11. VANYA

“How are you feeling?”

I glanced up at my father as I entered the living room. “Fine.”

“You look like you haven’t slept much, darling,” Joy said from her spot on the couch.

I rolled my eyes at her, but remained silent. How could I possibly sleep after finding the body of a girl I’ve known since kindergarten in my apartment?

The girl had been identified as Christy Carmichael. A girl I had been friends with up until she dropped out of high school after falling pregnant. What was even scarier was the fact that we looked so much alike. I was sure that the killer had it planned like that.  

“Take a seat, Vanya. We need to talk.”

Nothing good ever came from my father telling me that we needed to talk. My eyes darted from him to Joy. What are they up to?

“Would you like something to drink, honey?”

My eyes narrowed on his back as he walked over to his drink cabinet. I knew that tone of voice. Something was definitely up.

I looked at Joy, but she was engrossed in something on her phone.

“Vanya?”

I blinked and looked at him again. “No, thank you.”

He turned back to pour himself a drink. After a few seconds, he turned and joined Joy on the couch. Father gestured to the couch opposite them.

I hesitated, but curiosity got the best of me. Walking over to the couch, I took a seat and stared at my father as I waited for him to tell me the reason for our sudden ‘family’ meeting.

“I spoke to Devrim,” he said softly. “He made me realize just how badly this could end.”

“I’m—”

“You know I love you very much, right?”

My eyes narrowed. “I’m not—”

He held up a hand, instantly silencing me. I glanced at Joy to find her frowning at my father. So she had no clue why he wanted to talk to me. That was a first, since he always told her everything.

“I saw the photos, Vanya,” he said softly after a few minutes.

I winced. So had I. How had I not realized someone photographing me?  

“Vanya, you need to understand that I would never—”

“Oh, just spit it out already! I have things to do,” Joy interrupted him.

My father’s eyes locked with mine, and determination was the only thing I saw. He downed the rest of his drink before he spoke again.

“Devrim will be here to pick you up in an hour.”

My mouth dropped open and then slammed shut again. Had I heard him right?

“He agreed to help catch the killer, but in return, he wants you.”

“Want me?”

He nodded and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “You’ll be living with him and—”

“You can’t be serious!” I yelled.

“Vanya, please, just listen to me. This will be good for us.”

“Us?” I laughed. “You mean you, right? It will be good publicity, right? The great Mayor Reeves—”

“That’s enough!” Father stood and walked over to the cabinet to refill his glass. “All the arrangements have been made, and the contracts are signed.”

“Contracts?” I jumped to my feet. “What contracts?”

My father took his time in finishing his drink and then turned towards me. For a moment, it looked like he regretted what he had done, but it lasted only for a few seconds.

“What did you do?”

He sighed. “I agreed for them to have you in return for their protection.”

There was no way he was being serious. He couldn’t be! But the longer I stared at him, the more obvious it became that he meant every word he had just said.

“I’m not you—”

“I did what I had to, to ensure the safety of this island,” he yelled over me.

“But not the safety of your own daughter?”

Joy suddenly jumped up and spun to glare at my father. “How could you do that?” she asked him. “They’re animals! You gave her to animals. Do you have any idea what people will say?”

How stupid of me. For a moment, I actually thought that she was on my side.

“Stay out of this, Joy,” he hissed at her. “We can argue all you want, but it’s not going to change a thing.”

Tears burned my eyes. How could he?

“Go pack your things. He will be here to pick you up in forty-five minutes.”

***

He fucking traded his own daughter for a treaty. His status as the Mayor was more important than his own flesh and blood. How could he do this to me?

I angrily wiped away the tears, but no matter what I did, they wouldn’t stop falling.

It tore me apart that he would use me to achieve his own goals.

A knock on my door made me freeze. I glanced up when it opened and Ezra hesitantly entered. His eyes darted around the room until they fell on me. I instantly looked away.

“Your father said that I could find you here,” he said. “Do you need any help?”

“No.” My voice cracked, making me wince.

The last thing I wanted was for them to know how much this arrangement was affecting me. I turned my back on him and quickly wiped a few more tears away, but when I turned back around, Ezra was suddenly right behind me.

A gasp fell from my lips when I bumped into him. His hands instantly shot out to grip my hips. Ezra had a smile on his face, but it quickly faded when our eyes locked.

“Vanya?”

I pushed his hands away and stepped around him. Since my apartment was still considered a crime scene, I had no way of getting anything from it. So I was stuck with taking clothes I had left behind when I moved out. Most of them had been chosen by Joy right after she had married my father. Joy had kept buying me clothes up until I moved out, because to her, our public image was very important.

“Vanya?” Ezra called.

“I’m almost done.”

I grabbed more clothes and turned to walk back over to the bed to throw them into the suitcase. When I turned around again, Ezra stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His brows dipped into a frown as his eyes darted over my face.

“What’s wrong?”

A scoff fell from my lips. “How can you ask me that?”

“I—”

“Everything is wrong!” I yelled, pushing at his chest.

Ezra stumbled backwards slightly, but his hands shot out to grab my wrist before I could push him again. A low growl fell from his lips as he pulled me against his chest.

“You’re angry.”

I tried to pull my wrist from his hold, but failed. “Let go.”

“Why are you angry?”

“You can’t be serious!” I yelled. “How am I supposed to feel when my father just signed me over like I’m a piece of property? To a bunch of strangers, nonetheless.”

“It’s for your own safety, Vanya.”

“You—”

“We can talk about this later,” Ezra interrupted me. “We need to leave before it gets dark.”

I pursed my lips and tugged on my wrist so he would let go, but he didn’t. Instead, Ezra pulled me even closer and leaned down until our faces were only inches apart.

“Your father wouldn’t have agreed otherwise. This is the only way for us to keep you alive.”

“Why?” I whispered.

“Because unlike him, we care.”