Chapter 11 SOFT SPOTS
Chapter 11 SOFT SPOTS
NIKOLAI
Did I expect her to win?
Well, not against Delilah. I mean, I knew she must have gotten some training, but I didn’t think she was that good.
Although Delilah was declared the final winner, anyone with a brain could tell that she let Delilah win on purpose.
This isn’t her final play.
For some reason, her ability to keep her head low despite having the opportunity to prove a point makes me smile. It’s a trait that very few people have, and it is the very thing that makes a person truly dangerous.
We exit the gym and I catch her wrist before she can slip away. Delilah throws me a smirk as she heads off, but I ignore her.
“Mia.”
She looks at me and looks away, which makes me smirk. She’s still shaken from last night, so I decide to have a little fun.
I turn her gently, but firmly, until her chin tilts up toward mine.
“Why were you watching me last night?” I ask simply.
Her eyes widen for just half a second – but I catch it. She is quick, but not quicker than me.
“Watching you?” she repeats, voice all innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A terrible lie.
She knows she has been caught. She knows I saw her lingering outside my office, and she shouldn’t have been there.
“You are a lot of things, kotyonok,” I murmur. “But a good liar isn’t one of them.”
Her throat bobs, and she looks away.
I let it go – for now.
Instead, I say, “Get ready.”
She blinks and looks at me. “For what?”
“You’re going out with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
“I can’t go out; I’m not done healing from all my wounds.”
I turn around and start walking away. “That wasn’t a request, love,” I reply
She doesn’t say anything else, and I don’t look back to see her reaction.
When I get to my office, I find Delilah sitting on the sofa with an ice pack. She doesn’t look so happy, and I already know why, but I choose to still ask.
“Why are you sulking?”
“I’m not sulking, I’m pissed,” she grunts.
“Why? You won the fight, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but we both know I didn’t really win the fight. That bitch is trying to be smart.”
I shrug and pour myself a bottle of vodka.
The door opens, and Fin walks in, holding a bottle of vodka. I swear in another life, we are probably the same person.
“Why are you in here sulking?” Fin asks Delilah, who rolls her eyes in annoyance.
See?
“I’m not sulking, I’m pissed! Gosh!”
Fin shrugs and walks over to join me by the mini bar, and I hand him a glass.
“I feel like you guys are not taking this seriously at all.”
Fin and I share a look before I speak. “Look, D, we know that your pride is hurt, but it was one match. And you did torture her not long ago, so she was most likely fueled by all that anger. Just let it go.”
“Yeah, let it go, Delilah, be the bigger person,” Fin adds, and D glares at him.
“By the way, we have that meeting tonight,” Fin starts, totally ignoring Delilah.
“Yeah. Mia is coming with us,” I say, and I hear Delilah toss the ice pack on the desk, and I look at her with raised brows.
“Why?” she asks, getting to her feet and walking over to stand in front of me.
“Because I say so,” I reply sternly.
“What is going on? Is this girl a prisoner or some kind of special guest? It’s getting hard to tell the difference, ”She snaps.
I glance at Fin, who is quietly sipping on a drink, and I try to ignore her tone.
“D, Mia is coming with us, and that’s final,” I say.
“I just want to know why she seems to be –“
“That’s final!” I cut her short with finality. She instantly halts her speech, knowing that she is getting dangerously close to the line.
“Go get the car ready,” I order.
I return to my glass, and it’s halfway to my lips when I realize that she hasn’t moved from her position.
I glare at her, “Did I stutter?”
She swallows and immediately leaves the room without another word.
Fin still hasn’t said a word, and I know he won’t. he has never questioned my order, but he is generous with his opinion when asked. Unless I ask, though, he does exactly what I say.
He is my most loyal soldier.
“What are you thinking?” I ask finally.
“I think you were just putting Delilah in her place, and that’s okay. But I also think that she's right about you obviously having a soft spot for the girl.”
“It’s not a soft spot, it’s just – I don’t know what it is. Is that bad?” I groan.
“Not yet. You are one of the most brutal people that I know, and you probably have a good reason for treating her differently. But we have established that she is an enemy – or at least she worked for one. She’s also very calculative and knows a lot more than a thing or two. You should be careful with that soft spot you have for her, because if she sees it, she’s sure as hell going to exploit it.”
He takes a large sip of his drink and gets to his feet. “I'd better go get ready.”
I nod to him and watch him leave.
He’s right. I can’t have Mia knowing that I have a spot for her. No matter the sense of responsibility or affection I have towards her, the truth remains that she is not the girl I saved all those years ago. She is grown, and she is different now, and I have to know this version of her before I have myself making the terrible mistake of underestimating her.