“Kayla, you’d better—”

This time, it was my phone interrupting.

I looked at the screen, annoyed and happy about the call. I’d been on the verge of losing it—and showing Kayla how easily she could get to me.

That wouldn’t do.

“We’ll finish this later,” I said.

“There’s nothing to finish,” came her response.

I didn’t bother to argue, knowing I’d prove my point soon enough.

Seven

SEVEN

Elias

I looked out of the window as I dialed the phone.

“Can you meet?” I said into the phone a few hours after I’d left Kayla’s.

“Name the time and place,” my brother Davit said.

“Half an hour. The building,” I responded.

“See you there.”

He hung up without saying anything else, and I started pacing.

Since I’d left her, I’d dealt with a few issues, but even business, which had always been all-encompassing, hadn’t fully occupied my mind.

I had saved Kayla.

That was the most important thing.

But I knew this was just the beginning.

I had been trained by my father to see problems on the horizon, and I saw them.

Many of them.

The biggest one being him.

I stared into the distance, centering myself, reminding myself Kayla was fine.

She was all right, and I had saved her from the worst of my father.

At least for now.

But that could change, and I knew it.

Also knew that I would do everything in my power to make sure that it didn’t.

Just the thought of Kayla in harm’s way made me feel sick, weak in a way that I hated, though not nearly as much as the idea of her being hurt.

I pushed the feeling away and focused on what would happen now.

What was important was that I had her back, and she was okay.

And she’d stay that way, even if she fought me at every turn.

“What’s going on, Elias?” Davit said when he arrived.

“You made record time,” I responded.

“I’ve been waiting for your call,” he said.

“You sound pissed about something. Go ahead and spit it out,” I said.

“I heard from Narek about father.”

“I told him to keep you out of it.”

“And I’m glad he didn’t listen, but why would you want to keep me out of it?” he asked.

“You have responsibilities. Obligations that need to be taken care of. Father and his… excesses shouldn’t be one of them,” I said.

“Father’s excesses aren’t a concern except where they involve people I care about,” he said.

“Well, Kayla’s fine,” I said.

“Good. But what else is there?” he said, studying me.

“I told father we’re engaged,” I said.

If Davit was surprised, he kept that under wraps. “Did you tell Kayla before you told him?” he asked.

“There was no time to discuss it,” I said.