Honestly, I get it. There’s nothing up there worth loving. No stars. Not a single one. Just the moon, half-swallowed by dark clouds heavy enough to smother whatever light tries to break through. The pitch-black darkness of it all should be beautiful, but instead it feels hollow. Maybe that’s why he hates it. Because it’s missing something. And I know exactly what.
I’m immediately transported back to the night he took me out to the lake. The sky had been so clear it looked dusted with diamonds, each star mirrored on the frozen water until it felt like we were standing inside the universe itself.
Even at his brother’s compound back in Russia, the stars followed us there, too. They always showed up for us, shining as we wandered the grounds, his hands warm at my waist, the constellations watching like silent witnesses.
Now there’s nothing.
What is a midnight sky without its stars to bring it to life?
A whole lot darker, colder, and emptier—just like me.
Chapter 19
Kirill
Leaning back in my chair in my brand-new office, I savor the sound of Kira’s bright laughter drifting across the room at whatever stupid joke Kostya just cracked. A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth… right up until my phone starts buzzing.
My smile drops in annoyance, only to reappear sharper when a familiar name flashes across the screen.
“This call better be what I think it is, Kim, or I’m going to be very annoyed.”
“Well, hello to you too,” she scoffs on the other end. “You know, after everything I’ve done for you these past few months, you could stand to be a little nicer to me.”
“You haven’t done anything deserving of that yet.”
“Oh, yes I have,” she sings, far too smug for my liking. “After a little persuasion on Daddy’s end, he and his friends have decided to help you with your little venture.”
My smile widens.
“And how many friends has your stepfather persuaded?”
“All the key players you need,” she replies vaguely, careful not to incriminate herself on a phone call.
This time my smile is stretched from ear to ear.
That means the good Governor was able to get me three members of the Illinois Gaming Board Commissioners, the Licensing Director of the IGB and an Alderman.
Yes. Kim Hardgraves has a reason to be smug indeed for getting her Daddy to pull this off for me.
“There’s just one little, itsy-bitsy problem,” she adds, instantly erasing the good mood she’d managed to put me in.
“And what is that?”
“If this deal is going to happen, they need to meet with you…tonight.”
“When?”
“In an hour. Think you can clear your busy schedule by then?”
I glance toward my niece, still laughing at whatever idiocy my brother is saying, and frown.
“I’ll make it happen.”
“Good. These white-collar types tend to get cold feet quick, so I’d hurry if I was you. I’ll text you the address,” she coos. “Now that business is out of the way… have you given any thought tomylittle offer?”
“No,” I deadpan, my tone dropping a full octave.
“Oh, don’t be like that. I’d make it worth your while.”
