Somewhere Close
SARAH
“Are you serious?” I had to ask. In case I had misheard or misinterpreted what he said.
Okay, call me surprised. I was beyond surprised. This was the same man who wouldn’t even let me go to a hairdresser without raising an eyebrow and suddenly, now he wanted me to go to university?
What the hell was going on? Was this real?
I turned to him, trying to read his expression. “What’s going on, Dad?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, casually scrolling through something on his phone.
“You’re really going to let me go to university? By myself?” I clarified, needing to hear it out loud again, just to be sure I had all the facts straight.
“Of course,” he said. “There will be stipulations.”
Of course there are, I thought, slumping back into my seat, bracing myself for the fine print.
“You’ll need to have two bodyguards with you at all times,” he said.
I gave a dry laugh. “When have I ever not had bodyguards following me everywhere?”
He didn’t answer that, just moved on.
“And,” he continued, “you’ll have to go to a university of my choice.”
“Why?” I asked sharply. “What’s the catch?”
“I want you in my territory, close,” he answered. “Somewhere I can keep an eye on you. Somewhere I have my people.”
I frowned. That wasn’t the only thing, was it?
“Plus,” he added casually, “you do know Ryan didn’t go to university when he finished high school, he wanted to get to know the work first. But now he wants to, and I want you both at the same place. That way, nobody will think about fucking with you.”
I let out a dry scoff. “Well, I’ll have two bodyguards. Why would anyone try to mess with me in the first place? What difference does Ryan make?”
I crossed my arms, already bracing for the absurdity.
“It’s not like I’ll even be studying the same thing as he will,” I muttered. “What’s he going to do? Major in anatomy so he can do better at hurting people? Or maybe business so he can expand the criminal enterprise?”
The sarcasm burned my throat, but I didn’t care. My father didn’t flinch. Didn’t even seem fazed by my outburst. He continued on smoothly,
“Whatever you choose to study is fine with me. Even if you think you want to join the family business. I’ll just feel better knowing your brother is somewhere close to you.” he said with finality, as if that explained everything.
I stared at him. Disbelief rooted in my chest. This was madness. These were the same brothers who once tried to kill me when I was a baby. And now he thought I’d be safer with them at my side? On the same campus? In the same halls?
He actually thought that would relax him?
It was insane. It was absurd. And I was just about to find out how deep the madness ran. Just about to.When he announced,
"We’re here," I blinked. How did we get here so fast? Time had flown.
He got off first, as always, and I stayed seated until he came around to open the door for me. He took my hand like I was still his little girl, placed it gently at the small of my back, and guided me inside the restaurant.
It was beautiful. Just like I remembered it. Warm lighting. Crystal glasses. The soft hum of conversations. We took our seats at the table, and the waiter came to take our orders. I smiled politely, said what I wanted, but my mind was on something else. No, someone else.
Cullen.
I wanted to take my phone out of my purse. I wanted to see what version he was going to come up with. What wild or ridiculous thing he’d planned just to get a glimpse of me. I was itching to check my messages, my fingers twitching for the screen.
My father was talking. Still talking. Something about university again, asking what I’d like to study, tossing out options. But it wasn’t pushy. He was being... tender. Open.
“It doesn’t even have to be university, if you don’t want,” he said thoughtfully, eyes kind. “Maybe you could take dance classes.”
“At this age?” I laughed, raising a brow.
“I don’t know. Maybe piano lessons. Drawing classes. Anything, really,” he said, shrugging. “I just don’t want to see you at home getting bored out of your mind. I want you to be happy, Sarah. That’s all I want.”
In my head, I was thinking: Well, all I want right now is to play with Cullen. That would be a huge checkmark on my happiness chart.
But I didn’t say that. I just smiled at my dad, nodding slowly. Our food had arrived and we were digging in, dad kept talking about making me comfortable and happy at home, which cemented the fact that he saw me getting old by his side at home....
I was just about to tell him that maybe university wouldn’t be so bad after all. I mean, it’s not like Ryan would be around every second, right? And it would gain me some freedom and something to do outside the house.
Then I saw him.
A man walking past wearing a cap. Sunglasses. Head down but something in me knew.
It was Cullen. I was sure of it. He moved casually, heading towards the back, near the restrooms. And before I could even think, I was on my feet.
Too fast. My father stood too, alarmed.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll be back,” I said quickly. “I’m going to the restroom.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Now?”
I smiled, tried to sound casual. “Yes. I’ll be back in just a moment.”
I turned and walked, praying that he wouldn’t follow me. That he wouldn’t ask to accompany me like I were a child. That he’d just sit back down and keep eating his food while I did what I had to do.
Because I had no idea what Colin had planned, or what I was about to walk into. But I wanted to find out.
Badly.
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