Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
KAYLANI
“Come on, please join us,” I begged Ren.
She was stretched out on a sun lounger beneath the shade of a palm tree. Blake sat beside her like a loyal shadow. She didn’t even open her eyes when she shook her head.
“The sun and I are not friends. I’ll burn to a crisp in ten seconds. And besides, I don’t know how to swim.”
My jaw dropped. “Wait. Let me get this straight. You’re dating what is basically an entire swim team, but you don’t know how to swim?”
Blake laughed before she could answer.
“Trust me, the irony is not lost on me,” Ren said, sighing. “But yes, water has always kind of scared me. I’ll take lessons one day.”
Fiona tugged on my arm. “Let them be. We’ll have some fun in the waves, and then head ta the mall.”
“Why are you always the reasonable one?”
Everyone chuckled.
“Fine, but don’t even think about weaseling out of shopping and dinner. I need all the Ren time I can get.”
“I promise. Shopping and dinner,” Ren said, smiling.
I wished—fiercely—that we’d grown up together and that this crazy world hadn’t separated us.
My entire senior year at Wayward, I’d watched her, knowing exactly who she was.
Despite being ordered not to, I’d finally given in and spoken to her.
She was my family. Thank God, she knew the truth about who we are.
Fiona dragged me away, and we jogged across the golden sand. Ever since I was little, I’d loved the way it shifted between my toes, like the beach itself was tickling me.
I paused to glance at Goran. He stood watch near the edge of the beach, dressed in a dark suit that should’ve been illegal in this heat. Sunglasses hid his eyes, but I felt his stare like a caress all the same.
I will pull this off. We will make this work.
If I were a man, I would have been applauded for taking charge and claiming what I wanted. But as a woman, my father saw me as a prized broodmare, something to be sold to the highest bidder.
Fiona and I ran hand in hand into the water, joining a few other swimmers floating lazily in the surf. We stayed close to the shore, letting the waves lift and carry us as we swam.
“I wanna learn to do that,” Fiona announced, pointing at a surfer farther down the beach.
“Really?”
“Aye. Don’t you?” Her face lit up as the surfer caught a wave and rose smoothly to his feet.
“Not in a million years.” I dunked my head, slicked my wet hair back, and waded toward shore.
“We could take lessons together,” Fiona insisted, following me. “It’d be so fun.”
“Nope.”
“Well then, ya’d better be givin’ me one good reason why ya won’t be joinin’ me.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll give you two.”
“First,” I said, raising my pointer finger. “I am a disaster at anything that requires balance. Skiing? Snowboarding? Ice skating? You name it. We own a lodge, and I still can’t do any of it. I’ve taken a million lessons with the best instructors money can buy, and somehow, I’m still a liability.”
I added my middle finger before continuing.
“And second, I’m not breaking an arm trying to surf when my horse needs me. When we make the Pan Am team, our teammates deserve us at full strength. It’s called risk management.”
“Ugh. Fine. Ya suck.”
“Look on the bright side. You might end up with the hottest instructor there, and he could sweep you off your feet.”
“Aye, and monkeys might fly outta me arse,” Fiona said, making me laugh.
She picked up her towel and snapped it at me like a whip.
“Ah!” I shrieked, dodging the blow, but sand sprayed into the air and clung to my damp skin. Laughing, I snatched mine up to defend myself.
We chased each other down the beach, laughter bubbling up in a way it rarely did anymore. For a few precious minutes, I felt free, unburdened by my name, my father, or my future.
I spun and ran straight toward Goran.
He raised an eyebrow, daring me.
Another day, fewer eyes, I would have done it.
Breathless, I stopped and looked at Fiona. She was bent over, hands on her knees, panting. I smirked, stretching like a cat soaking up the sun, my skin warm as I brushed sand from my legs.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Guy returning with drinks. I lifted my hand to wave. He smiled, breaking protocol.
If Nathaniel wasn’t careful, I was going to steal all his guards. Not to marry. I loved Goran. But Nathaniel trained his men well. They were solid. Loyal. Friendly. Nothing like the jerks who worked for my father.
Guy held out two strawberry daiquiris for Fiona and me.
“Why, thank you, kind sir.” I smiled, giving him a wink.
“Perfect timin’, I’m parched.” Fiona took her drink and downed a generous gulp. “Ouch.” She pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead. “Feckin’ brain freeze.”
“Hey, where do you think you’re going,” I asked Guy as he turned to leave with four bottles of water.
He froze. “Um…just going to give them water, ma’am.”
“For the last time, please don’t call me ma’am. Call me Kaylani. Consider it a direct order.”
He cringed. “Best I can do is Ms. Mikhailov.”
“Fine. But…instead of you going all the way over there to give them water, how about you all come over here and join us?”
Reaching into my tote bag, I pulled out my phone and turned on music.
A smile spread across my face as I began to dance.
I peeked at Ivan and Goran and beckoned them over.
Guy fidgeted, unsure of what to do. Ivan pointed to himself in confusion, while Goran stood as still as a statue before shaking his head at me.
I was having none of it.
“You’re all supposed to do what I say, aren’t you?”
Goran tipped his sunglasses down just enough for me to see the challenging look in his hazel eyes.
“Our job, Ms. Mikhailov…” The growl in his voice as he spoke my name made me bite my lip. “Is to protect you, not partake in a dance party.”
“But…what better way to protect us than by being right here beside us? I mean, you can’t get any closer than that, unless we were in the same clothes,” I sang, sweet as pie, while picturing Goran naked.
“Come on, just one dance. All of you need to loosen up and have some fun.” I twirled, arms wide, almost spilling my drink.
“It’s a gorgeous day. Enjoy it with us.”
Goran pressed his lips into a firm line but stepped forward.
“You can’t be serious,” Ivan said, turning to Goran.
Goran shrugged. “If we can’t beat the insanity, we might as well join it.”
“Eek! Thank you.”
I didn’t dare laugh as the men started to dance, even though they looked ridiculous.
It was as if Men in Black had met a flash mob.
I had asked for only one dance, but they stayed for another.
Before I knew it, they were talking and laughing like normal guys rather than the stone-faced guards they were trained to be.
I smiled, peering over at Ren and Blake, who were kissing.
“Hey, lovebirds. Do you want to get going? We have shopping to do,” I yelled, realizing my drink was empty and it was later than I thought.
“I guess we’d better,” Ren called back.
Bang.
My body jerked, and I screamed.
Goran launched himself in my direction, driving us to the ground and shielding me.
“Stay down,” he ordered.
I nodded, unable to move anything more than my head.
My heart pounded in my chest as images of the day Savannah was shot came flooding back. I had been jumpy for months afterward and thought I was over it, but terror had sunk its teeth into my neck, making it hard to breathe.
“Where did that come from?”
The guards yelled back and forth, scrambling to assess for danger.
“I think it was a car backfiring in the lot,” Goran called back, but stayed where he was while he waited for confirmation.
Muffled voices filtered from his earpiece.
“Yeah, I was right. False alarm. It was just a car,” Goran said, bracing himself to stand.
His hands were steady as he helped me sit up. But I couldn’t stop the shaking or the tears that pricked my eyes and slowly began to fall.
“Kaylani, breathe,” he ordered, cupping my face.
“C…can’t,” I gasped.
“I’m getting you out of here.”
I wanted to yell no, but knew he was right.
“Ivan, you’re in charge. You and the other guards stay here with Fiona, Ren, and Blake. Take them wherever they want to go.”
My legs trembled beneath me as I stood.
“I’m going to carry you.”
I shook my head. “No,” I croaked out. “I can…walk.” I pushed down the panic. “Need…my tote.”
I felt stupid and humiliated as we approached Ren.
“I’m sorry.” I quickly hugged my cousin, then took off without any further explanation.
Goran was right beside me, his hand lightly touching my back, offering comfort. He opened the back door of the armored SUV, and as I climbed in, the tears fell harder.
“Here.” Goran shrugged out of his jacket and held it out to me.
I grabbed it, clutching it to my chest as he closed the door, then wrapped it around myself and breathed in his calming scent. He never got rattled. Never wavered. Always willing to die for Nathaniel or me. That terrified me the most.
I’d thought I was already the woman my world demanded, but huddled in the back of the SUV, I realized how fragile that belief was.