Page 88 of Shâhzâdeh

“Boss says to check your phone, Ms. Vanya.” Quentin’s voice broke through my thoughts of Wonderland and the madness I felt like I was falling into.

“What?”

“He’s trying to message you and he’s concerned you haven’t responded. I’ve tried to tell him you’re fine but he wants to make sure.” Quentin barely glanced into the rearview but I could tell he wanted me to hurry up and do what he asked.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been zoned out.”

He chuckled while his eyes still scanned our surroundings. “He saw.”

I blinked twice before his words actually registered. “He—”

Quentin reached back and tapped some box looking thing on the ceiling that I thought was just the car’s fancy interior lights. “He’s always going to have eyes on you, Ms. Vanya. His protectiveness is one of his love languages. Only saw it exercised with his mama and friends, hell even me and Shoaib. But it’s clear he found the right one to bestow it on in you.”

“That’s so nice, Quentin.” I don’t know why I felt so emotional, probably because of everything that had gone on today. But right now, I had tears in my eyes and my heart was doing something funny.

“You haven’t really had people be nice to you before have you?” His voice was sympathetic, but not in the way that made me feel pitiful. It was how Xerxes often sounded. Like he wanted to chop someone up for not having been nice to me.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean there’s politeness and then there’s shock. You always seem shocked when someone is showing you love. Frankly, I don’t like that. If you say the word I’ll handle whoever hurt you for you. You’re like a bunny. All nice and innocent, just minding her own business. Someone trying to mess with you don’t sit right with me.” He looked genuinely pissed off, but my phone buzzed before I could speak up.

“Quentin, he says he will fire you if you mess up his plans.”

Quentin laughed, still keeping his eyes on the road. “Firing would be the least terrible thing he would do so that doesn’t sound so bad.”

“He said that arrangements can be made for worse.”

“I’m sure it could. But I would be down for the assist. Maybe get some jabs in. I’d never seen him so frantic. And not even like it was a physical manifestation. It’s a way his face just goes on automatic when it’s time to go to work. But this time there was urgency. You were that urgency and I’m glad that you’re just as concerned about him as he is for you. In this life, he needs that.”

“And what about you? Is there a Mrs. Quentin?” I was being nosy now but the danger of the day was gone and I could relax.

“Not yet. I’m not ready for that yet and I can acknowledge it without feeling bad about it.” Despite speaking to me, he kept his eyes searching the horizon to ensure we were safe.

“So, like lots of women vying for the position who couldn’t even pay the price of admission?”

“Something like that.” He pulled into the parking garage of my building and I sat unmoving for a minute. It felt like the day had caught up with me and I didn’t know how to handle everything that had gone on. “Should I tell him to come?”

I looked up again, and Quentin was now looking at me through the rearview mirror. “I’m sure he’s in the middle of business.”

“And I’m even more sure he would drop it all if he knew you needed him.”

I bit my lip glancing at the camera, knowing he could probably hear me but not wanting him to feel like he had to baby me. “But this is part of it, right? Being able to handle a moment like this so that he can handle a moment like this.”

“Nobody needs you to be out here bein’ a shooter, Ms. Vanya. We have people for that.”

“Like Navi.”

Quentin’s mouth dropped open before he could catch himself. I smirked at having had caught him off guard. “What—”

“Don’t even try to tell me I didn’t see what I saw. That girl pulled a gun out that was bigger than she was and was aiming as well as the rest of you. I knew there was something extra about her when I met her. She is a wonderful actress but being around people who have acted my entire life, I can recognize it. It wasn’t until she loosened up that she stopped playing a role and allowed herself to be human. So, yeah, you can’t lie your way out of this one.” It had taken me a minute to register what I’d seen, but replaying parts of the day I couldn’t believe that Navi had been out there shooting just as well as the rest of them. She was completely unbothered by bullets flying around her.

“Wouldn’t have lied, I would’ve deferred you to your man for explanation.” Quentin was grinning as though he was happy to have had an out.

“I woke up today single and now I’m somebody’s fiancée.” I was tugging on my hair, an old habit I’d picked up as a kid. The pain on my scalp gave me something else to focus on instead of my thoughts and was my way of self-soothing.

Quentin’s laughter brought me back to our conversation and I released the end of my hair. “Vanya, I hate to break it to you, but you haven’t been single in a good minute.”

I stopped tugging on my hair because Quentin had a point. “As much as I want to call you a liar, I can’t. What do I do now?”

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