Page 27 of Devious Secrets

“Until I have all the information I need to be sure you’re not a threat, you will be under my care.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but you make no sense. No one decides for me. No one.” I shove him, but it’s like trying to move granite. He goes nowhere.

“No one is coming to save you, Megan Reed. And if there was someone who allowed you to put yourself in this situation, I would break their fucking neck for it.” He takes a step back, squashing a pair of my jeans beneath his heel.

Great, now I have two mafia bosses wanting to ruin my life.

“Now pack a bag or don’t pack a bag. Either way, we’re leaving here in five minutes.” He snags his phone again, putting it to his ear. “This is Alexander.”

Pressed against the door, dazed and angry, I can only watch as he steps over more mess from the break-in and leaves the room.

I could disappear and no one would do anything about it. There would be no big search party. When I don’t show up to work, they might try to call me, maybe put in a police report. But the reach of the Volkov family would easily make that go away.

“Who are you?” a male voice demands from the other room.

Billy!

I jump over the piles in my bedroom and hurry down the hall to find the boy who lives on the third floor glaring at Alexander from the doorway. Alexander has one eyebrow arched and looks at me.

“Billy. It’s okay. I’m here.” I get between them. Billy’s barely twenty and lives with his ailing grandmother. He’s no threat to anyone.

“Yeah. I just came up to see if… wow, they really made a mess, didn’t they?” He surveys the living room.

“They? You saw who did this?” I urge.

“Yeah. They were looking for you, the same guys, you know?” He eyes Alexander, who has now gotten off his phone and moves to stand behind me.

“What guys?” Alexander questions.

Billy looks to me. “You know,thoseguys.”

Oh, shit.

“Yeah, I do. Did you talk to them at all?”

“They asked about you. I said I didn’t know where you were. They said they were just going to leave a note for you on your door. Guess, they did more than that, huh?” He frowns.

“Who are these men?” Alexander questions again.

“They didn’t say anything else?” I press. I’m supposed to have more time. Why would they be here harassing me already?

“Just that they were leaving a note.” He blows out a breath.

Alexander puts his hands on my shoulders and gives a little squeeze.

“Still waiting on my answer,” he says.

Billy raises his gaze up to Alexander.

“Hey, man. Sorry. I’m Billy. I live up on three with my grandma.” He puts his hand out to Alexander, who stares at it.

I try to nudge him.

“Rude asshole,” I mutter under my breath, but not soft enough. He must have heard me because he lets me go and takes Billy’s hand.

“Alexander Volkov.” He pumps Billy’s hand, then drops it. “If you know who did this, I’d really like to know.” He evens his tone now that he’s assessed that Billy isn’t a problem.

Billy won’t be dragging me away on some white horse to save me from him.

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