Page 21 of Savage Empire

“Oh, we’re doing this again, are we?”

“Doing this?” I demand. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“The thing you do where you lash out at me for doing something entirely selfless because you don’t trust anyone or anything.” Apollo tilts his head. “Aside from Elio apparently, since you just let him leave alone with Yordan without a single protest.”

“Elio didn’t kidnap us.”

“By that logic, he didn’t stop you from being kidnapped either.”

“Don’t act like you’re not the leader of your siblings, he couldn’t have stopped you even if he wanted to.”

Apollo smiles at that.

“God!” I groan, clutching the sides of my head in frustration. “You’re going to make me rip out my hair. Must you be so arrogant?”

“Who’s going to tell me not to be?”

I’m actually going insane. There’s no possible way a man this smug exists and I’ve somehow become indebted to him. This is a horrible dream and I just need to wake up.

“Why are you pinching yourself?”

I look down, finding two fingers squeezing my forearm. I release the reddening skin and frown. “I’m trying to wake up from this fucking nightmare.”

“And you think I’m frustrating,” Apollo huffs. “You’re utterly baffling, Rayna. I free you from your abuser, and you accuse me of turning Yordan into a murderer. I provide you shelter, food, phones, and you call me arrogant.”

“I didn’t ask you to do any of this!” I shout, hands thrown up in frustration. “I was fine before you came along. I had everything under control.”

“Your black eye says otherwise.”

“At least I knew what to expect from the man who did this,” I gesture to my face, voice cracking. “I don’t know you, and I don’t trust you. You could be worse than him, don’t you know that? You could be biding your time and waiting until I lower my guard just to show me. I have to protect Yordan. How can you not see that?”

Apollo blows out a breath. “What do you want me to do to prove my intentions? I handled Abramo, I gave you this place, what exactly do you think I’m going to do?”

“I don’t know!” I croak.

“Look,” he says calmly. “This place is yours. Yours and Yordan’s. No one else will have access to it. You’ll have the keys and you can change your code. It’s not like I’m going to be here looming over your shoulder every second of the day. That’s going to have to be enough for now, because I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Leave it to him to make me feel unreasonable and reassured all at the same time.

“You’ll knock when you come by? You won’t just let yourself in?”

“Yes. This isn’t my house, Rayna.”

Biting my lip, I look down at my feet. “You’re not just going to abandon Yordan, are you? You know he likes you.”

“I thought you’d try to keep me as far away from him as possible,” Apollo replies in disbelief.

Looking up at him, my head shakes. “It’s too late for that. He’s already obsessed with your family. I would drive him to resent me by keeping him away from you all. You have to keep him safe, Apollo. I know you mobsters seem to think teenage boys are men, but he’s still my little brother. He’s still only been alive for sixteen years. You can’t let him be hurt.”

He breathes out slowly, nodding. “He’ll be safe.”

“You better not be lying to me.”

Before either of us can say another word, I hear the door swing open.

“Look what I brought you,” Yordan sings, returning to the apartment and effectively cutting the tension swiftly. He twirls a creamy pink drink in a plastic to-go cup, smiling wide. “They have your favorite tea and coconut milk. You’re welcome.”

“Thank you,” I say softly, accepting the offering.