Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,32

saw my bodyguard enter behind me.

“You’re late,” Dr. Franklin says when I enter the room, not looking up from the document she’s reading.

“I know. I apologize.” I sit in the chair across from her. “Traffic was horrendous.”

She lifts her gaze to my face, adjusting her glasses. Her dark hair is streaked with gray, but her face is youthful. It’s her eyes that unnerve me. Big, dark, and always seeing more than I’m willing to show.

“How’s your thesis going, Zach?”

I fight the urge to look away. “Good. I’m making progress, and I think I’ll have the first draft ready before Christmas.” I tell myself I’m not outright lying, that I do intend to focus on my thesis, but I know with everything going on, it may not be entirely feasible.

Dr. Franklin sees right through me. “That’s great. If you manage to pull it off.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Professor Cohen stopped by earlier this week and had nothing but good things to say about you.”

I should hope so, considering I’m the one grading all his assessments and putting in a lot more hours of research than I need to.

“I’m glad to hear it.” I beam at her.

She shakes her head at me, but I can see she’s fighting a smile. “Are you taking your vacation in August?”

“I am. I need some time to deal with…” I pause, not sure how to formulate the clusterfuck I’m in. “Family issues.”

She notes down the dates for my vacation in her calendar, and, thankfully, doesn’t pry about my personal life.

We talk a bit more about my thesis, and I ask a few questions I’ve written down in my notebook. Dr. Franklin is a busy woman, so I don’t want to take up too much of her time. We touch base on a few more points about my schedule after the vacation, and I’m dismissed.

Outside, Alec is waiting patiently, ignoring all the side-eye looks from passersby.

“Ready?” he asks when I close the door behind me.

“Almost. I need to stop by the library and talk to Professor Cohen, but it won’t take long.”

There’s a strange sort of softness in his eyes when he nods and then follows me around campus, carrying the heavy books from the library without complaining.

On the way back, we stop at my favorite bagel place in Queens. The car idles on the street while Alec and I get our bagels. I want to sit at the tiny table in the corner and eat there, then take a walk in Captain Tilly park nearby. Anything not to get back inside the car or the penthouse.

But I know doing any of that will provoke another argument, and I just don’t have the mental or emotional capacity for it right now. Ever since Evie told me about Alec’s calls, I’ve been trying to reconcile the man I once knew with the man who Evie spoke to. They seemed like two different people to me.

We climb back in the car, takeout containers in hand. Alec’s phone chimes in his pocket just as the driver pulls away from the curb. He reads the text with a frown, then mutters a soft curse.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, buckling in.

He glances at me, lips pursing. “There’s a gathering.” He spits the word out with distaste. “In front of the building. We’ll have to use the back entrance and go straight to the underground parking.”

“A gathering? What kind of gathering?”

Alec exhales a deep breath, his hand balling into a fist on his thigh.

“Protesters. The media. Random people. Who the fuck knows.”

“Protesters?”

Alec types something on his phone, then puts it away and turns to face me.

“You don’t go on social media anymore?” I shake my head. “Some people think your father is to blame for the attack. That security wasn’t tight enough. That he’s not doing enough to protect his employees. That he’s standing by his controversial views, but unlike his employees, he’s safe and sound, and well protected.”

“My father is not to blame for what these nutjobs did!” I exclaim, dropping the container on the seat between us.

“I know that,” Alec says calmly. “I’m telling you what people think. There already are numerous YouTube videos and Twitter threads and articles published in the press today discussing what happened yesterday. And they’re digging deeper, coming up with crazy conspiracy theories.”

I grunt. “Who even pays attention to that shit? The internet is full of trolls with nothing better to do.”

Alec eyes me with surprise before schooling his features again. “Unfortunately, lots of