He stopped me before I’d gotten far down the hall.
“What were you looking for?”
“The same thing as you,” I said with a shrug. “I want to take Nina down and be free to go back to New York.”
My words didn’t have the vinegar or determination that they used to, and Maverik knew it.
“You won’t find anything in here,” he said as he watched me. “And Kingston would be upset if he knew you were plotting to leave.”
I looked into Maverik’s grey eyes and saw a softness there that surprised me.
“If Nina goes, then so do I,” I pointed out. “You haven’t changed your mind about her.”
Maverik’s face hardened. “No, I haven’t.”
I turned to head back in my room, but Maverik grabbed my arm. His grip was gentle, but it was his eyes that pinned me in place.
“My dad already paid for your tuition at Bedford through graduation,” Maverik pointed out. “Regardless of whether or not he stays with Nina, your place there is secure.”
I looked at him in surprise, but Maverik wasn’t done.
“Dad likes you, and even if you aren’t technically family, he’ll watch out for you.”
“Even if that were true,” I said as I tugged my arm out of his grasp. “Nina would take me away just to be spiteful. There’s no way she’d let me graduate.”
“I’m working on a plan to deal with that eventuality,” Maverik admitted reluctantly.
“I’m shocked,” I said sarcastically. “I thought the plan was to toss me out on my ass.”
“It was,” Maverik agreed.
We stared at each other for another moment, and I felt my resolve weakening. Maverik was doing more than just holding out an olive branch right now. He was saying something that I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear. Hope blossomed inside me, but I squished it down. I couldn’t afford to let Maverik in, not when I knew he could crush me from the inside.
“You know something about Nina,” Maverik said bluntly.
I pulled back from him a little. Was that what this was? He was trying to get me to trust him so he could use me against Nina?
“I know she’s evil,” I said honestly. “And you can’t do evil deeds without leaving evidence.”
Maverik flashed a sudden smile at me, and my heart stuttered. Suddenly, his presence was too much. I needed to get away from him - away from all of this.
“I’m going to change, so I can go to my studio,” I mumbled.
Maverik didn’t stop me as I went to my room and closed the door behind me. I leaned back on it and shut my eyes. Maverik seemed more dangerous now than when I thought he’d try to murder me.
Chapter 38
Katya
Our week of family bonding went suspiciously well. Nina really turned on the charm and was beyond sweet to Kingston, Maverik, and me. Kash attended the first dinner, suffered in silence, then conveniently found reasons to be too busy to attend another one. I was confused as to why the mysterious Kash was treated as an optional family member, but Kingston had just laughed and ruffled my hair when I asked.
Nina’s game became clear on the last night of our group dinners.
“Richard,” she said in a sweet voice that made me clench my teeth. “This week has gone so well. I’d like to see if I can take Katya and the boys to Europe for the summer.”
“No,” Maverik said flatly. “We have hockey camp.”
Nina pouted as if she were hurt. “I keep trying to reach out to them,” she whined to Richard. “But you’ve seen how cold they’ve been all week.”
Oh, that was clever. All week, she’d been pushing Maverik and Kingston’s buttons, trying to get them to react. She’d innocently suggested shopping trips, movie nights, even a pizza party. Each time, Kingston and Maverik had acted like she was completely insane and shot her down. She was, but she’d maneuvered them exactly where she wanted them.
“I worry about their influence on Katya,” Nina said worriedly. “She used to be such a sweet girl, but you see how she’s changed since she’s been around them.”
I dropped my fork with a clatter. “I’ve changed because you canceled my enrollment at ballet school and threatened to have me sent to rehab.”
“Darling,” she cooed. “You’re underweight for your age, and it’s not normal for a girl to exercise for eight hours a day. I just want to make sure you get the help you need.”
Richard cleared his throat. “Nina may have a point. Katya, you look like you’ve lost weight since you’ve been here. And the staff reported that they saw you vomiting several days in a row.”
I flushed. I hadn’t been vomiting because I had an eating disorder - I’d been hungover from binge drinking more than I could handle. But I couldn’t say that, now could I?
“I was legitimately sick,” I told him. “And I didn’t leave my room for several days. The only people who checked on me were Maverik, Kingston, and Kash. They helped me to bed and made sure I had enough fluids. My mother was nowhere to be found.”
Richard shot his sons a surprised look. “They took care of you?”
“They aren’t the problem,” I said quietly.
My statement was kind of true. My problems went deeper than Maverik and Kingston.
Maverik gave me a slow nod as Nina animatedly described all the ways Maverik and Kingston were a bad influence on me. It wasn’t until she started to wind down that Maverik spoke up.
“I guess it’s a good thing we’re going to hockey camp for the summer,” he stated. “But I think it would be easier on Katya if she stayed at Bedford Academy to catch up on her studies. After all, Nina won’t be
