Page 17 of The Fixer

Malda stared at me through narrowed eyes. Slowly, she reached for the glass neck, her hair brushing mine just the slightest. “Let’s be friends.” Taking my offering, her eyes never left mine even as she knocked back a huge swig.

There’s a lot we can offer each other, I think.

I could see the thought passing behind her shrewd, brown eyes.

Lifting the lip of the bottle to my lips, I nodded slightly myself.

11

Ophelia

Twirling my little, blue fishing pole, I leaned back against the island in the kitchen to stare at a speck in the grout between the tiles. Malda had left, taking the large file I’d prepared with her. I wasn’t sure how long ago that was, though, the small sip of whiskey I’d drank made me feel… funny.

“Things are getting too interesting for my liking.” To say I wasworriedwasn’t right, but this dread filling my gut wasn’t very nice at all. My murmur was too loud in such an empty space, bouncing off the tiled floor to hit my chin. Tearing my gaze off its spot, I glanced around as a sigh built in my chest. There was so much money surrounding me; I had to find a construction company that could salvage as much as possible.

I hated this house; I hated everything it represented. The loneliness, the favoritism, the power— a worse drug than anything that could be injected. My brother and parents really thought this made them immune to the realities of life.How disgusting.

Everything about this house was disgusting.

If I reached deep, deep down inside me, I was glad my brother and parents were out of the picture permanently. I could finally have what I wanted a somewhat normal life with a normal man that I loved with everything I have. Even if outside forces swirled out of control every once and a while we, Sascha and I, would be each other’s rocks.

Guilt clawed at my throat at this notion and I touched my cheek with the backs of my fingers. Every obstacle we’d been thrown was because of me. Malda stalking us was because of me. Sascha worrying about what he knew was because I couldn’t stop myself from telling him. Even those wonderful ways he worried about me…why should he have to?

This life of intrigue and danger could be goo ? for me ? not for him.

“Without Sascha… I’d be all alone.” My parents were dead. My brother was dead. My sisters were being held hostage. Yet, here I was, not worrying about anything. I feltrelievedthat such terrible things had happened to my family. I felthappythey were out of my way. Finally, I could be the person they’d been holding back all these years. “What kind of person does that make me?”

But there was no one around to answer my question. The maids that cleaned, the butler that served my parents, everyone was gone. Those who could, disappeared into the woodwork like cockroaches and would appear somewhere else, none the worse for wear.

I would still be here.

A softthunkdrew me out of my inner mind, and my eyes swung to one of the three entrances to the kitchen.

Sascha shuffled through the archway, a paper bag on his arm and another, smaller, slender one in his hand.

I was instantly struck, watching him look around in slight curiosity.

He was so damn handsome, with his grey wisps at his temple and his beard. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened before meeting mine to soften and grow bright. “You okay?”

Sascha’s deep timber wrapped around me so warmly, as goosebumps washed my arms and across my chest.

Setting the bags on the closest, flat space, he strode across the kitchen. Are you tipsy, Oppie?”

My heart pounded harder with every step, my hands itching to grab his face and kiss him. “A little—“ Sucking in a breath, I wiggled my lips.

Sascha arched a brow quizzically.

“If you want to break up, I wouldn’t blame you?”Wait a minute— that’s not supposed to be a question.I almost winced at how dumb I sounded. At least, I wasn’t slurring, or it’d be really bad.

Sascha full on frowned at me, his palms gliding around my waist to leave a path of heat behind.

My breasts tightened against my shirt, and I bit down on my bottom lip as I ducked my head. The drumming in my ears began to roar like an angry ocean, blocking out his questioning silence.

“Hey…” Cupping my chin, Sascha dragged my eyes back to his.

Those dark orbs sparkled so brilliantly that it was hard to look at them, but I couldn’t find the strength to not.

“I knew—weknew that things would get tough eventually, Oppie. Yours isn’t the only life on the life.”