Her Mafia Bodyguard

MIA

I’m still so embarrassed after the scene Zeke made Saturday night; I don’t know how I’m going to show my face in class.

And he doesn’t care. That’s the worst part. If anything, he was proud of himself for humiliating me. He wouldn’t tell me how he found me, either. I can only guess he tracked me electronically. I have nothing of my own. Not even privacy.

We spent the entire day avoiding each other yesterday, with him in his room most of the time. He set the alarm and of course, didn’t bother sharing the code with me, so I don’t know how to open the front door without setting off a siren loud enough to make my ears bleed.

And I can’t even complain to my father because I know he’s behind this. Somebody had to pay for this expensive system. Somebody had to give Zeke instructions since he can’t think for himself.

Though I doubt he feels sorry for it. No, I think he’s getting off on it a little bit.

One thing I know for sure: I can’t hide in my room for the rest of my life. Not only would word get back to my father, but it would mean letting Zeke win. No way am I doing that. Instead, I get dressed in my best new clothes and spend an hour on my hair and makeup. Might as well make a good first impression on anybody who didn’t witness the fight.

“How do I look?” I do a little spin for him when I find him waiting for me by the front door. Not that it matters, but he can’t pretend he doesn’t look at me the way a man looks at a woman. He notices, even if he doesn’t want to do anything about it.

“You look like somebody about to start the first day of school. Want me to take a picture to commemorate?” he asks with a nasty little smirk.

“Are you kidding? I’m surprised you haven’t already done it to prove to my dad what a good little employee you are.” It kills him when I say things like this, so obviously, I’m not going to stop. We ride the elevator down to the lobby in silence, with him brooding and me wondering how I’m supposed to walk around campus with a guard dog at my heels. Why don’t I carry around a big neon sign pointed straight at me? I’m like a circus freak.

“This would be a lot better if I could’ve bought my books yesterday.” He’s right by my side like a good little lapdog as we cross the campus, a campus I didn’t even get the chance to explore yesterday because I was locked up at home. There’s nothing like the feeling of sitting there, watching everybody going about their lives while I’m stuck in place.

“You’ll live. I don’t think they jump right in on the first day.”

“And how would you even know that? You didn’t go to college.”

He lets out a low growl that I guess is supposed to scare me. “No, but I did a little reading yesterday. You’re allowed to add classes up to the end of the first week of the semester. Why would they jump into lessons the first week and leave new students behind? You’ll get a syllabus or whatever today.”

The worst part is, he’s probably right. I don’t bother answering, trying instead to look around and take everything in. It’s a gorgeous place, and I wish I could fully enjoy it. It’s exactly what I always imagined college would look like, but that was back in the day when I knew I would never be able to afford it. Not anything as nice as this, anyway. Community college was as high as I could hope to reach when Mom was alive, and it was just the two of us. Now I’m strolling through campus with a bunch of kids who’ve never had to cook a meal for their parent on a stove where only one of four burners worked—or cooked a meal at all.

If anybody thinks it’s weird for me to have Zeke following along, they don’t make it seem that way. I have to remind myself these kids grew up with money. Maybe this won’t have to be so bad, so long as Zeke keeps his mouth shut and fades into the background the way he’s supposed to.

Though how a towering wall of muscle with a face that looks like it belongs on one of those old Renaissance statues can fade into the background is a mystery. He catches the eye of more than one girl on our way to the Science and Behavior building at the far northeast corner of campus. He’s wearing his aviators, so I can’t tell if he notices—though his lips twitch a little every time I shoot him a look.

My first class is Intro to Psychology, in one of those big lecture halls like a stadium or theater with staggered rows. I sit near the back, with Zeke sitting in the empty row behind me. He was right—all we’re getting today is a syllabus and a brief rundown from the professor before being dismissed. I only glance Zeke’s way long enough to see his knowing little smirk.

I have an hour break between my first and second class, longer thanks to us getting let out early. It doesn’t make sense to go all the way back to the condo, though, just to come back out again. If I was by myself, I would go exploring. With Zeke on my ass, I doubt I would enjoy it. “I guess I should go to the bookstore.” I look up at him, smiling wide. “You can carry my books for me. I’m sure Daddy wouldn’t want me to lose them.”

He arches an eyebrow but settles for snorting. He wants to be a servant? I should start treating him like one.

That’s why I don’t bother getting a cart or a basket when we enter the store. I pull out my class list and go through the rows one by one, picking up books. Some of the class materials are totally digital, but there are a couple of thick texts required by other instructors. “Here you go.” I drop what has to be at least a thousand pages into his waiting arms. There are a couple of girls at the end of the row who, of course, can’t help but stare at him. I shoot them a look, and they turn away, whispering to each other.

Once again, the idea of him hooking up with somebody while we’re here makes my stomach churn. When I glance his way from the corner of my eye, I can tell he noticed them. Is he trying to fight off a grin? He’s so snide, so full of himself. “Here.” I drop another book in his arms, then move on to my last class. “Hurry up.”

“Drop the act,” he mutters, following close behind.

“What act? You’re the one who announced yourself to everybody two nights ago. You want to strut around like you own me?” I smirk at him over my shoulder. “Then I’m going to let everybody know why you’re really here.”

“I’m not your servant.”

“No, you’re my father’s servant. Keep that in mind, or else I might have to tell him you’re flirting with girls while you’re here.”

“You think that was flirting?” His nasty laughter rings out. “You have no idea.”

“I do know a few things.” I find the last of my textbooks and drop it on the pile he’s carrying. “I guess that’s it. Let’s get out of here. I could use a cup of coffee.” There’s a coffee shop next to the bookstore, so we head there after I use my student ID to put my textbooks on the account Dad set up for me.

“And can I get you anything?” The girl behind the counter is all smiles when she sets eyes on Zeke, standing next to me with my books in a bag. I have to bite my tongue before the impulse to tell her he doesn’t matter becomes too much to fight. I can’t help it. He needs to be put in his place. But I know that would only make me look petty and childish, and I don’t want to get that reputation around here. It’s not a very big school, and I’m sure people talk.

“I’m good.” It’s barely a grunt, and I have to press my lips together tight to keep from reacting to how surprised the girl is. I guess she expected him to be friendly. Sorry to burst her bubble, but he’s the opposite.