I have a few more hours until my shift is over. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Luka should have picked up Bay from preschool by now. I haven't heard a peep from the school or Luka.
Madisyn strolls up to me, glancing at my arm. My sleeve does a decent job hiding the bruise that Mark left behind.
"I'm heading out."
"I thought you were working a double?" I ask.
Madisyn is already changed out of her work scrubs. She has her purse slung over her shoulder. "I was, but I got called to the principal's office," she says with a smirk.
"I never knew that was a good thing." The smile on her face is as genuine as I've seen, but I can't quite determine why she's always so damn cryptic with me. I've given up trying to make sense of her life and what she's up to. If she wants to confide in me, she will.
Madisyn rests a hand on her belly. "My doctor's appointment got moved up. Mikhail is going to drive me home after."
"Is everything okay?"
"It's fine. Are you sure you're okay here? Do you want me to have Mikhail send up one of his men to keep an eye on the floor?"
The smile disappears from my face. "Like a bodyguard?" That sounds dreadful and embarrassing. "I don't need a babysitter."
"It's not for you. It's to make sure that Mark doesn't come back," Madisyn says. She heads toward the elevator, and I walk with her down the hallway. I'm heading in that direction anyhow, to the nurse's station.
Should I be worried? "Does this look like the face of a girl who's concerned?"
Madisyn hits the button for the elevator. She glances over her shoulder back at me. "You're tough, I get that, but Mark isn't just going to walk away. I've dealt with men like him before."
"I'm staying with Luka. It'll be fine."
Her brow tightens, and a scowl crosses her face. "I'm just worried that's not enough. I'll talk to Mikhail—"
"Please, don't." I step behind the nurse's station. I want this conversation to be over. Can she get into the elevator already and leave?
"Fine, but you need to tell Luka that Mark stopped by tonight."
That's a conversation that I'm not looking forward to having with Luka. "I will, but let me finish work first."
The elevator doors open, and Madisyn steps inside. I'm relieved that she's gone. I realize that she's only trying to help, but it's getting on my nerves. Was moving in with them a bad idea?
Besides, how many grown men live with their boss? I still can't quite wrap my head around the situation other than Mikhail must be a very wealthy individual and always requires extensive security.
But even billionaires allow their employees to go home. Don't they?