Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
KAYLANI
Nathaniel had done the smart thing by moving out on his own. He and Titus were both free of Father’s meddling, and I envied them.
The massive gates came into view, and I exhaled. This place felt like a safe zone, like the one spot Father wouldn’t dare to take me from or hurt Goran. Father was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. Attacking Nathaniel or his family again would cause a rupture even he didn’t want.
Unlike at home, this place always looked serene from the outside, as if it didn’t need millions of guards or cameras. But that was part of the illusion.
The house itself was large but unpretentious, with stone and steel rather than marble and excess. No show. No wasted shine. Not like our father.
The calm was earned. Nathaniel had been through a lot with Father, most of it before I was born. The rest I learned by listening to whispered conversations. I wanted to understand how the father who had treated me like a princess could also be so cold and cruel.
I wished I had never asked the question.
Guards waved us through the gate, and my body relaxed as I took a slow breath.
“You ready,” Goran asked.
I nodded.
Charlie got out of the driver’s seat and opened the door for us.
“Thanks, Charlie,” I said and kissed him on the cheek.
“You’re welcome, Ms. Mikhailov,” he replied with a nod. He climbed back into the limo and drove away. The enormous gates clanged shut behind him.
Holding up the front of my dress so I didn’t take a nosedive on the stone stairs, I marched up the path with Goran right behind me. The other soldiers nodded and smiled at him. I sensed the respect they had for the man who commanded them.
Biometric locks blinked as Goran placed his thumb on the pad to let us in. Hidden cameras tracked our movements without a sound or visible indication of their location.
The lights were on when we entered and found Nathaniel in the kitchen. He sat at the island, looking completely chill. Bare feet, jeans, and a black T-shirt with a lowball glass beside his laptop.
“Hey, Nate,” I said, stepping into the room.
“Nate? You haven’t called me that since you were like ten.” Nathaniel stood and walked toward me. “I wasn’t expecting you. Is everything alright?”
I didn’t wait for him to offer. I hugged my brother and closed my eyes.
“Sis, what’s going on?”
“It’s just been a long night, and I wanted to see my big brother,” I lied with a wide smile.
“Uh…huh.” He pulled back and studied me.
Nathaniel glanced between Goran and me as if hoping one of us would tell him the truth.
“I’m serious. Dad has gone full caveman, and I don’t want to go home tonight.”
Or ever.
“Can I stay here for a night or two?”
“Sure. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. Savannah’s still trying to get the kids to bed, but she should be out soon. Cutter’s been wound like an eight-day clock all day, and Chloe has decided she wants to be a rockstar and wail to the gods.”
I smiled wide as Nathaniel talked about my niece and nephew. He had changed so much since having children, but in the best way possible.
“I guess this means I don’t need to meet you later,” Nathaniel sait to Goran. “Just as well, the shipment I’ve been expecting is late. We can talk about that later. Either of you want a drink?”
“Nothing for me,” I said.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Goran said. Nathaniel turned back toward the counter.
Goran stepped up beside me, his shoulder softly brushing mine as we walked deeper into the pretty kitchen. I forced myself to ignore the contact, but all I wanted to do was lean into him.
Nathaniel poured Goran two fingers and set the glass down. His eyes questioned everything, but he didn’t ask. No pressure. Just an open door. I appreciated it more than I could ever put into words.
“Thanks for letting me stay.”
I pulled out my phone and was shocked not to find twenty messages waiting for me. Slipping off my heels, I let them dangle from my fingers as I walked to the large window overlooking the beach. It was the same view Goran had at his place, but Nathaniel didn’t have the private cove.
“You sure you’re okay, sis? I’m happy to kill anyone you want. My quota of dead bodies has gone down since the kids, so this gives me an excuse, and I’m all in.”
I flashed him a million-dollar smile. “See, this is why you’re my favorite brother.”
“Don’t tell Titus that.” Nathaniel laughed.
“Seriously, I’m always okay,” I said, aiming for cool and unaffected. “Just a lot on my mind with the upcoming Pan Am qualifier. And the ballet tonight sucked. That guy Dad wants me to marry is an arrogant jerk. No, thank you.”
Nathaniel didn’t smile back. He didn’t need to see bruises to know something was wrong. He cataloged what wasn’t being said and filed it away for later.
I licked my lips. “Mind if I crash? I’m pretty beat, actually.”
“Not at all. You know where the spare room is.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll ask Savannah to leave you some pajamas.”
Walking up to my brother, his onyx eyes were so dark tonight that he could have played the part of a demon. The only problem was that his heart was too kind. Rising onto my toes, I kissed his cheek and squeezed his arm.
“I owe you,” I whispered, then walked down the hall. I paused once I was out of sight. I hoped Goran would talk to Nathaniel tonight.
“Can we talk tomorrow,” Goran asked. “There are a few things we need to discuss.”
My ears perked, and I leaned toward their voices.
Nathaniel exhaled. “I’m flying out at five. There’s a fucking issue with a distributor in Brazil. I’m hoping to be just a couple of days. Do you want to talk tonight? Is this an emergency?”
My chest tightened.
“No, we can talk when you get back,” Goran said.
“Fuck. Now you’re going to make me worry,” Nathaniel grumbled.
“We’re good,” Goran said. “Do you need anything from me while you’re out of town?”
“I was actually going to ask you to cover Euphoria,” Nathaniel continued. “The manager’s been off sick for a couple of nights and now this shipment is going to arrive when I’m away.”
Euphoria was Nathaniel’s most popular club.
My stomach twisted with instant jealousy.
It shouldn’t have. Goran had worked there countless times when he was shadowing Nathaniel, and I had never cared before.
But for whatever reason, I didn’t like the idea of Goran spending the night surrounded by naked women.
“Of course,” Goran said immediately.
My fingers curled at my side.
I heard Savannah approaching and quickly slipped into the spare room before I was caught lingering like the eavesdropper I was. I closed the door softly behind me.
The spare bedroom smelled like clean linen and sea salt with a touch of caramel. It was minimalistic but warm by design. I dropped my shoes beside the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my hands.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at it, cringing when I saw Father’s name. It had taken longer than I thought, but there it was. I didn’t have to answer to know what he was going to say.
He left a voicemail. But I didn’t listen right away. Instead, I lay back and stared at the ceiling. I counted the rhythm of the waves crashing against the shore. The gentle hush of the water and the rustle of leaves slowly calmed my mind.
I didn’t know how long I stayed like that before I finally gave in and tapped play on the voicemail.
My father’s voice filled the room. Controlled, but with fury coiled just beneath the surface.
“Kaylani, I do not know what is going on with you anymore, but your behavior has been abhorrent. I will not stand for this. I cannot believe you would purposely stain our family name by making such a fool of yourself.”
He made it sound as though I had danced naked on top of a car rather than refuse the advances of a man who made my skin crawl.
“You will apologize to Julian for your rude behavior. Or else.”
The line went dead. No softness. Only disappointment sharpened into a weapon. A reminder of the consequences and how many ways a man like Dimitri Mikhailov could make disobedience both expensive and painful.
There was a light tap at the door. I quickly wiped away the lone tear trailing down my cheek.
“Come in,” I called.
Goran stepped in quietly, already loosening his tie, a folded pile of clothes draped over his arm. He placed them on the bed, and our eyes locked.
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to.
The silence between us was far louder.
The seconds ticked on.
He looked away first. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”
It wasn’t a question.
I stood and stepped toward him, but he shook his head and backed away. That single movement hurt worse than my father’s hand ever had.
I swallowed hard, lifting my chin anyway. “You don’t have to—”
“I do,” he interrupted gently. “I’m not leaving you. But I won’t cross that line in Nathaniel’s home until I’ve spoken to him. He’s leaving on business for a couple of days. I’ll speak to him when he returns.”
“Why not tonight?”
“Because he may not have openly shown it, but I can tell he is stressed. If the conversation doesn’t go well then…well, lets just say it’s better to have it when he’s in a good mood.”
I swallowed again.
That was the problem with loving men like Goran. He would never abandon me, but his morals and loyalty ran like deep grooves in his personality. Traits that were equal parts admirable and frustrating as hell.
“Okay then.” I grabbed the pile of clothes and headed into the bathroom. After closing the door, I leaned against it and shut my eyes.
Why had I thought this would be easy? So stupid.
I showered quickly and stepped out to towel off. Once I was dry, I pulled on a tank top and cotton sleep pants before walking out into the bedroom.
Goran was settled on the floor. He watched me as I climbed onto the bed, but stayed quiet. I would have given anything to know what he was thinking. I flicked off the light and stared up at the dark ceiling, the moonlight dulled by the white sheers.
Goran lay close enough that I could hear him breathe, but far enough that the world still stood between us.
“I’m covering for Nathaniel tomorrow night,” Goran whispered.
“That’s fine. I don’t need you to follow me around twenty-four seven,” I said as a twinge of anger pulsed in my gut. Not because he agreed to work, per se, but because it felt like an excuse to put distance between us. Worse, I understood it and didn’t blame him.
“You shouldn’t be alone if you decide to go out. I can have someone else take you wherever you want to go.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, and I can’t hide from my father forever. One or two nights away from the house won’t change his mind about my future.”
Those words had never felt truer. Even here, inside the walls of Nathaniel’s house, I would only be safe for so long before Father found another way to control me without ever lifting a finger.
The bed dipped as I shifted, pulling the blanket tighter around myself as if it would keep everything that went bump in the night out.
“Lani…I don’t like the idea of you alone.”
“And I don’t like the fact that my husband would rather sleep on the floor than possibly upset my brother, but here we are. Goodnight, Goran,” I said, annoyed as I closed my eyes.
“Lani…you know it’s not that simple.”
“I understand, Goran. Can we just go to sleep? I’m tired and in a bad mood. This isn’t a good time to talk.”
“Sure. I’m here if you need me.”
He was all protection without possession.
Devotion without demand. And somehow that hurt more.
Which was ridiculous considering that’s exactly what I’ve been refusing from Julian.
Goran would die for me without hesitation, but would he claim me and drag me away from my family… never. My head was a mess.
We loved one another, that wasn’t in question.
But part of me had thought all we needed was the paperwork for him to whisk me onto a plane and fly off into the sunset.
When I had envisioned our life together, I saw us touching a map and deciding where to live.
Maybe a house on the beach or a large sailboat.
Our life together played out like a romance novel.
But that was a dream, and now I had to come to terms with the difference between fiction and reality.
Somewhere beyond the walls of this house, my father was already planning his next move. I felt it and had no idea how to stop him.