She's lying in my bed on her side, facing the window.
The moonlight filters through the glass and illuminates her profile.
Her eyes are open.
She's not sleeping.
She's just staring at nothing.
I close the door quietly and stand there for a moment watching her.
She doesn't turn around or acknowledge my presence, but I know she heard me come in.
I strip off my shirt and toss it over the chair, then strip my slacks off and kick off my shoes before I walk to the bed and slide under the covers behind her.
The mattress shifts slightly with my weight, but she still doesn't move.
"Why can't you sleep?" I ask.
She's quiet for so long, I think she's not going to answer.
Then she says, "I keep thinking about tomorrow night."
"The operation will go fine,Bella," I try to reassure her. "My men know what they're doing."
"But what if it doesn't?" She turns to her back staring up at the ceiling but she still doesn't look at me. "What if something goes wrong and you end up dead because of information I gave you?"
I shift closer and wrap my arm around her waist.
She's tense.
Her body feels like a coiled spring ready to snap.
"That's not going to happen," I say.
"You can't guarantee that. He could have men waiting for you."
"No. I can't guarantee anything in this life, but I can tell you that I've been doing this for fifteen years and I'm still here. I know how to survive. I know how to adapt when things go wrong."
She turns over to face me and her eyes search mine in the darkness. "Were you telling me the truth when you said you love me?" Her voice breaks on the question. I can hear the vulnerability there.
"I don't lie about things like that," I say. "Of course I was telling you the truth."
My hand cradles her cheek and I let my thumb brush over her lips.
She closes her eyes.
Tears slip down her cheeks, and I wipe them away with my thumb.
"What if you don't come back?" she whimpers, but I pull her closer until there's no space between us.
Her body is warm against mine.
Her breath is soft on my neck.
"I've always had your best interests at heart," I say. "From the moment I met you six years ago in that club. I saw what Antonelli was going to do to you, and I couldn't walk away." I kiss her forehead. "I'm not walking away now either."
I've done a lot of terrible things in my life.
