Chapter 2 THE PAPER FORTRESS CRUMBLES

LILY’S POV

My heart was not just beating; it was trying to punch its way out of my ribs.

Roman was so close I could feel the wet heat giving off his chest. The smell of him stuck to everything—cold, clean, and stupidly addictive.

It was an expensive smell for such a brutal guy.

I looked up, my breath hitching as I caught his eyes again. Up close, they were not just blue. They were the color of a frozen lake right before the ice broke. 

It was beautiful, but dangerous.

“You,” He grumbled, his thumb brushing against the brick wall by my ear. “You will go to dinner with me.” 

He was not asking, it was more like a command.

My brain stalled. “What? I—I don’t even know you. My brother hates you. I’m supposed to hate you.” 

“Do you?” he asked, his voice got deeper. He leaned in just an inch

more, his shadow completely swallowing me. “Do you hate me, Lily Bennett?”

I opened my mouth to say yes, to tell him he was a monster for what he did to Leo, but no sound came out. I was too busy trying to remember how to breathe.

Buzz. Buzz.

The phone in my hand vibrated, the loud noise startling both of us. The spell broke. I blinked, realizing how trapped I looked—how small I was against him.

I did not wait for him to move. I ducked under his arm, my shoulder brushing his ribs, and ran to pick up my phone from the floor.

“I have to go!” I squeaked, not looking back.

I bolted down the hallway, my sneakers squeaking on the worn-out floor. I didn't stop until I burst through the exit doors into the chilly night air. I leaned against a pillar, gasping for air, my face feeling like it was on fire.

“What the heck was that?” I whispered to the empty parking lot.

I shook my head hard, trying to clear the image of those frozen blue eyes. He was a Volkov. He was the enemy. He probably just wanted to use me to get into Leo’s head.

“Stupid,” I muttered, pushing my glasses up. “Just a stupid, sweaty hockey player.”

The next morning, the world felt normal again. Or at least, it felt like my version of normal.

I sat behind the desk at the St. Jude Community Library, the smell of old paper and vanilla tea calming my nerves.

This was my sanctuary. 

While my family loved the excitement of the rink, I enjoyed the peace of the library. I was currently reorganizing the Young Adult section—my favorite—when the bell above the door chimed.

I looked up, expecting one of the regulars. Instead, a man in a grey suit walked in. He looked like he belonged in an office, not in a dusty library that still used paper library cards.

“Can I help you?” I asked, putting on my best professional librarian smile.

“Lily Bennett?” he asked, eyeing the building with a look of pity.

“Yes?”

He pulled an envelope from his briefcase and slid it across the desk. “I’m Mr. Henderson from the City Development Council. I’m here to deliver the final notice.”

My stomach dropped. “Notice for what?”

“The St. Jude Library is being closed down, Miss Bennett. A private company bought the property. You have three months to move out before they tear it down for a fancy condo building.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “You can't do that. This library has been here for fifty years. It’s a landmark!”

“It’s a landmark with a hundred-thousand-dollar debt,” he said coldly. “Unless you can come up with the full amount in ninety days, the paper fortress comes down. Have a nice day.”

He turned and walked out, leaving me staring at the envelope like it was a ticking bomb.

A hundred thousand dollars? 

I didn't even have a hundred dollars in my savings account after paying for my new glasses and car insurance.

I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking so hard I almost dropped it. I dialed the only person I knew who had that kind of money.

“Leo? Please pick up,” I whispered.

He answered on the fourth ring, sounding groggy. “Lil? Is everything okay? My head is killing me after that hit last night.”

“Leo, it’s the library. They’re closing it. I need a hundred thousand dollars or they’re going to tear it down.”

There was a long silence on the other end. I heard the sound of a luxury car engine speeding up in the background.

“God, Lil, I... I can't,” Leo said, his voice full of guilt.

“What do you mean you can't? You’re a star player! You just signed a new contract!”

“I know, but I bought the Ferrari last month, and then there was the penthouse down payment, and... I’m hockey-rich, Lil. I have the stuff, but the bank account is pretty much empty until next season. I’m tapped out.”

Tears stung my eyes. “Leo, please. It’s Mom’s legacy. She worked here her whole life.”

“I’m sorry, Lily. I really am. Maybe you can start a GoFundMe?”

He hung up a minute later, leaving me crushed. A GoFundMe? In this neighborhood?! I would be lucky to raise fifty bucks.

I sat back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was the shy, quiet Lily. 

The one who stayed out of the way. 

I wasn't a fighter. 

I didn't know how to save anything.

The library was quiet—too quiet. It felt like the books were already weeping.

I walked over to the front window, leaning my forehead against the cool glass. I saw a shiny black SUV with dark windows stop by the curb. It seemed odd on our simple street, like a shark in a pond of goldfish.

The back door opened, and a man in a nice navy suit came out. He looked like a fancy lawyer or an agent. He fixed his tie and waited.

Then, the other door opened.

My breath fastened.

A pair of big black boots stepped onto the ground first. Then, a large figure got out of the car.

It was him.

Roman Volkov wore a black turtleneck and a long wool coat that made him look like a Russian mob boss. His dark hair was pushed back, and his jaw was tight and firm.

He looked at the library, his blue eyes meeting mine through the window. He did not smile or wave. He just stared at me intensely.

The man who looked like an agent opened the library door, and the bell rang like a sad tune.

I stood frozen behind my desk as Roman stepped inside, His presence was so big that the library felt smaller. The quiet mood quickly changed to the smell of his perfume. 

Roman Volkov had come to my safe space.

And I had a feeling he was not here to check out a book.