Page 49 of Hidden Empire

Remo doesn’t need to rush as much as he did this morning, but he’s still brief, walking me up to the third floor and showing me inside the classroom. It’s smaller than Armani’s, but I suppose that makes sense—smaller weapons and all. It’s set up like a traditional classroom, with desks grouped in the back and board in the front for instruction. Only the board is less of a focal point than the display table of knives and blades.

I have to bite my lip to contain a beaming smile when I get a look at the group of students. It’s not too intimidating, only six in here so far, and not many free desks remaining, so there must not be too many more coming.

Ana is here, which is nice!

“If anything happens that makes you uncomfortable, get up and leave, okay?” Remo asks, discreetly keeping his voice down. “Armani is just upstairs or just outside at the range at any given time, remember?”

“I remember,” I whisper back, smiling gratefully.

Javi walks in, and Remo takes that as his cue to leave, though there are five minutes until class technically starts.

I was too distracted to really look at Javier at the party, but if I had paid closer attention, I probably could have guessed that he wasn’t a student. Not because he didn’t look young, but because he wasn’t wearing a student uniform. Though the lights flashing all around and his similar wardrobe may have something to do with it.

He’s wearing black slacks, similar to the fit of my brother’s pants, and a button-down with an Empire Academy crest on the pocket. He’s tall but not overly bulky, and he has a buzzcut. His facial hair is trimmed but frames his face in a very purposeful way. With his hazel eyes and sun-kissed skin, I’m surprised he isn’t married.

I cross my legs in my chair, feeling a bit of a chill in the room. I’m a few seats away from Ana, and I would have taken the one next to her had it not been already occupied by Cole. I doubt there’s much that a beginner class like this could do for him, but he likely picked it on purpose. The way he dominates the air around them has people naturally looking away, and from what Ana said, that’s exactly what he wants.

With no less than a minute to spare, the last seat in the room is taken. It’s the one directly to my right, and thankfully, it’s taken up by someone I know.

This time I can’t contain my smile, fully flashing my teeth when he drops down next to me. He flashes a smile in return, and I feel immediately more settled.

Ivan is in this class? Fucking score.

“Hi,” I say, quiet but excited.

“Hi, Jade,” he replies, seemingly happy to see me.

“I didn’t know you’d be here, I was hoping we’d have a class together.”

“Last minute switch,” he explains, leaning over for more privacy. “There’s someone in here my brother wanted to keep an eye on.”

“Me?” I squeak, sucking in a breath.

“Who else?” he chuckles, giving me a playful wink.

This couldn’t be more perfect.

Dmitri asked him to switch into this class to watch me? That probably sounds so creepy to some people, but god, I practically have to fan myself at the news. Ivan isn’t here to leer at me or stalk me from afar.

The guy I like just handed me a friend because he worries about my safety and trusts his brother with me, and I couldn’t be happier if I tried. I have to hold myself back from reading too much into this, but it’s a great sign, nevertheless. Matteo is only a year older than me, and he wasn’t able to get into any of my classes.

Dmitri and Ivan seem like they have a great relationship. Like Cole, I doubt Ivan needs this time to learn, but it’s sweet that he’s here anyway. But Dmitri asked or implied he’d want him to be here, and he took initiative to make it happen.

And I was going to try to find Ivan today anyway; now I don’t have to run around looking crazy to do that. The Morozovs are my secret weapon for this cooking challenge bullshit.

Not my family’s allies? Check.

Not going to throw food in my face when offered? Check… I think.

The second half of today totally makes up for the first now.

“Alright,” Javi announces loudly to get the room’s attention, clapping his hands together. “This is Weapon Basics for Blades; I’m Javier Cabrera, and I’ll be your instructor for the semester. Call me Javi or Javier, I don’t want to hear the words Instructor Cabrera come out of any of your mouths. In this class, I don’t give a fuck about your family name, and you shouldn’t give a fuck about mine.”

Fair.

“I see some of you aren’t here to actually learn as there isn’t anything a basics class will teach you that you don’t already know. Don’t try to teach my students, don’t make yourself a nuisance, and we won’t have any problems. I don’t give a shit about your poor scheduling choices. If you want to waste your time here, by all means.”

Setting boundaries while being firm could also be a class here, and Javier could definitely teach it. There’s no malice in his words, only directness. He isn’t here to fuck around, and I don’t blame him. I don’t think I could ever be a teacher in a professional setting, let alone one that works with lethal weapons.

---