Page 73 of Guarded Rebellion

I nodded. Then groaned as I let my head drop back to the chair cushion.

“What?”

“I won’t be able to share my space, myself—anything—with him after this.”

“Wait. Are you going to drop out?” She sat up, alarmed.

“I think I have to. If my presence here is a target for dangerous people, that’s not right. I don’t want to be responsible for attracting threats to innocent students coming here for an education.”

“But you said Irina is from the Mafia too. If she’s here, it’s not just you.”

I shot her a frustrated look. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

“So, that’s it. You just drop out and quit?”

“I never would be able to get a job. To be a teacher…”

“You just get married off and pop out babies. Fuck, that sounds so defeatist.”

I nodded. It did sound terrible. But… I bit my lip, using her as a sounding board. “Or, maybe I could make my case to my uncle and try to compromise.”

“How so?” She smiled. “I’m all for your trying to stand up for what you want, girl.”

“I want Lev.” Saying it out loud made the burden of my deepest secret feel so much lighter. Like I wasn’t weighed down with the nervousness about it. “I want to be with Lev. With my uncle’s permission.”

“Whoa.” Her brows shot up high. “Is that something that he’d do?”

I shrugged. “He’s never talked much about my being married off. It’s just a given that I’ll be arranged to someone.”

“So, he could arrange for you to marry Lev?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. Arranged marriages are usually set up to unify the family with another. To form alliances and all this old-fashioned crap. But Uncle Oleg doesn’t seem to be a team player like that. He has never given a hint of what family he’d want to align with because he loathes them all. He’s a loner like that.”

“Then maybe…” She grinned. “Maybe he won’t oppose what you want.” She laughed once. “It’s not like Lev would protest. The man worships the ground you walk on. I can tell. I see it in the way he watches you.”

“He’s supposed to watch me. He’s my bodyguard.”

“Oh, cut that shit. He’swaymore than a bodyguard.”

Our time to gossip or enjoy girl talk was cut short with his return. The door opened so quickly, we were both startled. Lev walked in, showing a split lip and new injuries.

“Lev?” I shot to my feet, worried all over again. “I thought you were just checking on things.”

“Well, someone wasn’t happy about that.” He glanced at us before taking his sulking, broody self to the kitchen for ice.

“I’m going to just…” Kelly aimed her thumb at her room, which was at the opposite end of the apartment from mine.

I paid attention to Lev instead of my friend as she gave us privacy.

“What happened?” I reached him in the kitchen, grimacing as I took the dish towel from his hand and wetted it again for dabbing at the cut on his lip.

He didn’t reply, looking over his shoulder as though checking whether Kelly was within earshot. Her door closed at that moment, but I wanted more privacy with him too. Instead of pressing him for an answer, I took his hand and led him to my room.

“What happened?” I asked again as he took his coat off and dropped it in a chair.

“I was checking the campus for signs of activity from the Petrovs.” He wasn’t idle, taking off his bloodied shirt.

“And did you see any? Irina should be back to class.”

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