My hands lift up of their own accord and curl in Gill's T-shirt, blood smearing across my fingertips as it drips down the side of his face and onto my curled fists. I raise myself up onto my toes to deepen the kiss, relief and fear ricocheting through me like that bullet would've done if I'd been hit with it. I could've died, too. I almost did.
Gill pulls back, gazing down at me with such a tender expression on his face that for a moment, my eyes blur with tears. I blink them away and my ears pop, making me grit my teeth as the ringing seemingly rises in pitch. My hearing returns just enough for me to hear Ewan say something about Aveline.
Oh God.
“Is she okay?” I ask Gill, my heart racing for a million different reasons. He nods at me, but the grim look on his face tells me that it's bad. Or that this isn't over. Maybe both.
“She will be,” he says, a strange note in his voice as he watches Ewan check the pulses on the bodies in both stairwells. “And Regina,” he begins again. I try to cut him off, but he says it anyway. “Thank you.” A small, sad smile. “I think you might've just saved my life.”
Gill leans close and presses another kiss against my mouth. With a last lingering look and a brush of fingers against the nape of my neck, he moves by me and into Solène's room. I can tell he wants to say something else about my involvement in all of this, but … I guess I really did save his life. Well, maybe. Knowing Gill, he'd have probably finagled his way out of the whole situation. Still, he knows better than to think he can chastise me, even if my being involved scares the ever living crap out of him.
“Don't worry about the police,” Gill adds, finally answering my question as I follow behind him, his voice already wrapped up in his thoughts again, plotting, planning, calculating. That's Gilleon. “Max has an in with the police chief. They'll write this off as illegal target practice in the backyard.”
“He … holy shit.” I run my fingers through my hair and studiously avoid looking at the stairwell. Like at the hotel, I imagine that these bodies, too, will disappear. I don't want to know about it. I don't. One quick flick of the eyes and I see splatters of blood that I hope to Christ I'll be able to un-see.
I shiver and focus on Gilleon's broad back instead, on the muscles that always feel so good beneath my fingertips. After our date, I knew I wanted to live with Gill, love Gill, but now? Holy crap. I want to marry him and have fucking babies. Okay, maybe one baby. Maybe. Anyway, I want a dog and a cat and a studio downstairs. I want to sleep next to Gill every night and let him smile at my mussy hair every morning. If I'd have lost him, really lost him this time … I can't even think about it.
I take another deep breath to calm down as Gill calls up to Cliff and waits for him to unlock the attic door. When Gilleon does open it, he just barely cracks it and speaks quietly with Cliff. I can't hear what they're saying, but I'm grateful when Gill pushes the hatch back in place. The last thing I'd ever want is for Solène to witness the gruesome aftermath in the stairwell.
“I have to go, Regina,” Gill says suddenly, turning to look at me and laying a hand on my shoulder. He leans in close enough that I can feel his breath on my lips. “I need to see this through.”
“What happened down there?” I ask as Gilleon presses his forehead against mine. “What happened to Aveline?” Gill's lips purse, but he doesn't pull away. Instead, he closes his eyes and breathes deep. The air smell likes blood and gunpowder now though. I think we could both use a break outside.
In the distance, I hear sirens and my body stiffens.
“Ewan will take care of it, don't worry.”
Gill stands up straight and reaches out for my hands, frowning at the blood on the backs of my knuckles. After a moment, he makes the connection and reaches up to touch his own head. I raise an eyebrow, hoping I don't have to pry an explanation out of him.
“Aveline used our contact and went in without me.” Gill's pursed lips turn into a frown and his blue eyes shift away from my face and over to the staircase. “It didn't go well.”
I lift my hand up, unable to keep my fingers away from his dark hair.
“I should've let you go,” I say.
It's not a question.
Gilleon looks back at me and shakes his head.
“We'll never know what might've happened if I'd gone. Maybe I'd be lying down there bleeding? Maybe I'd be dead?”
“Maybe Karl would be,” I whisper, dropping my hand to my side. “Now what?”
“He sent eight people here to deal with me.” Gill smiles, but it's a grim expression on his blood splattered face. “When they don't come back, there'll be hell to pay.” He sighs and the stiff smile disappears as his tattooed hand runs over his face. “I should never have dragged you into this. Regina,” Gill turns back to me, eyes flickering with anger, “you should never have had to step in like that. I think I owe you another apology.” He tries to make a joke out of that last bit, but it falls flat in the copper tinged air. In the scent of blood.
“Love is selfish, Gilleon. You said it yourself. But it's also selfless.” I take another breath, but the smells are starting to get to me and all it does is make my stomach roil. Still, I don't drop my gaze from Gill's. “You were willing to leave me to keep me safe, to suffocate in isolation. Well, I'm willing to die for you.” I hold up a hand before he can protest. I realize it's still shaking and drop my fingers to my mother's pendant. Mom, I'm sorry. Sorry you got dragged into this, that you paid the ultimate price. But I still love him. I do. I really, really do. “What do we do now?”
“We don't do anything. You head up into the attic with Dad and Solène while I deal with this. Once the house is cleaned up, I'll have someone take you guys to a hotel.”
“No.” I cross my arms over my chest and then glance down at the floor until I locate my revolver. “This is my house now, Gill. This is my life. And you … you're mine. It's us now, or it's nothing at all. You promised to give me that.” I move over and pick up the gun, cradling it in my fingers like it's made of glass. When I turn back to him, I hope he can see how fucking serious I am. “So I'll ask you again: qu'est-ce qu'on fait maintenant?”
What do we do now?
The answer to my question is surprising, to say the least. I'd been expecting … well, I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Who would ever expect to wear a designer dress to take out a bad guy? To be more specific, a designer dress with body armor underneath it. Makeup, heels, diamonds in my ears and around my neck. It's a nice look, I'll be the first to admit—I mean, I'm wearing a navy striped Marchesa Notte gown, so what's not to love?—but it's definitely a little uncomfortable with the vest shoved up underneath it.
I know I'm not fooling anybody—there is most definitely a bulky bulletproof vest under my outfit—but Gill insisted on it. I'm even wearing the knife I found earlier strapped against my lower back—scout style I guess it's called. It's better than having it stuffed in the front pocket of Gilleon's hoodie, that's for sure. Now, the chances that I'll ever have to use it … or that I'd even be successful in using it? Pretty slim.
I glance over at Gilleon, sitting bathed in the ambient light from the front porch. The lines of his face are tight and his jaw is clenched hard, teeth gritted together as he stares at the steering wheel and works through whatever it is he needs to go over before we leave.
Me, I still have no idea what's going on or why I'm dressed to the nines—quite literally. Underneath the flowing organza of my skirt, there's a nine millimeter strapped to my upper thigh.
I turn my face and look out the window, breath frosting against the cool glass. Surprisingly enough, the street is quiet now, and the police cars are gone. As promised, a phone call to the boss and a few quick words with the cops was enough to send them on their way. Gill's nosy neighbor was outside, standing at the end of her driveway, glaring at us. But after she—and the rest of the busybodies—on the street noticed the cops leaving, they went back inside and shut their lights off, one by one.
It feel
s like we're all alone out here.
That's not even remotely the case.
I can see Gill's … coworkers? Hell, I don't know what to call them. They're loading up a van, using the back door and the gate to avoid carrying their very large, very illegal parcels outside. I avert my gaze, knowing that eight—eight—people are dead tonight. As sad as that is, as wasteful as this all seems, I don't feel as sick as I should about it. They came after me, after my family. If Gill wasn't such a badass, it'd be me in the back of a van and not them.
I swallow hard and lean my head back against the leather seat of the SUV. I think it's the same one we fucked in, but I'm not sure. Could just be a different rental. I wonder if my panties are still in the glove compartment?
“I shouldn't have put you through this,” Gill says, voice rough and low. He's practically growling.
I glance back at him, at his handsome face covered in shadow. Tonight, only half of that is metaphorical. The rest … if we can get through this, it'll be over. That's it. We'll get our cut of the heist money, as promised, and Gill can retire.
If.
If. If. If.
I hate that word.
“Is Max really trustworthy?” I ask. Having never met the guy, I haven't the slightest clue.
Gill's mouth twitches.
“Not really. But, like I said, Karl and Max have a history.” He holds up his hands. “Again, I don't know much about it, but …” He sighs and that grin that was slowly forming, it fades away in an instant. “We all have our secrets, I guess.”
“At least ours are out in the open.” I turn to face him fully. I know why Gill left me, know the truth about my mother's death, and he knows about our daughter. “So let's keep it that way.” I reach up and run my fingers through my hair. It's freshly washed, blown out and tousled. For what reason Gill asked me to do that, I can't even hazard a guess. “Karl … he can't be that easy to kill, right? I mean, if you could just walk in there guns blazin' and take him out, you would've done that a long time ago, wouldn't you?”
Gill turns to face me, reaching out and touching his thumb to my lower lip. His chest expands with a tired sigh. The very same chest that just so happens to be covered in a black suit jacket; I'm not the only who's dressed up … or the only one wearing body armor under my clothes.
“Of course. Anything to get back to you, Regina.” Gilleon glances away for a moment and then turns his gaze back on me. “But Max … is willing to go out on a limb after tonight. This … what happened to Aveline, it's too much.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Why would Max give a shit about Aveline?”
Gill licks his lips nervously and takes another deep breath.
“Regina,” he begins as I push his hand away from my mouth. It's hard to think when he's touching me like that.
“What?” I ask, fear trickling down my spine. “I know that voice. You're keeping another secret from me.”
“Some stories aren't mine to tell,” Gill says, raising both brows, like he's trying to get me to understand without speaking the words aloud. “Especially not when their owner is on her way to the hospital.” Something clicks into place in my brain.
“Aveline. You really do know her secret, don't you?” Gill sighs again and runs his hand over his face.
“If I tell you this, I tell you in complete confidence.” Gill leans in close to me and whispers hot against my ear. “If Max—or Aveline—ever found out I told you this, I'd have a lot more than just death threats from Karl to worry about.” He leans back again and glances casually out the window. I know better though, know that he's checking to make sure the coast is clear before he tells me whatever it is he needs to say. “I want to be truthful with you, like you asked.” Gill sighs and stares down at his lap for a moment, looking so much like the teenage version of himself that I have to tighten my fingers around the edge of the seat to keep myself from leaning over and pressing a gentle peck against his mouth.
“Max called a meeting tonight, to hand me over.”
I blink away my surprise as Gill glances up at me. He must've arranged all this while I was getting changed. Bye-bye daisy dress, hello evening wear … plus bulletproof vest. I think it's Aveline's, but I didn't bother to ask. For all I know, Gill might have one in his closet for Cliff and Solène, too. Fortunately for us both, they're still sitting pretty in the attic.
“Why would Karl agree to a meeting with Max?” Gill smiles tightly at me.
“Because they were married once.”
I blink stupidly back at Gill and risk a glance out the front window. Max's guys are finished loading the van, closing the white doors on the pile of bodies in the back. I shiver and turn my attention back to Gill, leaning close and lowering my voice to a whisper.
“They were married?” I definitely don't want to imagine how that divorce went. “Mon Dieu.” I shake my head and sit back up. “Okay, that's certainly a shock. The two rival crime bosses were hitched.” Gill's still smiling, but it's a humorless expression. “What does that have to do with Aveline?”
“Aveline's their daughter.”
Holy shit. Was not expecting that one.
“Aveline's been caught up in Karl and Maxine's war for a long time now. Tonight, he took things too far for Max's liking.”
“So I'm assuming … Maxine is …?” I begin and Gill chuckles softly.
“Yes, Maxine is a woman.”
“I had to check.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “There's no reason a guy couldn't be called Maxine.” Gill's smile gets a little wider, warming my heart from the bottom up. The way tonight's going, I don't expect it to last, but it's a nice sight to see. “You never told me Max was a woman,” I add, trying to recall any memories I might have of the various mentions of Gill's boss' name. I guess he never said she wasn't one. Not that it really matters. Hell, there isn't room for sexism even in criminal enterprises I guess. Go Maxine.
“You never asked,” Gill says, that small smile still curling his lips. It fades just as quickly when he gets a signal from one of his guys at the front door of the house.
“The man you …” I really don't want to say that particular verb aloud. “Karl's son … Max's son?” I ask tentatively, but Gill's shaking his head.
“No, they were half siblings.” He sighs and looks up, watching as the van starts backing down the driveway, pulling alongside us and then disappearing into the dark in a blur of red taillights. “Point being, Max never wanted to take things this far. Tonight, though, she changed her mind. I guess seeing her daughter in that state was enough to push a few maternal buttons.” Gill's mouth twitches. “Though I'm sure it's not much. Max isn't exactly … the motherly type.” He takes a deep breath. “So. I go in tonight; I end this.”
My turn to purse my lips.
“Where do I fit into all this?” There's got to be a reason that I'm dressed up. Gill never does anything without a purpose.
“Karl wants me to bring you along.” Gill looks deep into my eyes, searching for something there. Whatever he finds, it must satisfy him because he takes a deep breath and continues. “Like collateral, something to keep me from doing exactly what it is that I'm going to do.” My turn to take a breath. If I said I wasn't scared, I'd be lying. I can hardly even believe I'm sitting here like this, a bulletproof vest under my dress, a knife at my back, a gun on my thigh. I feel ridiculous. I can hardly use any of this stuff. But I have to try tonight. For Gill. For me. For us. “I don't want to use you like this, Regina,” he adds, but I'm already shaking my head.
“I'm in.”
I take another breath and look Gill straight in the face. No, of course he doesn't want me there, doesn't want to take even the smallest risk with me. But I know Gill. And I know myself. I have to be a part of this, and I'm confident that Gilleon knows his stuff. If he didn't think we had a good chance to get out of this alive, he wouldn't have even taken the suggestion.
“Max has promised me your safety, but …” I nod. Situations like this are
hard to control. Anything could happen. Anything. “There's a plan in place, but I need you to promise to listen to me, no matter what. When we're in there, you're not my …” Gill pauses and smiles softly at me. “You're not the love of my life, you're my assistant. You take my orders.” I raise both brows and sit back, giving Gill a look. “Regina.”
I roll my eyes and raise my hands in surrender.
“Okay, I got it, boss.” I don't like following orders, but in this, I trust Gill completely and implicitly. This is his thing, his area of expertise, not mine. Besides, I told him not to go in tonight and he listened to me. It's my turn now.
I lean across the car, curling my fingers against the nape of his neck as he reaches out and wraps the fingers of his tattooed hand around my waist.
“I love you, Gilleon Marchal,” I tell him, because I can never say it enough.
“I love you, too, Regina.” He kisses me then with a dangerous passion that curls my toes and brings goose bumps up on my arms.
Tonight, we're risking our lives for a future, the future together we never had, but that we deserve.
Tonight.
It's all over tonight.
The car ride to … wherever it is that we're going is filled with a tense sort of silence, the kind that begs to be broken, but that I can't for the life of me figure out how to break.
“Gill?” I ask after a few moments, my heart racing, my hands clammy in my lap. I want to help, need to really, but that doesn't make it easy. I'm not exactly trained for this, but if Karl wants bait, I can be bait. I can be the chance that Gilleon needs to get the shot in. Because that's all it'll take—one shot. Once Karl is down, if there is a firefight, Gill's promised that Max's people will take care of things.
“Yeah?” he asks, blinking a few times to clear his head before he glances over me, knuckles white on the steering wheel.
“Everything's going to be okay.” Gill smiles tightly at me, but I can tell from his tense facial expression that he doesn't believe it. “And not because it has to be, because nothing really has to happen. But because we'll make it happen.” I stare out the front window at the darkness and the rain, reaching up to wipe some condensation from the glass. Outside, the I-90 floating bridge rumbles past, the water from Lake Washington black as pitch beneath it.
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