my grandmother being on her own at the hospital. She puts on a brave face for my sake, but I know she's still in a lot of pain.

I feel heat at the back of my neck.

Klaus Sinclair is watching me.

"What about you?" I ask. "Were you close to your mother?"

I feel a shift in his energy.

When I turn to look at him, I see he's glaring at me like I'm a creature sent from hell just to torment him.

"I'll be with the kids," he says. "Get whatever you need and meet us out front."

"Oh, okay."

I watch him retreat. His broad back, his dark hair, the powerful aura he exudes. A shiver travels down my spine as I remember the way his hands felt on my body.

They were so heavy on me.

I never felt so grounded before. It felt like I had my feet fully planted on the ground for the first time in my life.

But I can't get ahead of myself.

Even in an alternate universe, there's no way I can ever be with someone like Klaus Sinclair.