Chapter 7
Elijah
Present
“Are you fucking serious, Elijah? It’s been twenty-four hours.”
“I can’t watch her like this. You know I can’t,” I say, pacing Enzo’s massive vintage-modern bedroom.
“She doesn’t even fucking like you anymore.” Enzo throws his arm out, hitting it against my shoulder. “And yes, I know she wants your attention, but it’s not like she acts the way she used to.”
“It’s too hard to be around her, and I need to be replaced. End of discussion.” I push off him, strengthening my stance.
“You’re funny, Elijah. Let me remind you—you don’t make decisions here, and neither do I.” He shakes his head with an obvious nod. “Dante said you need to watch Ace, so guess what you’re going to do?”
“Fucking watch Ace,” we say in unison.
I throw myself back, because he’s right. He has Ace’s brain without the emotions she does, and although it’s exhausting, it’s the reminder I need. I have to do as Dante decides, and right now, he’s decided that I need to watch the daughter he never loved.
Twenty-four hours into my time spent with her, and it’s already unbearable. Enzo is making me watch her tighter than her own guard dog.
“Elijah.” Enzo grabs my head with both hands, pulling me upright to face him. “Do you love her?”
“No,” we say in unison again—but this time it feels more like he’s mocking me.
“You don’t love her, you want to fuck her. But in case you forgot, that’s my little sister. So what you’re gonna do is keep your dick in your pants and do your fucking job. Dante wants you even closer to her—Nikolai is being a prick and refusing to meet me even after we sent the proposal.”
“He turned down fifty million just to avoid seeing you?”
He nods, removing his hands to open his phone. “Yep, and Viktor’s been no help—claiming to have started Nikolai’s initiation to control.”
He scrolls for a moment before flashing me his phone, showing me a picture of Ace from Confine’s security cameras, glancing towards the shadows of a back alley. “Are you sure Nikolai even remembers her? This could be because of the arrangement and dealings.”
“I don’t know if you’re blind, but your sister wasn’t exactly forgettable that night, even at sixteen.” I point to the photo, proving my point exactly.
“You know, sometimes I wish I could kill you all to protect her.” He shakes his head, closing out of the photo.
Laughing, I grab my coat off his bed. “You would never actually kill me.”
“Yeah, well, I’d cut your dick off so you’d stop trying to put it in her.” His tone is serious, but I know he loves me—almost as much as he loves her.
“Whatever you say Enzo, I’ve got to go, your sister is probably out of the shower by now anyway.” I brush past him, but before I get to the door, he stops me.
“Hey, you know what I believe when it comes to this shit, and I get you have a need for release. I’ll have a girl waiting for you once she’s asleep, but the priority is her safety. Not even ten feet of space, Enzo.”
It’s an order I’ll follow, no matter how much it tortures me.