“Cecily, I think we should probably go upstairs to my suite.” Nina’s lips moved, but Cecily barely heard. Her voice had completely disappeared. All she could do was nod and follow everyone to the elevator.
*****
Gina Lee-Xiou
My home and mind were in chaos. Hahn was barking and shouting orders to the rest of my security team as if they were planning a military operation.
Brody was getting dressed as if he were about to come with me. “Calm down, Gina. You don’t know if Cecily is on her way to see Nina.”
I was panicked and needed to calm down but hadn’t been able to get a grip yet. I’d never been scared for myself, but I was terrified that Cecily was going to get hurt. I snapped at Brody out of pure frustration. “Where the hell else would she be going? If it were you or me, what would you do?”
“True. Okay, if that was her plan all along, how would she even know where to find Nina? You don’t even know where she is. How could a fifteen-year-old kid have better information than you or me and all of our resources?”
Guilt. I felt it. There were too many new and warring emotions fighting within me. I knew Brody had his own plans of trying to bring down Nina. He’d been looking for a way to deal legitimately with her. However, I had my own brand of justice I wanted to exact, so I never told him that I knew Nina’s whereabouts.
To hell with it, I had to tell the truth. My sigh was exaggerated and loud. “I knew, Brody. I’ve known exactly where Nina has been staying, and Cecily knows because her little ass was snooping. I left a file on the coffee table downstairs. It wasn’t in the same place as I left it and Nina’s address was in there.”
His eyes narrowed. I could barely hear him but was still able to make out his controlled anger. “You lied to me?”
My eyes focused on everything around Brody but not on him. I couldn’t make eye contact. “I didn’t lie per se. I just didn’t tell you everything.”
His gaze cut through me like a knife. “I can accept almost anything, and I have. I’ve accepted who you are in total, but I will never be with a liar.”
“I didn’t tell you because you were going to try to be my knight in shining armor. I didn’t want you to get hurt, or worse.”
His eyes blazed, and he snapped. “Bullshit! Don’t play me for being stupid! I know you’re planning something heinous! That’s why you didn’t tell me. At the very least we should have talked about it.” He pointed to his scar. “You see this? I was the one who almost died! I at least deserved the truth.”
My own righteous indignation rose up. “You don’t think I know that? Don't you think it hangs over my head or like a weight around my neck? Nina is going to pay for everything she’s done; I promise you that.”
His glare was angry and unwavering.
“Had I told you my plans, you would have tried to talk me out of it.” Brody didn’t say a word. He just watched as I walked away to my closet and pulled down a locked metal box. “I told you from the jump; I was going to deal with Nina.” I opened it and pulled out my revolver. “You and I both know how this is going to unfold.” I holstered it at the back of my jeans.
He gritted his teeth then breathed in deeply through his nose, I think to keep from strangling me. “You know, we have something special, but you are determined to sabotage it. I’ve finally come to the realization that I can’t do this. I will not be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t understand the basic damn rules of one. It’s clear being here these last couple of months hasn’t advanced our relationship as much as I’d hoped. Gina, I’ll never accept dishonesty from you.”
I was finally able to meet his eyes. They were mixed with anger and sadness. This was it. This was the moment our relationship was going to end. My chest was tight, but my eyes were hard. “I never asked you to. I’m cold-hearted, but you knew that already. I do what I have to and nothing less. There’s no point in arguing about it, so I’m done.”
“Understood.” His voice was cold as he finished putting on his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you. We may not have a future, but there is no way you are leaving this house without me. After the dust settles, I’ll be on the first plane back to the United States.”
“You are not coming with me. I have a niece to save, an empire to claim, and a cold-hearted bitch to kill.”
“Let me refresh your memory; I’m Brody Windham. You don’t intimidate me, nobody can.” He walked over to his bedside table and pulled out a revolver. I hadn’t known it was there. “Just to be clear, you have absolutely no say over what I do, absolutely none. Whatever privilege I afforded you is gone.”
“W . . . what are you going to do with that?” What was Brody doing with a gun? Did he even know how to use one? My expression must have said it all because he answered my question before I had a chance to ask.
“I typically fight my battles in the boardroom, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know my way around hardware. How do you think I met Jamal? Maybe if you weren’t so self-centered, you would have known that.”
Chapter 20
Nina Lee-Xiou Manchetti
Cecily didn’t want to seem like a dumbstruck teenager, but she was positive that’s exactly how she was coming across.
Not one single coherent thought managed to form in her brain. It wasn’t until her mouth went dry that Cecily realized it had been hanging open in the first place, probably from the moment she’d first laid eyes on her mother up until the elevator opened to Nina’s floor. Luckily, Cecily was walking behind her and therefore, Nina couldn’t witness how foolish she’d looked.
Once everyone arrived at Nina’s suite, Cecily was finally able to get her bearings enough to speak. Her voice trembled. “Thank you for seeing me, N . . . Nina.” She stuttered not knowing what to call her. Should she have said, Ms. Lee-Xiou, Mrs. Manchetti, or Ms. Nina? Was Nina disrespectful considering she was her mother? Hopefully, all of the awkwardness would go away once they started to get to know each other.
Nina didn’t just walk into her room in designer stilettos, Cecily thought it was more like a glide. Or, was she floating? Everything about her was perfect including her salon-styled hair—not a strand was out of place, and her makeup was flawless.
Her hand automatically went to her own hair in an attempt to smooth it down. Cecily knew in this weather, it was probably a curly afro-puff. It was the furthest thing away from being perfect, but she couldn’t do anything about it now.
Not only was her hair a mess but as Cecily looked down at her worn pair of stressed jeans, high-top Chuck Taylors, and Rage Against the Machine t-shirt, so was she. In contrast, Nina was wearing a designer all-white pant jumpsuit that was tapered to fit her hour-glass figure. Clearly, they were a mismatch. In hindsight, maybe, Cecily should have spent a little more time on her appearance.
Unfortunately, the priority had been getting the chance to meet her mother, so much so that she hadn’t put a lot of thought or effort into the rest.
After Nina had sat her purse down on a side table, she responded. “It is well past time for us to meet.”
Cecily chewed her bottom lip. “I’ve waited my whole life. I have so many questions.”
Nina sat down. “Yes, we’ve got a lot to discuss, and I’ll do my best to answer them. Please have a seat, Cecily. Get comfortable. I’m sure we’re going to be here awhile.”
Cecily sat next to Nina. Part of her still felt as if this was a dream. She was dying to touch her just to prove that it wasn’t. “I guess my first question is why did you pretend to be dead all these years?”
Nina rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen up the stiffness. This day had gone from bad to worse. The members of the Council wouldn’t allow her to appoint new members who should have been chosen by her since she was the head of the organization. They wanted to vote on her selections. She needed to figure out how to turn that sentiment around.
As if her day couldn’t get any worse, when she arrived back
at the hotel, Nina knew immediately that the young woman at the front desk demanding to see her was Cecily Manchetti. Initially, this was an unwelcome shock to her system, but on second thought it also was just the ammo she needed to get Gina out in the open. So maybe this day wasn’t going to end as badly as it started.
“That’s a difficult question to answer, but I’ll do my best. My father wasn’t like your dad. Luciano was an incredible man and my one great love.”
Cecily hung onto her every word. “So, you did love my father?”
“Yes. I loved him and you very much.”
“Then, what happened? Why did you leave us?”
“Everything was so complicated back then.”
“I can handle whatever the answers are. I just need to know them. I’ve felt as if a piece of me has been missing my entire life. Only you can help me put them back together.” Tears appeared seemingly from nowhere, but they were probably always bubbling underneath the surface.
“I . . . I can’t say I’m sorry enough, but I need you to understand I did it to save your lives. Unfortunately, after everything, even faking my own death wasn’t enough to protect Luce from Chang.” Nina wiped away an imaginary tear. “I would have done anything to keep you both safe.”
Something was off. Maybe Cecily was reading more into it than she should. Nina was saying all the right words, but it didn’t feel as if she meant them. Why hadn’t she placed her arms around her and hugged her like she had always dreamed?
Cecily slowly bobbed her head up and down as she wiped away tears that continued to stream down her face. Her words came out as a whisper. “Chang stole so much from me.” She held her hands in her lap twisting them together. Pointedly, she looked Nina in the eyes. “Once he died, why didn’t you come back for me then?”
Nina pressed her hands against her heart as if her words pained her. “Cecily, you may not believe me, but Chang wasn’t alone in his theft of what was stolen from us. I needed to make sure I could protect you from my sister, Gina. She’s a clone of my father.”
“Gina?”
“Yes. Have you met her yet?”
Cecily was slightly skeptical. “Umm . . . yes. She doesn’t give off warm and fuzzy vibes, but she doesn’t seem like she would want me dead either.”
Nina tried to mask her contempt for Gina, but Cecily saw the hate before she could hide it. “Don’t let her fool you. She is cold, calculating, and would do anything to consolidate her power including killing you. That’s why your Uncle Alex refuses to allow her to be a part of your life and why I need all of this security. She’s gunning for me. If Gina knew that you were here, she would attempt to kill us both. Does she know you’re here?”
A chill ran down Cecily’s spine. She wasn’t sure what to think. “But why? Why would she do that?”
“Because she wants to control my father’s empire. She has money, but Gina wants power.”
“From what I’ve heard about Chang, I don’t know why either of you would want anything that had anything to do with him.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than what you can understand right now.” Nina pursed her lips. “Does she know you’re here?”
“I didn’t tell her where I was going when I left.”
“But, you have seen her?”
Cecily didn’t understand why Nina was so focused about Gina knowing where she was. “Yes, I saw her, but I had to sneak out of her compound to come and see you.”
“You were staying with her at her house?”
Before Cecily could respond there was a deafening BOOM! The sound of an explosion rocked the hotel suite shaking the room as if they had been in an earthquake. Glass vases fell off the tables, pillows came off couches, and anything that wasn’t nailed down hit the floor. A loud alarm sounded. The quaking and vibrations only lasted for a few seconds, but that was long enough.
Cecily screamed as men with guns appeared from nowhere. Yelling over all the noise and commotion, she got up on wobbly legs from the couch and put her hands over her ears. “What’s going on!?”
Nina stood on shaky legs too. “I’ll bet you anything your aunt is here. It seems she’s come to get you.”
Chapter 21
Gina Lee-Xiou
Brody and I rode over to the hotel in a black van with darkened windows as an identical one followed. Both vehicles were filled with our security. Jamal and Hahn made sure we were all in sync before arriving on the scene.
Neither Brody nor I were willing to give an inch. Both of us sat in silence on opposite ends of the van lost in our own thoughts.
I was wrong. No doubt about it. The clicking sounds of guns reinforced the reality of my situation. People were going to die. This was my life. Granted, I didn’t usually tag along for these types of jobs, but there was no way I was staying behind not with Cecily in the cross fire. Still, I knew how to handle a gun.
What did Brody mean about how he met Jamal? Jamal was a former US Special OPS. So much had happened so quickly between us that I never really had Brody investigated. As much as I hated to admit it, I just automatically trusted Braylee Hinsdale’s judgment.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Who had time to think about relationship woes? I needed to get it together and focus. Romance was the last thing that should have been on my mind. No matter what I might feel for Brody, my life wasn’t normal enough to handle being in a relationship.
It wasn’t my plan for things to happen like this, but Cecily forced my hand. Whatever strategy I was going to employ went up in smoke. But, by the end of the night, only one Lee-Xiou sister would probably be left standing.
Nina booked the entire fourteenth floor. Getting to her without anyone being hurt was going to be near impossible. Honestly, that wasn’t my priority. Getting Cecily safely away from Nina was. I wasn’t exactly sure how I’d gotten Brody mixed up in all of this. He had no business being here. Being a gentleman was going to get him killed. The likelihood that everyone in this van was going to come out unscathed was very low. People were going to get hurt, or worse, but I needed Brody to be okay.
Hahn addressed everyone. “Okay, ETA six minutes. One last reminder of how this is going to work.” All eyes were glued on him. “The four of us will enter the hotel via the front door. Gina, me, and Solo are going to head straight for the elevators. Pier, you will go to the back through the kitchens. Everyone else will enter the premises through that entrance. We know Nina is holed up on the fourteenth floor—room 1405. Solo . . .”
“Yeah?” He responded.
“You got the electrical device to scramble the security feeds and the digital decoder to get us up to the fourteenth?”
He held up a bag. “Got them right here.”
“Good. Pier and everyone else will take the service stairs not the elevator. It doesn’t need a code to access Nina’s floor.”
The plan had been hatched without me, and I had a question. “Why don’t we all take the service stairs?”
“We need to jam the elevators, and that can only be done from being inside one of them.”
I nodded my understanding. “Got it.”
“Good. Once team two clears the kitchen, Jamal is going to blow it. This will cause a necessary distraction. Hopefully, it’ll take a few minutes for Nina’s team to get their heads around what’s going on. That’ll be our one chance to surprise them.”
Two of us will remain in each stairwell, the rest will be on high alert. Since Nina has the entire floor, that means some of her guys will be coming out of their rooms. We’ll pick them off one by one while they are in a state of confusion. This all has to take place in less than fifteen minutes before the authorities show up.
Someone yelled out. “When does the time start?”
“As soon as we enter the building. Any more questions?”
“One change.” Brody hadn’t said a word up until now. “I’m going in with you and Gina.”
My head snapped to his. “I don’t need your protection, Brody.”
“W
hether you need it or not, you’re getting it.”
Hahn and Brody exchanged some man-code, eye contact thing as if his words had been understood and were now law. Did Hahn forget who the hell wrote his checks?
I looked back and forth between the two of them. At no point did Brody look at me. He turned his gaze away and towards the window.
*****
Like clockwork, six minutes later, we arrived in front of the Shangri-La Hotel. Hahn, Brody, Solo, Pier and I exited the vehicle and entered the building one by one, while the vans went around to the back.
Solo was the last to come inside. He reached into his messenger bag as soon as the double doors closed behind him and pressed a few buttons on his electrical device. As we walked through the lobby, he murmured, “And . . . the clock starts now. We’ll have approximately twelve minutes before they can restart the security cameras and we’re on their radar. Less than three to finish up and get the hell out of here.”
Pier walked opposite us. He went toward the kitchen as we quickly moved past the front desk to the elevators. Once we arrived and got in it, Solo pulled out another one of his little gadgets, tinkered around with it, and suddenly we had access to the fourteenth floor.
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