Page 61 of Toxic Temptation
“Mr. Krayev! Always a pleasure.”
The man is practically drooling. Can’t say I blame him. Every time I show up here, I write him a check. Library renovations, new equipment for the astronomy program, Christmas bonuses for the faculty. At this rate, they’ll rename the place Krayev Prep.
I couldn’t be less bothered. Luka deserves the best.
“Kenneth.” I shake his hand just hard enough to remind him who’s in charge here. “I’ll make this quick. I’m doubling Luka’s security detail. The guards will stay out of sight, but they’ll need access to your security systems.”
His face goes pale. “I’m not sure I can authorize?—”
The look I give him stops him mid-sentence.
“Of course, Mr. Krayev. I’ll brief our head of security personally.”
“One more thing. I need to add someone to Luka’s emergency contacts.”
“Certainly. Name?”
“Vesper Fairfax. She’ll be in the pickup rotation along with myself, Osip, and Pavel.”
“And her relationship to the child?”
“She’s my girlfriend.”
The words come out easier than I expected. Too easy, maybe.
Dean Thomas, to his credit, shows absolutely no sign of being surprised. “I see. I’ll update his file immediately.”
I clap him on the shoulder. “Good man. Let me know if anything seems off.”
With that taken care of, I return back down the marble corridor toward Luka’s classroom. Through the window, I can see him dragging Vesper around the room, showing her the science corner, the class hamster, some kind of rock garden by the windows.
Her face lights up with every new thing he shows her. Pure, unbridled joy. Not faked, not a parent putting on a show for the child.
Real.
I can picture Yana in this same situation. It would be a litany of bored sighs, not-so-subtle eye rolls, cutting comments disguised as compliments. She has a gift for making people feel small without them even realizing what she’s doing. Her own son is her favorite target, if only because her previous favorite is now dead.
Vitalii used to tell me how she’d tear him down piece by piece, then act surprised when he felt like shit afterward. She called it honesty. I called it cruelty. Vitalii called it nothing until it was too late for him to start.
Finally, Luka gives Vesper a hug and waves her toward the door. She steps into the hallway and jumps in fright when she sees me waiting.
“Jesus! You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“Not until after I get custody. Then you can drop dead.”
She glares at me. “How romantic.”
I almost smile. “He seemed happy to show you around.”
“He’s an amazing kid, Kovan. Really.”
“He gets that from his father.” I’m surprised I manage to keep my face calm and my voice level. Thoughts of Vitalii usually make my throat tighten up in unspoken anger, festering anger, anger that’s still found no outlet after all this time.
“Luka showed me some of Vitalii’s paintings this morning at the house,” she says carefully.
I stop walking. “He did?”
“Yes. Said he wanted me to see them.”
