“I understand, and I do trust you,” I say, squeezing her hand. “Look, I promise, whatever happens with the Zakharovs, or after, the choice will be yours. You can have that office downtown if you want it. You can build your business, live your life however you choose.”
She's quiet for a long moment, studying my face. Then she moves, still holding my hand, and climbs into my lap.
I look up at her in surprise, feeling my heart calm at the sight of her steady eyes.
“What if I choose you?” she asks, her voice a caressing whisper. “What if I don't want that empty downtown loft anymore? What if I want to stay here, with you? Would that be okay?”
My heart slams into something that feels like it’s too good to be true. “Do you mean that?”
She nods. “I can't imagine my life without you either. These past months have been the first time I've felt like I belonged somewhere, with someone.”
I pull her closer and breathe in the scent of her hair. “So you’re going to stay with me, Gela Jones?”
She nestles her face in my neck. “Only because living alone sounds boring as hell.”
I laugh, and she does too, pulling back, and suddenly, tonight starts to feel like it’s going to go down as one of the happiest nights of my life.
“We’ll follow your plans for the Zakharovs first. Then, we’ll figure out the rest,” I whisper.
“Now that sounds like a plan I can come on board with.” She smiles before brushing her lips against mine.
Chapter 24 - Gela
“Can you hear me?” Valentin's voice is crisp in my ear.
I glance into my bag, pretending to search for something while I subtly press the nearly invisible earpiece deeper into my ear, and adjust my hair to fall around it.
“Yes,” I murmur.
“Good. Leonid is across the street, and I'm in the black SUV parked at the corner. Just play it cool and let things unfold as they do. We're right here if anything goes sideways.”
“Got you,” I say in a confident voice, even though the anxiety in my stomach has me in knots. If I didn’t have him watching over me, I would’ve been a complete mess.
I take a sip of my coffee and glance again at the door. Alex is running a little late, but that only gives me more time to brace myself.
Alex and I met a couple of times over the past two weeks, and he emailed me last night about an ‘interested client’ who would like to meet me. I already have a hunch who this client is, and the Yuri brothers stayed up all night preparing for anything that might happen.
“He's coming,” Valentin says into the earphone. “Be aware.”
I immediately pull up my laptop and pretend to look busy, and when I hear the door open, I look up and wave him over.
He spots me and waves back, weaving between tables to reach me.
“Gela! So sorry I'm late. “Traffic was a nightmare.”
“No problem.” I smile as he takes his seat. “I was just reviewing the mock-ups for your campaign.”
Alex flags down a waitress and orders an espresso before turning his attention back to me. “So, how are those coming along?”
I push the folder across the table. “I've finalized the digital strategy portion. Take a look and let me know what you think.”
While he flips through the pages, I'm hyperaware of the earpiece in my ear. One wrong move, and I could be in real trouble if caught.
Yet, at the same time, I thank the stars that Valentin’s around the corner, ready to step in if anything goes wrong. Without him, I couldn’t do this.
“This looks great.” Alex points to one of the graphics. “The social media angle is exactly what we need.”
“I thought you'd like that.” I smile. “So, anyway, when’s the potential client coming? He’s joining us here, right?”
