Page 10 of The Runaway

“A what?” My brows furrowed in confusion, and Jacob didn’t miss a beat as he reached to gather up my hair. Parting in an ‘o’, my mouth dried while his considerations rolled around in my head. “I don’t know. I do this—”

Reaching up, my fingers barely inched higher than my ears, and I had to duck my head to reach… even then, I couldn’t quite make it. My fingertips never got within inches of each other. After so many years, so many worse issues than itchiness or hair in my face, I had almost forgotten what it was like. To run my hand through my hair and free my gaze without whipping my head all around like a crazy person.

Jacob watched me quizzically, but there was no pity in his eyes. Of course, he was a little out of his element— that much was expected— but he didn’t look like I saddened him.

Which was a first.

10

Joci

“Have you been with anyone since the evil guy?” Jacob wiped his mouth with a napkin as he sat back, and I didn’t stop chewing to answer. Shaking my head, I marveled at how this pizza didn’t lose its taste despite the conversation.It’s amazing. Truly.“I was dating a girl for a while— 3 years, almost. She tried to convince me to move back to her Podunk hometown somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I like New York City, and I can afford to live here.”

“I have sex sometimes— not a lot, though. I haven’t dated. I have bad limits. Sometimes, they got mad I would leave right after. Like they didn’t like feeling like they were used.” Jacob chuffed a little at that, and I frowned a little as I folded up my pizza slice. Grease dribbled down the cheese, pooled in the pepperoni— it was glorious. I’d never told anyone about myself, but it all just came out to him. “I can’t take off my clothes, but guys don’t care.”

“I went to high school with a guy that only thought tits were hot with a shirt on— I think nipples freaked him out. One time, during swimming class, he took off his shirt, and his nipples were taped over.” My brows rose high at that, a bark of laughter bursting from my pizza-stained lips. The mental image wasinsane, and Jacob smirked as I took another big bite of my slice. “You never had any weirdos in... how does Russia’s school system work, anyway?”

“We go to age 15, then Uni or work— that’s the simple way to say.” Mumbling around my bite, I swallowed roughly before realizing I had reached the crust. Licking my lips heavily, my gaze trained on Jacob across the small, circular table. “We do. I just ignore them. They’re losers… I would be loser, too, if…”

“Your English is a lot better than yesterday, Joci. You getting used to it? Have you spoken any Russian since getting here?” I shook my head, and he hummed softly in acknowledgment. “Does it take a toll on you— not speaking Russian?”

“It hurts my brain.” Nibbling on the crunchy end of the crust, I frowned at my own declaration. Jacob smiled that gentle smile, and the crowded place around us suddenly vanished. “I have to practice. My boss got me a teacher.”

“Seems out of character for him, honestly.” Nodding, it took me a long moment to realize that Jacob wasn’t the one that spoke. My head snapped up, pizza slipping onto the paper plate in front of me. The blood drained from my face as Carlyle Santino— in all his glory— stood over me like I was a bug he wanted to squash. His face portrayed nothing. He wasn’t even guarded, just staring with dead eyes and a blank, empty expression.

“What are you doing here?” Carlyle grabbed a chair, flipped it around backwards, and sat to prop his forearms on the curved back in one smooth motion. My question was overly loud in my ears, and I held my breath as he arched a thick brow at me curiously.

“I see you’re already making yourself comfortable here.” His voice was grating, and goosebumps washed my entire body under my clothes when he cocked his head at me. “You don’t give off the vibe of a corporate spy, I admit. Surely, you have no objections to my asking why Aleksander brought the issue of you to the negotiating table. Why should I allow it?”

“Please… Russia is not safe. I don’t have a place, anymore.” This was bad— this wasbad!– but I couldn’t find anything else in my scrambled brain to push out of my mouth. Carlyle Santino just watched me, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of my neck through bristling hairs. “I’m not a spy.”

“… I suppose that’s good enough. I am curious, though—” Eyes flashing with lightning narrowed into slits, and I tensed in purefear. “What mess is under those clothes? From what I understand, you were tortured for almost a month. I bet you have some nasty scars. I heard Anatoly tried to cut your breasts off at your ribs, but Aleksander decided that moment to remind his idiot little brother of his place. Do you know how frustrating it is to be stopped in your tracks right at the good part? No wonder it’s not safe for you there.”

“What thefuck!” Blurting out the slur angrily, Jacob drew my gaze as he stood up so furiously his chair fell over behind him. “What the Hell is wrong with you—”

“Jacob, no!” Blazing eyes full of disgust met mine to soften, but the red tinging his face and outlining the bulging vein in Jacob’s forehead didn’t dull. My stomach roiled dangerously as I silently pleaded, a strange desperation seeping from my pores. Resistance slowed his movements, reaching back to grab the chair and set it right. His knees cracked from how tense he was when they bent, and a tiny huff of relief dried my nose.

“I’m sure you’ll be very careful not to jeopardize your life by drawing my attention, Joci.” Carlyle stood up, putting his borrowed chair back only to cast me one, final, warning glance. “It’d be a shame to waste your future on a Makovich.”

Ducking my head, I stared at the edge of the table barely large enough to fit two plates. Aleksander’s hard gaze left me struggling to breathe, and my heart faltered when that weight finally lifted. The silence was all-encompassing, my brain too dazed to register anything going on around me.

Because, surely, a guy yelling at another guy over a girl wasn’t unusual, and no one cared much. That anonymity was beautiful, and I wanted to lose myself in it. I wanted to be drawn so far down that not even Carlyle Santino could find me.

“I should go.” Gulping down the cotton in my mouth, I forced my tired, battered body out of the chair. Carlyle Santino came to intimidate me, and he sure as shit achieved his goal. Blinking hard, I turned to Jacob as he clenched and released his fists far below his pinched, downturned face. “Thank you for standing up for me, Jacob.”

“Wh— wait. Joci.” Standing up once again, Jacob’s expression instantly morphed with panic. “I’ll walk you back. What hotel are you staying at?”

“I… I can’t remember right now.” Putting on my jacket with dragging movements, I winced as fiery pain shot down my shoulder blades. Hastily, he reached to help me, his arm securing around my back to lead me out of the tiny pizza shop. The place was so packed that it wasn’t safe, but I found myself closing my eyes and leaning into Jacob’s chest.

“I’ll order us a ride.” I didn’t have it in me to argue, and Jacob fished his phone out of his pants pocket. For the first time, I noticed he was wearing jeans.I can’t wear jeans.I couldn’t wear anything too rough or tight.

“You can ask.” He paused tapping around with his thumb to look at me, his jaw ticking hard under his scruff. Leaning against him, I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath in preparation. “It’s okay.”

“I know. That’s why I won’t ask. Whoever that guy was— he’s a dick.” His voice deepened and roughened with his anger, and my lip twitched up. Shaking his head viciously, Jacob turned back to his phone to tap a few more times. “Who was he? How did he know about you, Joci?”

“He’s a guy you don’t yell at.” I didn’t want to tell Jacob anything— that’d just drag him in with me, and I was trying so hard to get out. Reaching to put my hand over his furiously beating heart, Ihatedthe tension coursing through him. “Don’t worry. That was a warning. He won’t make another.”

“No wonder you want to fuck off to another country if you can say that so easy.” He grumbled more to himself than me, and I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. The air turned white as it flowed from my nose, the cold nipping at my eyelashes. “You’re not a criminal, are you, Joci?”