Page 80 of Scorch

“It's hard to believe it's coming so soon. We put it off, and we were planning a month, but everyone’s in agreement we need to move this up. But yeah, I’m good.”

Vera stands up.

“Go to your husband. I'm sure Viktor and Nikko are done soon. I need to find my future husband too,” I say with a laugh.

Vera leans over and gives me a hug. “I love you, Lydia,” she says softly.

I hug her back, warmth spreading across my chest. “And I love you.” Maybe one of the best parts of all this is that I might get to know my sister a little better.

Vera leaves, and I start my hunt for Viktor.

It's dark in the hallway as I look around for Viktor. The distant roll of thunder catches my attention.

Wandering the halls of his home—our home?—I feel a sense of foreboding. Everything is dark, moody, and the thunderstorm outside these windows doesn't help. I pause on the landing of the stairs, staring out an oval-shaped window into the night.

Lightning strikes overhead, lighting up the yard below. I pause, my heart skipping a beat. What is that down there? What is that?

I strain my eyes, thinking it must be Viktor, for some weird reason, taking a walk in the rain. But then, when the clouds shift, allowing more light to illuminate below, I realize it isn't Viktor or even one person but several. I stand up straighter, my heart beating faster.

There are half a dozen men with weapons outside this window, surrounding our grounds. Oh my God.

“Viktor! Viktor!” I can't stop my voice from shaking. I need to see him; I need to see him right now. “Viktor, where are you?”

My voice is shaky despite my best efforts to keep it steady. When I get to the landing, he pokes his head out from the den where Nikita lies. Of course, he's with Nikita. That makes perfect sense. I blame the stress for not figuring it out sooner. I’m so foolish.

He's immediately at attention, ready to kill.

I run to him, and he quickly gathers me in his arms. The immediate feel of his hand on the back of my head and his other hand around my waist makes me breathe easier, if only for a moment. “What is it? What happened?”

“People outside with weapons. Lots of them! Are they going to attack?”

“Where?” he snaps, running to the window to look. “Oh. Damn. I'm sorry, Lydia. Baby, I should've told you. Those are the men I called in as backup. Our guard.”

I swallow. “Of course. The guard. God, I'm so dumb.”

“Don't call yourself dumb. I don't want to hear that again,” he says gently, though there's an element of steel in his voice that reminds me exactly what it feels like to be under his command.

“They are here overnight, even in the rain?”

“Of course. They'd stay there through a snowstorm or a blizzard. They're here to protect you.”

Not us, I think to myself.

“Okay, that makes sense.”

He kisses my cheek. “I’ll tell you next time. Are you going to bed? We’ve had a long day. I'll join you in a few minutes. Did you have a nice visit with your sister?”

“I did, but we need a lot more time to catch up. I hope we can get that.”

“I'll do whatever it takes. If she has another job to go to, I'm happy to travel so that you can visit her nearby, if it's feasible. Same with your mother.”

“But they need you here?—”

He smiles. “And you're needed too, but most of the time, what you'll be doing for us can be done remotely.” He bends over and kisses a little curlicue on the corner of my temple. I love it when he does that. I think over what Vera has said, what she's revealed.

He's known me and wanted me for a very long time. And maybe that should freak me out. Maybe it's just a part of who he is, who we are as two unconventional people.

“You’d do that for me? Travel so I can be with my sister?”

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