I shrugged. Our job was to protect Annika, and without a pool house like at the L.A. property, we had nowhere else to stay except inside the house with Annika.
With that thought came the reminder that they were trusting us to do our jobs and protect her. I vowed not to betray that trust or let them down.
“I’m going to get Annika’s chair so she can move around at her own leisure.”And so I won’t have to carry her again and be distracted by her.
I headed back out to the garage and came back with her chair, leaving it outside of her room, noting that she’d closed the door. Either she was going to sleep or she wanted some privacy. Did I make her uncomfortable? After her initial scare in the hallway at the L.A. estate, she’d seemed more curious about me than anything, but that was only because she didn’t know what I looked like. Once she saw my face, she would keep her distance.
I met Tim in the kitchen again, and we sat at the table, sipping coffee in silence for several minutes.
“Should we work out a schedule?” Tim asked. “Twelve-hour shifts so that one of us is awake and around to protect her at all times?”
“Yeah. Sounds like a good idea.” This was a unique situation, unlike any task we’d been assigned before. We weren’t normally allowed to freely mingle with the Popov family. Last summer was the first time I’d been invited to sit down and have a meal with them (at this very table). It had felt strange at first, as if I was committing a horrible sin. But none of them had objected. In fact, when I’d tried to leave, Lev had told me I basicallywasfamily, and ordered me to sit down and eat. Admittedly, I had felt privileged that day, as if I really was a part of their family. I didn’t think Timofey had ever been allowed to eat with the family before.
And now they were trusting us alone with Annika in their fancy lake house. That was big.Huge.
“We can’t fuck this up, Tim. We can’t let anything happen to her.”
He caught my stare. “We won’t.”
Silence stretched again as we finished our coffee. Tom got up to refill his cup.
“Did you call the boss to let them know we made it?” I asked.
“Yep.” Tim leaned against the counter while he waited for his coffee to brew. “Gave him a quick update. He said to check in regularly.”
He returned to the table with a fresh cup of coffee and slid into his chair. “He also said Sacha checked out the phone but didn’t find any suspicious software. They tried to trace it to its owner, but it was one of those burner phones that you can hook up without any identification. It had also been wiped free of fingerprints. Whoever this guy is, he’s hiding his tracks well. Boss said they also ran facial recognition software on the guy at the gate, but it was difficult to get a clear image of his face under his disguise, and so far, nothing has come up.”
Uneasiness swirled in my gut. “So itwasa disguise? I wondered about that.” And the way the guy had looked at me with recognition in his eyes still nagged at me. Who the fuck was he? I had to be missing something here.
Tim gave a slow nod. “Boss thinks he might be the same guy who attacked her in Chicago.”
I blew out a breath. “If I’d known it was the same guy, I would have killed him at the gate rather than let him run off.”
“Me, too.”
Initially, I’d wondered if maybe my father had somehow been involved in Annika’s attack five months ago, but after learning the details of the incident, I’d changed my mind. Papa might be vindictive, but I didn’t think he was smart enough to pull off a stunt like that.
“Still can’t believe she requestedusto protect her,” I murmured. “And I’m shocked Pavel and Alexei went along with her wishes.” Why she’d chosen us was still a mystery to me.
Tim grunted. “I’m not. I mean, think about it, dude. Oleg is scary as fuck. What woman would want him around her twenty-four/seven?”
We both chuckled. True. I wasn’t surprised that the Popovs had had us quickly whisk her away to the lake house. Hiding her here was smart. I hoped they found the guy who was stalking her and dealt with him soon so she could return to her home and her life in L.A.
“I would appreciate if you guys would keep me in the loop about everything instead of all the whispering and suddenly going silent that my family always does around me.”
Tim and I both jolted as Annika suddenly appeared around the corner in her wheelchair, heading into the kitchen and moving straight for the coffee machine.
My heart ricocheted off my ribs, my breaths quickening. Keeping my head bent, I yanked my hoodie over my face and twitched in my chair, ready to bolt the moment she came closer.
It’s for her own protection that she doesn’t see me.
“My family is way overprotective,” she went on with her back to us as she waited for her coffee to brew. “And I hate the way they always keep me in the dark about what’s going on. This was the first time they’ve given me a say in matters by letting me choose who accompanied me here. I expect you two to keep me informed so I know what’s going onat all times. Can you do that, please?” She slowly turned in her chair, her gaze taking us both in.
I lifted my cup to take a sip, keeping my face hidden behind it. She narrowed those pretty blue eyes at me, then shifted her gaze to Tim.
“Our job is to protect you, Miss Annika,” Tim said with his usual cheerfulness. “We promise to fill you in on anything you want to know. Right, Adrik?”
I set my cup back on the table, keeping my face hidden behind the hoodie. “Right. I promise I will never lie to you, Annika.”