Page 114 of Heart of a Villain

“Do you guys want to find a toy and bookstore before we head back?” Adrían asked. “Because that’s what I’m hearing. But my mother did used to say my ears were full of wax.”

Josiah’s hand shot up. “Bookstore!”

Theo mirrored him. “Toys!”

“Jewelry for me,” Sayeda tossed in.

Without missing a beat, Adrían asked, “What kind?”

“You pick. What would look good on me?”

His eyes flashed.

Maybe she was wrong.

Maybe he still wanted her.

“I’ll be right back, then.” He kissed her cheek, squeezed Josiah’s shoulder, and tousled Theo’s hair before walking off.

She stared at his retreating back for far too long, sighed, and faced forward. Josiah and Theo looked up at her, and she wondered what was going through their young brains. Josiah might have had some idea about her feelings for Adrían, but she would have bet all the money she had left that Theo was thinking about that bakery.

As far as she knew, Ayesha hadn’t told them about the “sisters and twins” thing, though it probably wouldn’t matter. They called her “Auntie” and “Aunt” Seda and treated her as if she’d been part of the family for as long as Ayesha had been. It was, however, a lot of information to throw at kids all at once. Despite his height and intelligence, Josiah was only twelve years old.

“Auntie Seda?” Theo called.

She stooped to his level. “Yes, puka?”

He pointed to the large window behind her. “That man is looking at you, and I don’t like it. I’m telling Daddy.”

She turned.

In the middle of the restaurant, facing her while Erik blabbed in his ear, was the last person she expected to see. Sweden was too big for this. There should have been zero chances of her running into Lorenzo. What had he been doing, checking all the restaurants? Did she have a type when it came to the places she liked to work? Had she made herself easy to be found by applying and interviewing for this position?

She grabbed the boys’ hands. “Let’s find that bakery, hmm? I think I can smell it from here.”

Josiah stared past her shoulder, brows narrowed. He didn’t say anything, but he placed his hand on her lower back to usher her away from the window while removing his phone. It was another thing that surprised her, but only for a moment when she realized who he had in his life as role models.

They headed down the sidewalk, her heart orchestrating an entire concerto in her chest, but she would die before she let anything happen to these boys. She wasn’t the same woman Lorenzo had last seen in Brazil. Here, without his control, there was nothing forcing her to submit to his morbid whims.

The scent of warm, buttery bread relaxed her some, plus the knowledge that Adrían wasn’t far away. As much training as she and Mo had undergone, she wasn’t Mo, and she wasn’t Adrían.

Once inside the bakery, Theo gravitated toward a display of cinnamon rolls. On any other day, she would have let him release her hand. Today, they might as well have been handcuffed. Josiah, on the other hand, remained close to her side on his own.

“Want anything ‘Siah?” she asked.

He looked up from his phone, and his narrowed brows disappeared. “Um, yeah. A cinnamon roll. Can we get some stuff to take back for everyone? Ma and Dad would probably really like some tiramisu.”

“Of course, ‘Siah.”

He looked back at the door.

So did she.

Thankfully, Lorenzo hadn’t followed them.

They ordered pastries, fresh bread, and croissants. Theo yell-thanked the woman behind the counter, his cinnamon roll so big compared to his tiny hands that he had to use both to hold it. From the first bite, one cheek became covered in sticky icing.

Adrían entered the bakery.

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