13. Troy

13

TROY

I tossed and turned all night, trying to understand how everything with Alexi had gone from pretty much perfect to on the verge of imploding, if it hadn't already.

I'd murder my brother for his ill-conceived timing, but I knew his heart was in the right place. He'd looked at Alexi and noticed he was no longer the boy he'd met but the man who'd decided to move to a different country and was happy. Settled. Thriving.

Alexi wanted to talk. That was a huge positive. But he also wanted no secrets.

For me, that meant telling him about Elite and everything that went with it. I could tell him I hadn't exactly done what my brother had asked. That our meetings had been by chance, my feelings were very real, and they had nothing to do with our family worrying about him.

But how could I tell that truth and still keep another secret? I knew he'd keep it from my family if I'd asked him to, but did I want to?

I was getting tired of secrets. Of being the secret millionaire who'd hacked into my parents' accounts to ensure they were financially secure. Of hiding my feelings for the one man who had gotten closest to my heart before he'd even tried.

Being in a relationship with Alexi meant I'd be in the public eye. Under a magnifying glass, it wouldn't take long for the press to put the pieces together.

What college student has an apartment in one of the most desirable areas of a college city? Especially one from a family whose sole income came from running a small-town general store.

They'd run my name through the public records and find it registered with Elite. Marco would also be outed. Our business would crumble, and this time, it wouldn't be because of a disgruntled employee.

No. I would be the one to blame.

I got out of bed and quickly showered before I packed my bag. Before I did anything, I needed to speak to Marco.

"Hey, sweetie, you heading off already?" Mom asked, catching me with my bag in the hallway.

"Yeah, I was just going to pack the car and come say goodbye. Something came up, and I need to head back."

She gave me a knowing smile and walked to the kitchen. When I returned from putting my bag in the car, there was already a big travel mug filled with coffee, a box with cake, and a sandwich waiting for me.

"You're an angel, Mom."

"And you're a little devil. I thought I'd have you another day." She pouted.

"I know, Mom. Four more months, and I'll move back, and then you'll be sick of me. I promise."

She tsked. "I will never. I love having my boys close to me. Although I will say this, Troy. You go wherever you need to go, okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

"I'm serious. If your happiness is in a different state or even a different country, that's all that matters."

I hugged her tight because I didn't know what to say. She'd always been perceptive, but did she know more than she was letting on?

"I'll see you soon, Mom."

Before I drove off, I grabbed my phone to send a couple of important messages.

TROY

Hi, Sergei. I have to head to campus earlier and don't want Alexi to cut his time with his parents short on my account. Can you help?

His reply was almost instant.

SERGEI

We'll take care of it, don't worry. We can fly him out.

The next message took a lot more care to draft, but everything I typed came out wrong.

I pressed the voice message button and started recording. "Hey, Alexi. Um…nothing I type sounds right, so I'm going to say this and hope you can hear the sincerity in my voice. I care about you more than you could possibly know. I want to talk to you. When my brother told me to check up on you, I refused, but then we kept running into each other. Everything that happened between us was real. Fuck, it was the most real thing I've ever had. You asked for no secrets, but I'm keeping one. A big one I can't tell you right now. I'm driving back now. Before we can talk, I have to work a few things out. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you behind. Sergei will make sure you get back safely." I laughed. "I guess I owe you another apology for that, huh? You're more than capable of making your own arrangements. Anyway, I have to get on the road, but I'll call you in a couple of days, okay?"

I stopped the recording, and before I could think about it too hard, I pressed send and then turned my phone to silent. I picked my usual driving playlist and hit the road.

It was early evening but dark when I pulled into my parking space. My mom's coffee, cake, and sandwich had kept me going during the drive, but I was craving real food.

The question was, should I crash at Marco's place and talk to him now? Or should I grab dinner from my favorite restaurant and ask Marco to meet me tomorrow?

"It's a nice neighborhood you live in."

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Rory leaning against the front door to my building.

"Rory. What…what are you doing here?"

"Did you know it's a lot faster to fly here from Connecticut than drive?"

I put my code into the pad to open the door. Rory followed me to the elevator.

"I like driving," I said.

"Not as fun on your own, is it?"

I sighed. "No. Go on, tell me what you're here for." Maybe my secret relationship with Alexi wasn't so secret after all, and Rory was here to hand me my ass on a plate.

He seemed surprised. "You're not going to make this a little hard on me? Damn, I was hoping for a fight." He laughed.

"As you said, it's not as quick to drive. I'm tired and hungry."

"I've ordered dinner. It'll be here in thirty."

There was no doubt Rory was here to do Sergei's dirty work and make me apologize for leaving Alexi behind in Connecticut. Although if he was here, it meant— "Is Alexi back too? Wait. I'm… How do you know where I live? How did you know what time I was arriving?"

I walked into my apartment, dropping my bag on the floor by the door. I'd take care of it later.

Rory went over to the couch in the living room and sat down.

"I'm married to the head of security of the royal family of a European country. Whether you like it or not, we're all connected in some way to the royal family, which means we're all targets but also have a degree of protection most people aren't afforded. I'm surprised you thought you could get away with keeping your secret for so long. Although, to give my husband credit, he was going to let it stay a secret."

Maybe playing the dumb approach would save my ass. "What are you talking about?"

He crooked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Elite Connections."

"Shit."

He laughed.

I dropped onto the opposite couch and held my head in my hands with my elbows on my knees.

"It's okay. Don't panic," he said. "Charlie loves you, so when you came to college here, he asked Sergei to keep an eye on you. At first, there was nothing to report. You were safe and doing what college students usually do."

"What? Study?"

He laughed. "Okay, you weren't doing what other college students do. A year later, your name came up against a new company with a hefty start-up capital. Most of the record was sealed, but"—he shrugged—"Sergei has his ways. He followed your movements for a while, but your grades were up, the company was doing well, and there was no reason for concern…until Alexi asked to move colleges and come here, of all places."

I straightened and stared at Rory. "I didn't ask him to come."

"I know. Was Elite the reason you kept your distance from him? You've been thick as thieves since you met, but until recently, you've barely seen each other on campus."

"I'm not sure I want to know how you know where I am or where I've been."

"Probably not."

"It was easier keeping Elite a secret than telling my parents I'd found a way to offer premium services to rich people. I'm not sure how well it would go down saying that I'd helped a senator find a date to an important charity ball or that the company facilitated marriages of convenience as well as tickets for sold-out concerts."

"Oh my god, is that what you do?"

I startled. "Wait, you didn't know?"

"No, you guys did a good job keeping that part a secret."

"It wasn't necessary to tell my family because we're selling the company after we graduate."

He nodded. "So, you kept your distance from Alexi, supposedly so your secret wouldn't come out, and somehow he kept appearing in the same place you were."

"Yes."

"Have you ever thought about that?"

"About what?"

"Alexi appearing in the exact same place and time as you?"

"I don't understand. What does he—my client!" I stood up like my whole body was on springs. "Alexi is my client? How the hell did he find out about Elite?"

Rory shrugged. "My guess is the same way as everyone else. Word of mouth. You have a good thing going with that business."

I paced the living room. "That's why he was always there. The messages he got were Veronika canceling his appointments because I'd canceled the appointments. That was why I couldn't access his record. He was a high-profile client." I ran my hands through my hair so much that I probably looked like a crazed person. "What does he want with Elite?"

"You'll have to ask him that."

The doorbell buzzed, making me jump.

"That'll be the food. I'll get it." Rory went over to the door and buzzed the delivery guy in like he'd been to my apartment a thousand times.

I felt numb as the realization that everything had just gotten a thousand times more complicated hit me.

"Come on, let's eat. Sergei is on his way here. He's just had dinner with Alexi and dropped him off at his dorm. We can figure out how to stop those rumors about your company from getting out so you can figure out the rest."

"The rest?"

"You have to tell Alexi about Elite. He'll keep your secret, I'm sure of it. And then you can stay friends and hang out without all those secrets over your head."

Friends…right.

At least one thing was still only mine and Alexi's. Our relationship.

All that remained was figuring out everything else.

"I'll call Marco to come over."