Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Eat,” I tell her. She glances around at the food and then starts grabbing items to add to her plate.
Anya watches us as she takes a sip of her water. One of the waitstaff refills Lena’s glass of wine, and we sit in comfortable silence while we begin eating.
“So, Lena, I never asked how you got into singing,” Anya says, and I know my sister well enough to know she isn’t one for small talk, especially considering neither of us has ever been good at it.
Lena has a mouthful and seems caught off guard as she covers her mouth and tries to swallow quickly. A part of me is intrigued by what her answer will be.
Hopes and dreams are something I’ve always found fascinating. Especially those of the artists of this world who always chase something they’re not entirely sure they can grasp. Whereas I’m used to taking things by brute force. But her singing was elegant in the same way I consider myself when using knives or escorting the living to the afterlife.
We all have our own calling, I suppose.
“’I started singing when I was a little kid. And I couldn’t stop. My parents thought it was cute at the time. Not so much when I became a teenager and wanted to continue it into adulthood and make a living from it. My brother’s a doctor, so, you know… saves lives and all,” she says with a hint of attitude.
Anya watches her carefully. “They disapprove of your career?”
Lena offers a weak smile as she considers her words. “They don’t understand it. A doctor… well, you know, they’re making good money and helping society. But a singer? I think they envision me at some karaoke bar or something. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve done that. I just don’t think they’ll understand it or accept it until I hit it big.”
Silence falls over the table, and Anya shrugs. “You could always just make them disappear.”
“What do you mean by that?” Lena asks innocently.
River interjects with a charismatic smile. “Cut them out of your life, is what my wife is trying to say. Apply healthy boundaries.”
Lena eyes me from the side, and I try to hide my smirk. Sure, healthy boundaries.
“I still love them, and they’re my parents. And moving to the city is probably as far away as I get from them right now. What about your pare—” She cuts herself off immediately. “Oh shit. I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“It doesn’t bother us. Does it, Alek?” Anya says, shooting me a meaningful look.
About our parents? I don’t even know how to explain the death of our parents or our foster mother, who pulled us into this world.
“No, it doesn’t,” I say.
“Alek and I always had one another. No matter what foster home we went to or mischief we found ourselves in,” Anya elaborates.
Lena offers a curt smile and holds her glass high. “Well, cheers to family and turning thirty.”
CHAPTER 20
Lena
“Thank you for a lovely evening and for inviting me for dinner,” I say as I stand, surprising myself because I actually did enjoy their company.
“I’ll take you home.” Alek springs from his chair, and I’m caught off guard by his eagerness. Well, as eager as someone like Alek can be.
I say my goodbyes to Anya and River and say to him as I begin to walk away, “I can just call an Uber.” But he continues escorting me out of the restaurant. I know he heard me, but me leaving on my own is clearly not an option. I know I should call an Uber, but a part of me wants to spend just a few more minutes alone with him. Something about Alek naturally pulls me in. And I’m trying to figure out if this is another one of those “bad boys” I shouldn’t be falling for.
I silently follow him to his car, which looks different from the other two I’ve been in.
“How many cars do you have?” I ask as he holds open the passenger door.
“A few.”
I slide into the seat, and he shuts the door behind me. And for once, I don’t cringe thinking about his car. Instead, I’m trying not to laugh. Maybe it’s the wine or the ridiculousness of the situation.
I watch him through the windshield as he walks around the hood. Men don’t typically intimidate me, but there’s something about him that holds so much power. You can tell just by looking at him that he is lethal in more ways than one.
He doesn’t like to be touched, though I’m not really sure why. But I hope one day he’ll tell me. I shake my head. Why the fuck am I even curious about Alek? He’s not the type of man a normal girl like me falls for. Alek is bad, that much is obvious. And I’m smarter than this, aren’t I? Yet I’m still in his car.