Page 135 of Fall into Savagery

The boys skipped behind me. They didn’t even look back at our guards once.

I supposed it was easier for them to adapt to being protected by strange men.

They didn’t even seem to notice them.

Linda stood slightly off to the side of us, and even she seemed to adapt better to the protection than I was.

I should have been used to it, considering I had grown up with guards, but those guards had been around to ensure I didn’t run away and protect my virginity, as opposed to protecting me.

Dmitriy noticed the smoothie shop first. He looked up at me with big green begging eyes. I wondered how I could ever say no to him or Konstantin.

“Can we go, Catalina?” he asked.

I smiled. “Of course.”

“Yay!” Konstantin said. I was seeing more and more of his personality as the days passed.

We walked inside the cool, air-conditioned shop, and most of the customers and workers looked up at us, especially when three men followed and took a seat at the corner booth, saying nothing and not ordering anything.

I quickly ushered the kids and Linda to the front counter. Thankfully, there was only one person in front of us, and it looked like they were getting ready to pay.

Linda read the menu to the boys while I looked around, trying not to feel self-conscious.

A slight shiver ran down my spine then, feeling eyes on me. I knew better than to ignore my gut feeling. My eyes moved about the small shop and stopped on a woman sitting in a corner booth opposite my guards.

A beautiful woman who, for some reason, looked familiar to me, yet I couldn’t place exactly why that was.

I knew I had never seen her before.

She had one of those faces that were really unforgettable.

Beautiful in a hard way.

In an untouchable way.

In an intimidating way.

In a way, I didn’t think I could ever pull off.

Her eyes were aimed directly at me, and I wouldn’t say she looked menacing, but she wasn’t exactly nice in her stares.

I looked away from her when Dmitriy tugged on my arm to show me the blueberry smoothie he had ordered, while Konstantin had his little hands around a large cup filled with a strawberry smoothie.

They each wore matching smiles.

I smiled at them and looked to the corner where the woman had been sitting, pulling up short when I found it empty.

Where did she go?

“Are you okay, Catalina?” Linda asked me, her kind brown eyes shrouded in concern.

I offered a small smile I didn’t exactly feel and nodded, my eyes going over to where Gleb was sitting.

He had his eyes on the group of us and looked at me when he noticed me staring at him.

He cocked his head to the side as if asking me if everything was okay.

I could only nod, and Linda and I led the boys to a booth by the window.

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