Page 236 of Sexting His Assistant

I stare at Luka. “The man who attacked me s in this house?”

Luka says, “He’s secured.”

“That is not what I asked.”

Pavel says, “He’s not in the main house.”

I look at him. “That is also not what I asked.”

Luka stands. “Stay here.”

The words are quiet. They still feel like a door shutting in my face.

“No.”

Luka looks at me. “Nina.”

“Don’t Nina me. He attacked me.”

“And I will handle it,” Luka says.

“Sure you will,” I say.

His jaw tightens. “This is not the same.”

“It always becomes the same,” I say. “You tell me I matter, and then the second anything real happens, you put me in a room and close the door.”

Pavel looks like he would rather be anywhere else.

Luka says, “You have a concussion.”

“I’m not asking to fight him,” I say. “I’m asking not to be treated like furniture.”

Luka’s face hardens, and for a second I think he is going to refuse anyway.

Then Pavel interrupts. “Boss, he may stop talking if we wait.”

That ends the discussion for Luka.

He looks at me. “Stay here.”

Then he turns and leaves with Pavel.

I sit very still. The door remains open, but it does not matter. I have still been shut out.

For about ten seconds, I try to be sensible.

I tell myself I’m recovering. I tell myself Luka is trying to protect me. I tell myself hearing whatever that man says will not help my headache or my fear or my missing brother.

Then I remember standing in my apartment doorway, seeing the living room destroyed, and waking up in a hospital bed.

I close the laptop. This is a bad idea.

I know it is a bad idea while I’m doing it.

I stand too fast, have to hold the back of the chair for a second, then breathe until the room steadies. After that, I move carefully to the doorway and look into the hall.

No one is there. I follow at a distance.