Page 15 of Dragon Prince of New York

“Sit.” He motions to an armchair in the corner.

“I’d prefer to stand.” Shifting the box of bedding to my other hip, I give him a hard glare. “Answer the question, Cyrus.”

He paces to the window and back again before he answers, his facial expressions changing with each step like he’s arguing with himself.

When he stops in front of me, he pushes a sigh through clenched teeth. “We’re not mafia, but we have… people who would like to hurt you.” His hand drags over his mouth a few times, thinking. “It’s not so uncommon when you have money, actually.” He picks up steam while walking. “People want what you have and will go to great lengths to force your hand.”

“You think someone wants to kidnap me? Ransom me or something?”

He’s quiet for a moment. “Possibly.”

“Is that really why Jess and Midas wanted you to stay here?”

“Yes.” He rubs his chest like it pains him.

“Alright.” I turn to walk out of the room, but he jumps in frontof me.

“That’s it?” He asks. “You’re not upset? You’re not going to demand I do something about it or anything?”

I shrug. “Getting upset won’t do me any good, will it?”

His eyebrows drop, like he’s looking at an abstract painting he can’t understand. It almost makes me want to laugh or puff out my chest with pride. I enjoy being an enigma to him.

“You’ve got some kind of security or whatever, right? So, you’re on top of it.” I lift and lower my shoulders. “What else is there for me to do?”

There’s an expression on his face I can’t quite read. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“With this? No problem.”

He catches my meaning, because he flinches slightly and steps to the side, out of my way. I walk straight out of the room, stumbling mindlessly back to my studio. There might not be much I can do about the situation, and I’m not the kind to borrow trouble and get upset about something I can’t control, but I hate the idea that I might be in danger. Hate it even more that Jess might be, too.

Cyrus said they’re not mafia, and his explanation made sense, but still… there’s always been something just a little off about Midas.

“You okay?” Sora asks. “Why do you still have the bedding?”

“Oh.” I completely forgot I was holding it. Setting it down near the door, I consider telling Sora what I just heard, but what good would it do? She’s got enough going on in her life. I don’t need her worrying about me too. “Just ran into the dickhead, that’s all.”

“Oh, I should have gone with you. I really want to see this adonis man.”

“He is pretty good eye candy.” I smile, feeling lighter thanks to my best friend and the reminder of the show Cyrus put on for me this morning. Knowing Midas, he’s got even more protection around Jess than whatever guards Cyrus has watching this place. That man is downright obsessed with my sister. She’ll be fine.

I hip check Sora as I return to the pile of boxes in the middle of the room. “Let’s finish up here, and I’ll introduce you.”

She hops on the balls of her feet and eagerly starts unwrapping an easel. After that, our conversation revolves mostly around her new job as a nanny and what I plan to do with myself now that I’m back in New York. By the time we finish, it’s well into the afternoon, and we’re both a little tipsy from our constant stream of mimosas.

“So, are you going to let me meet this brother-in-law now?” Sora stands up and brushes the shredded packing paper offher lap. “Wait, is he your brother-in-law or just Jess’s? What is he to you? Is brother-in-law even the right title?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like thinking of Cyrus as my brother-in-law.”

Her smile is like a tiger ready to pounce. “Because you liiiiike him.”

“I’m attracted to him. That’s different.” I flip my head upside down and throw my hair into a messy top knot, held in place with two thin paint brushes. “And didn’t we decide he’s not a guy I should go for?”

“Meh, I’m feeling more generous now. Maybe what you need is something casual. You were so head over heels for Tim, and he wasn’t... well, you know. Maybe you need to practice having a little fun without it meaning anything.”

“Is that your advice to me or to yourself?”

I know Sora's been questioning her choices lately, especially why she jumped into marriage with a guy who was lukewarm at best. Right after the divorce, she confided in me that she married him mostly because she wanted to have sex after two years of trying to avoid it.

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