Page 89 of Savage Empire
“Very nice,” Apollo agrees mildly, not taking whatever bait he feels she’s trying to lure him with. “How long have you all been around?”
“An hour for us,” Jade answers, nodding to Dmitri. “Like twenty minutes for Ana and Cass. Did you guys decide to finish early since Yordan’s party is tomorrow?”
“It was part of my consideration in how long this training would run, yes. He didn’t have tutoring today, so it wasn’t difficult.”
“You know you can just say yes,” Ana says, rolling her eyes. “We all know you want him to have a good birthday, you don’t have to pretend to be indifferent. You bought him a flipping Ferrari for Christ’s sake.”
“Jealous, Ana?” His lips curl to one side. “If you want a Ferrari of your own, I’m sure you could simply ask your husband or our father for one.”
“I could buy one myself,” she shoots back. “But I’m more of a jewelry kind of girl. Cars are depreciating assets and I hold no fascination for hunks of metal collecting dust in my garage.”
Apollo doesn’t bother replying to her, and she doesn’t look like she’s expecting him to. Instead, he sets his sights on me.
“I need a word, Rayna. In private.”
I sigh, getting up from my seat. “Of course, you do.”
I start to move past him toward the kitchen and he steps into my path. “If you think they won’t be able to hear us ten feet away in a connected room, you’re mistaken.”
“You seriously think they’re going to eavesdrop? They’re your family.”
He merely blinks down at me, unmoving. “Which is how I know how nosy they are.”
My hands find my hips. “Seriously?”
“I won’t lie, I probably would have kept my ears open,” Jade admits, smiling sheepishly.
“Does it really need to be a private word?” I ask Apollo impatiently. “I have guests.”
“I’m sure they won’t mind,” he replies blandly. “Theyaremy family, after all.”
“You’re a pain in my ass,” I grumble. “Let’s go into the hallway, I’m not taking you upstairs just to have you worry about Yordan listening in too.”
Apollo deems my suggestion acceptable, leading the way to the front door and eventually shutting us out of the apartment.
“What is it?”
Apollo ignores my clipped tone, choosing to get right into the conversation rather than reprimand me for it. “Abramo called me this morning. He has heard some concerning whispers about your father’s old associates.”
My stomach drops. “W-what?”
“It appears that some of them are still looking to exact revenge through hurting Yordan. And yourself.”
But mostly Yordan. He doesn’t have to say it for me to read between the lines. My brother is the surviving male heir to adangerous traitor. He was always meant to be killed in revenge. Always meant to be made an example of. But I didn’t let it happen, and I never would.
“Do they know where we are?” I ask, voice cracking.
“No,” Apollo answers, without a hint of doubt in his response. “They’re looking, but they are entirely off track. I only wanted to tell you so that you heard it from me. The last thing I need is for you to think you’re unsafe here and have you bolt in the middle of the night, taking Yordan with you.”
“Should we worry about them catching our trail, Apollo?” My eyes are pleading as I look up at him. “Please don’t lie to me.”
“If there’s something to worry about, I will inform you.Iwill move you both myself before they get within a hundred miles of this place. You are safe, Rayna. Both of you are undermyprotection. Tell me you understand.”
A bit of my worry seems to calm, and I let out a held breath.
“Do you promise?”
“I do,” he confirms. “Tell me that you understand, Rayna. I’ve shown you that I can keep you both safe and cared for. Say you believe me.”
