Page 34 of Crown Jewels
No, Mitch would’ve told me. But would he? There were a lot of things he didn’t tell me about. Keeping me in the dark was his way of protecting me. This could be one of those things.
Why was I worrying about this anyway. It wasn’t like Vahn had ever hurt me. Sure, he was an ass, but he’d never threatened me. He did almost kill a man though. A man who tried to rape me.
Sighing, I scrubbed a hand down my face—careful not to touch the bruise on the side of my jaw—and told myself to stop being paranoid. Vahn wasn’t dangerous, he was just angry. And if he was involved in something like the mob, wasn’t it better to be on his good side? I had nothing to worry about.
I stood up, shook the tension out of my body—that was a useful trick I learned in the one acting class I took—and headed out to join Vahn.
“Hey,” Vahn smiled at me and waved his hand towards the kitchen table. “Have a seat.”
He seemed oddly happy.
I hesitantly headed over, then cocked a brow when I saw all the plates on the table.
When he said he made breakfast he wasn’t kidding. Vahn made every possible breakfast food we had in the house. Pancakes, waffles, toast, eggs, omletes, eggs benedict, bacon, and sausages. How much did he expect me to eat?
My eyes went from the food, to where Vahn was pouring orange juice in to two cups. “You made all of this?”
“I know, I went a little overboard.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know what you’d want.”
I had the same thing every morning. He knew that. So, why would he make all of this? Unless…
“What are you up to?”
“You sound paranoid, Parakeet.”
I was.
Vahn reached out to place one of the glasses of juice on my side of the table, then looked over at me. “Ah, you’re scared of me now.”
A little.
“No I’m not.” I insisted while crossing my arms.
“Liar.” He chuckled, then nodded at the chair. “Sit down.”
“I’m not hungry.”
His eyes locked on mine. “Sit the fuck down Emma.”
That wasn’t a question, or a suggestion. It was a demand. I didn’t know what else to do, so I stepped over and slid my butt into the chair.
“See,” Vahn smiled. “Isn’t it better when we all get along?”
What the hell did that mean? Something about this whole situation didn’t sit right with me. Vahn was never that nice, he also never cooked, and he sure as hell wasn’t concerned with what someone else wanted to eat. His actions reminded me of when someone had to deliver bad news, but they buttered the person up first.
I eyed Vahn as he put some eggs and bacon on my plate, then sat down and began piling food on his own plate. “This isn’t a normal breakfast is it?”
“No, it’s not.” He said, confirming my suspicions.
“Is it Mitch?” My brother was my first thought. I was constantly worried that one day his gambling would get him in trouble with the wrong people.
“No,” Vahn shook his head. “It’s not Mitch.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to my brother, which was why it would be nice if he messaged me back. But it wasn’t the first time he disappeared. He tended to do that when he met a girl.
“This is about you, Parakeet.”
Me? “What did I do?”
