make it clear whether he was Renton’s friend or his coworker, so Alex couldn’t tell if he actually resented him, or if he was simply giving him a hard time for the hell of it.
“Enough,” Anastasia said mildly, her eyes snapping over to Renton in an obvious chastisement, and then returning tiredly to Alex. “I am very tired. Let me finish what I have to say, and then you can go to the hospital and I can have some tea before I go to bed. As I was saying, because you are an idiot, taking care of you is a full-time job.”
“Could you lay off, Anastasia? My arm hurts.”
“No, it doesn’t, but it could. Or, I could just kill him and then hide the body,” Renton suggested. “I’m certain no one would care.”
“Since I already have a fulltime job, as does Renton, and as I am currently short one bodyguard, I decided to kill two birds with one stone.” Anastasia stopped, considering. “Or, perhaps it would be simultaneously killing two birds with two stones. It doesn’t matter. One of our subsidiary cartels, Kiev Oblast, paid tribute to the Black Sun years ago, in the form of the two youngest children of the cartel head pledged to our service. I have transferred them over from Mr. Cole’s class. The boy will take Edward’s place. I have no use for his sister at the moment,” Anastasia said frankly. “So she will be looking after you. She is my second-cousin, incidentally, so try to be nice to her.”
“Hold up, just slow the fuck down. What are you talking about, Anastasia? I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“No?” Anastasia asked, looking surprised. “The last time you went on a date you needed a great many, as I recall. Moreover, my dress was ruined in the process. I am being proactive this time around. Besides, I think you will like her. Renton, would you go get Katya for me?”
Renton nodded and left the room, leaving Alex glaring at Anastasia, and Anastasia completely ignoring him. After a while, he gave up. It was like water off a duck’s back, anyway.
“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Alex repeated sullenly, crossing his arms, and then flinching when he remembered his painless injury.
“Katya won’t be one, then,” Anastasia reassured him. “Think of her as a caretaker.”
“What does that even mean?” Alex complained. “I think I like that idea even less.”
Anastasia shrugged, scratching the great black wolf behind one of its ears as it lay its head on her lap, its black eyes still locked on Alex with a definite malevolence. He shuddered at a number of memories that he would have preferred to stay suppressed.
“Like it or not, I can’t just let you run around kicking things over to see what happens,” Anastasia said firmly. “Besides, she is multi-talented. I think you will find having her around to be very beneficial. In any number of ways. And I will tell her to be discreet,” Anastasia promised. “She won’t act like Renton does, making puppy-dog eyes and following you around everywhere.”
“Hey,” Renton objected as he walked back into the room, looking hurt.
The girl beside him was almost as tall as Renton, with short auburn hair and lightly tanned skin. She kept her eyes modestly on the ground, and her school uniform was fitted and pressed, but she didn’t seem particularly humble or nervous to Alex.
“This Katya Zharova,” Anastasia said, gesturing for the girl to join them, Renton hurrying over with another chair. The girl bowed her head to Anastasia modestly, and then sat down in the chair next to Alex, giving him a perfunctory smile that he was in no mood to return, even if she was somewhat cute. “Katya, this is Alex Warner. We have already discussed your instructions. You will be looking after Alex for the foreseeable future. Please keep him safe, and try not to let the complaining bother you. It’s a character flaw that must be tolerated, for now.”
Katya gave her a short, serious nod.
“When do I start, Ana?”
Anastasia stood up, and Renton
“Enough,” Anastasia said mildly, her eyes snapping over to Renton in an obvious chastisement, and then returning tiredly to Alex. “I am very tired. Let me finish what I have to say, and then you can go to the hospital and I can have some tea before I go to bed. As I was saying, because you are an idiot, taking care of you is a full-time job.”
“Could you lay off, Anastasia? My arm hurts.”
“No, it doesn’t, but it could. Or, I could just kill him and then hide the body,” Renton suggested. “I’m certain no one would care.”
“Since I already have a fulltime job, as does Renton, and as I am currently short one bodyguard, I decided to kill two birds with one stone.” Anastasia stopped, considering. “Or, perhaps it would be simultaneously killing two birds with two stones. It doesn’t matter. One of our subsidiary cartels, Kiev Oblast, paid tribute to the Black Sun years ago, in the form of the two youngest children of the cartel head pledged to our service. I have transferred them over from Mr. Cole’s class. The boy will take Edward’s place. I have no use for his sister at the moment,” Anastasia said frankly. “So she will be looking after you. She is my second-cousin, incidentally, so try to be nice to her.”
“Hold up, just slow the fuck down. What are you talking about, Anastasia? I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“No?” Anastasia asked, looking surprised. “The last time you went on a date you needed a great many, as I recall. Moreover, my dress was ruined in the process. I am being proactive this time around. Besides, I think you will like her. Renton, would you go get Katya for me?”
Renton nodded and left the room, leaving Alex glaring at Anastasia, and Anastasia completely ignoring him. After a while, he gave up. It was like water off a duck’s back, anyway.
“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Alex repeated sullenly, crossing his arms, and then flinching when he remembered his painless injury.
“Katya won’t be one, then,” Anastasia reassured him. “Think of her as a caretaker.”
“What does that even mean?” Alex complained. “I think I like that idea even less.”
Anastasia shrugged, scratching the great black wolf behind one of its ears as it lay its head on her lap, its black eyes still locked on Alex with a definite malevolence. He shuddered at a number of memories that he would have preferred to stay suppressed.
“Like it or not, I can’t just let you run around kicking things over to see what happens,” Anastasia said firmly. “Besides, she is multi-talented. I think you will find having her around to be very beneficial. In any number of ways. And I will tell her to be discreet,” Anastasia promised. “She won’t act like Renton does, making puppy-dog eyes and following you around everywhere.”
“Hey,” Renton objected as he walked back into the room, looking hurt.
The girl beside him was almost as tall as Renton, with short auburn hair and lightly tanned skin. She kept her eyes modestly on the ground, and her school uniform was fitted and pressed, but she didn’t seem particularly humble or nervous to Alex.
“This Katya Zharova,” Anastasia said, gesturing for the girl to join them, Renton hurrying over with another chair. The girl bowed her head to Anastasia modestly, and then sat down in the chair next to Alex, giving him a perfunctory smile that he was in no mood to return, even if she was somewhat cute. “Katya, this is Alex Warner. We have already discussed your instructions. You will be looking after Alex for the foreseeable future. Please keep him safe, and try not to let the complaining bother you. It’s a character flaw that must be tolerated, for now.”
Katya gave her a short, serious nod.
“When do I start, Ana?”
Anastasia stood up, and Renton
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