He simply stared at me.
“That was Luka?” I guessed.
He nodded.
I let go of the breath I was holding. “You know, I really thought he would’ve tried to contact you sooner. He had to have noticed me on the surveillance footage when I came in that day.”
“He was out of town on a little getaway and only got home now. But even if he hadn’t seen you on the footage, it turns out that word is spreading quickly. Quickly to the point that he heard about you.”
“About me?” I had no doubt crime lords knew which agents to watch out for. But I never realized I could’ve been that ‘popular’.
“Some of the Dubinin spies have been listening in on the Rivera Mafia Family and the Vipers Cartel. I imagine you are well aware of who is who and which organizations we monitor as specific enemies targeting us. I doubt I need to give you background information on them.”
I shook my head. “I know the main players.”
“It seems that our most recent intel that was gathered suggests both the Italians and the Cartel were talking about how you were with me now.”
I furrowed my brow. “Which means someone from the agency is spreading word that I’m with you. That I’ve been disgraced and fired. Because I personally haven’t worked on a case with the Riveras or Vipers before.”
“Well, you know how it is,” he drawled with a smirk. “Everybody is spying on someone else and it all gets around.”
I nodded. “And I take it that Luka is not happy about… this.” I flicked my finger between us. It was common sense that his father would be pissed.
“He is concerned,” Emil replied.
I narrowed my eyes. “About which part?”
“To quote him, he is concerned that his son is falling in bed with the enemy.”
I wanted to ask if that was his father’s opinion only or if it was also Emil’s take on what we were. If he was only sleeping with me instead of wanting something more meaningful than just sex. I wanted to know if he truly thought I was still the enemy, not a potential friend or lover. Or partner.
“And what did you tell him?” I asked.
This was it. This would be the clearest indication of what he thought ofus. If there could be anus.
“I told him that you are not the enemy.” He took my hand. “You can’t be after all we’ve gone through. Yes, wewereenemies.But I think you started to choose me over your job back in the jungle.”
I sighed, so relieved that we were on the same page about this.
“However, I do have to wonder if that’s true.”
I raised both brows and almost laughed.
He didn’t give me a chance to speak, continuing quickly. “Because, and correct me if I’m wrong, you gave me some strong words about why you wanted this career. How your mission is to rid the world of bad guys, and how you wanted to make the world a safer place because of how you lost your parents when they were too close to Mafia action.”
I licked my lips, hating that he was both right and wrong. This wasn’t easy for me. I did hate that I was forsaking and giving up that mission that I’d made my priority for so long. I’d treated my career as theonlything that mattered in my identity, and now it was gone. That did feel like a loss.
We were all only human, after all.
But we were all fully able to change along the way, too.
“I told my father that I can’t leave you—not again.” He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles with a soothing pressure. “And I won’t. But I also cannot undo who I am.”
I huffed a weak laugh. “Oh, so you’re not fired, too?”
He almost smiled. “No. Nor would I be. It’s not just a job. It’s my family.”
I couldn’t comment on that. I didn’t have a family at all. Just this baby in my belly now.
