“Okay,” I say, since jogging is about keeping fit enough to make my escape if Roy ever comes after me. It doesn’t matter where I get my exercise. And there won’t be any flasher pervs here, which is a definite plus.
Tolyan takes me out onto the deck. The pool is sizable, almost like one for the Olympics. The deck is wood and has a few sunbeds for lounging, plus there’s a large area covered with Astroturf. The farthest corner has a sandbox, which reminds me of a giant cat litter box.
“Do you have a cat?” I ask, looking around. Although I haven’t seen any signs, Tolyan or his son might have one, one that the Dobermans were trained to get along with.
He shoots me an unreadable look. “If I wanted an untrainable, disdainful animal with an attitude problem, I would’ve gotten myself another teenager.”
I laugh. Okay, no cat for Tolyan. “So what’s the sandbox for?”
“The dogs. They’ve been trained to take care of their bodily functions there only. I can’t have them dirtying the entire area at will. It’s unsanitary, and I’m not hiring someone to enter my home regularly to pick up after them.”
Makes sense. Given how paranoid he is about security, he wouldn’t want somebody having a regular access to his home. I look around the deck, then squint at the sky.
“You know… Somebody could skydive into this area and then break in. Which means they’re bypassing all the fancy security you showed me earlier,” I say, half teasing. I don’t really think anybody would be crazy enough to parachute in just to break and enter his home, but it’s interesting he isn’t talking about some super-duper security feature up here.
Tolyan nods, his expression too serious. “Don’t worry. This area’s booby-trapped also.”
Should’ve expected that. He’s exacting about safety—which, given my situation, is great. “But your dogs come up here. What if they get hurt?”
“Obviously,
the security measures are only for intruders. It isn’t that difficult to rig something for uninvited guests.” He gestures behind himself at the small, circular decorative patterns on the edge of the built-in shades and walls. “Don’t worry about your safety. Besides, your stepbrother doesn’t have the balls to land here.”
Tolyan’s tone says he’d love nothing more than to have Roy show up, but my mouth still dries a little. The idea of Roy getting close always makes me clench up. But my heart isn’t pounding ten thousand beats a minute like it normally would. It’s like some instinct knows that Tolyan isn’t someone Roy can easily go through to get to me.
“Do you know how to shoot, by the way?” Tolyan asks as he takes me back inside.
“No. I’ve never held a gun in my life.” Guns scare me. The potential violence and the sound just freak me out. It’s not the most logical reaction from someone who really could use a firearm for protection. But I can’t change how I feel about them any more than I can change how I feel about big spiders.
Tolyan grunts. “Knives?”
“Um… For cooking, sure.” Ugh. I’m starting to sound like some child who wants to sit on her ass while Tolyan does the heavy lifting of protecting me. It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing to realize that the only real skill I’ve perfected over the years is running. “But I can learn. In fact, I should learn. You know. To defend myself and help out.”
“If you’re going to half-ass it, you’ll help most by staying out of the way. It’s quite simple to take a knife from somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
His placid tone is making me feel worse. I think I would feel better if he’d just yelled instead about how clueless I am about the basic methods of self-defense. “I’m very good at running, but maybe I can learn to punch at least?”
“You’d have to be too close to hit him. With the amount of time we have to work with, I don’t think you can be trained to overpower your stepbrother.”
“You think he’s going to come soon?” Just the idea sends a wave of horror up my spine.
“You are living here and will likely start to work at the Pryce Family Foundation. I provide security for both, which means that Roy will not be able to get at you easily. That will bother him.”
I realize that what Tolyan’s saying is true. Roy gets off on making me do things, whether it was in bed or in my own life. The idea that I might be in a situation that’s beyond his power to control will drive him crazy. Well, crazier.
“Besides,” Tolyan says, “he won’t come alone.”
“You think he’s going to bring people to kill me?” The question comes out in a cracked whisper.
“He’s a coward. He’s going to do it in a cowardly manner.” He lifts a hand, hesitates for a second, then pats my shoulder awkwardly. “That’s going to be his downfall. And you’ll be fine.”
Chapter Eighteen
Angelika
Soon after the tour of the penthouse, the stuff from Monique’s store arrives. And oh my lord it’s a cornucopia of fashion. There is so much more than I expected. I’m grateful and excited but also a little embarrassed that Tolyan paid for all of it, on top of helping me with Roy. Tolyan helps me carry everything to my room without a word.
“Thank you,” I say again. It seems like I can never thank him enough.