Page 45 of Savage Empire

My fork stalls half way to my mouth, zucchini frozen midair. I blink, digesting the information shared. “Oh?”

“Yeah, I tried to convince him otherwise but apparently my education is more important than proving myself,” he says, almost grumbling. “He’s still going to train me, though.”

There’s an immediate urge to snap at Apollo that he’s not Yordan’s father or guardian so he should stop acting like it. That he’s not responsible for my little brother’s care, and how dare he make decisions regarding him without even consulting me…

But I can’t deny what a relief it is to hear that he’s getting Yordan a tutor and refusing to let him work for The Outfit. One of my biggest fears is that Yordan would get tangled into dark “work” for the Moretti family as soon as we arrived.

“I need to meet the tutor,” I tell Apollo instead of biting his head off. “They can’t be alone with Yordan if I don’t trust them.”

“Naturally,” he agrees, dipping his head. “His name is Javier Cabrera, a sort of friend to the family. He’ll start next week, you can meet him then.”

Yordan chokes on his last bite. “Javier Cabrerais going to be my school tutor? Are you serious?”

My eyebrows pull in. “Why do I know that name?”

“He’s the fucking heir to The Guard, the Spanish bodyguard syndicate. He’s like…famous famous. Everyone knows him. Why the heck is he taking the time to tutor me?”

“He taught knives at Empire Academy last semester, but he’s decided to take the next few semesters off in favor of higher paying jobs. The Outfit contracted him for a full year of swing jobs. He’ll be an added guard for when my sister goes out with her kids. He’ll help train some newer guards, and now, he’ll tutor you eight hours a week as well.”

“That’s legitimately awesome,” Yordan says, starry-eyed and mystified. “Seriously, this is better than the credit card.”

Elio snorts, shaking his head in amusement.

“Hold on,” I interrupt, frowning. “How exactly is a bodyguard qualified to tutor Yordan? I thought this was supposed to be a school thing, not a mafia school thing?”

Elio chuckles again. “Itisa school thing. Javi is a genius. He’s only twenty-four and has several high-level degrees. He’s tutored before.”

I suppose that changes things, then.

“You sound like you like him,” I comment, tilting my head.

“He’s good people.” Elio shrugs. “He and Armani have a bit of a rivalry but it’s all based on a marriage proposal misunderstanding. Most of us like him.”

“I suppose if you trust him around your sister,” I say, hesitantly.

“We do,” Apollo agrees, voice firm.

A beat of silence passes.

“This is great by the way,” Elio pipes up, using his fork to point at his food. “Yordan says your desserts are the best though? What do I have to do to get in on that action?”

I bite my lip, hiding a smile. “We’ll see. I haven’t had a lot of pastry time these past few years. I might have lost my touch.”

“Yeah right.” Yordan rolls his eyes. “You could make danishes, tarts, and macarons in your sleep.”

“Maybe.” I shrug. “If you’re spending more time out of the house tomorrow, I might see what I can still manage.”

“We’ll have him for a few hours at least,” Apollo reports. “We’re going to assess him, see where he’s at in his skill sets. Probably take him shopping after. He needs tailored suits.”

I have no idea what a sixteen-year-old needs with tailored suits, but Yordan looks so happy with Apollo’s plan for me to object.

“All right. I guess I’ll be testing my skills then.”

“Youarewelcome to come with us,” Elio offers, giving me a genuine smile. “You don’t have to stay cooped up here if you don’t want to.”

“There’s also the car,” Apollo adds. “You’re free to use it if you want or need to run around town.”

My shoulders lift in a shrug. “I’ll be fine here.”