Her smile was soft. “Just get through the wedding.”
“And act happy about it,” I added.
“Have you seen Sergei since last night?” Her question held an edge of fear.
“No, but I’ve asked your uncle to talk to him.”
She looked up at me, so trusting and hopeful. “You did?”
“He shouldn’t bother you again. But keep your distance, okay?”
“I will.”
“I need to get back to work.”
Five days later,we were sitting at Dom Volna, the exclusive restaurant that Lena had privately booked for our engagementparty. Mila and I sat together with the other one hundred guests, listening to the speeches.
I had my arm loosely draped over the back of Mila’s chair. As another guest approached the microphone, I whispered in her ear, “How about this guy? Do you know him?”
This was a game we’d been playing. So far she had been able to identify only one of the nine men who’d given us toasts about Grisha.
“No.” She hid her amusement.
I glanced around the room when the guy started his speech, and froze when I saw Giselle, in a striking red cocktail dress, standing at the bar with a glass of champagne. Our eyes met, and she raised her glass to me.
What the hell?
I casually glanced around the room, but everyone was focused on the speaker and no one seemed to notice her.
When the speeches ended, the formal part of the night broke into a cocktail party. A small band started playing in the corner.
I made sure Mila had a drink and then excused myself to the washroom. I waited.
A moment later, Giselle slipped in.
She crossed the room toward me. “We need to talk.”
“I figured.”
“I’m heading back to Canada tonight, but I needed to speak privately, without a paper trail.”
I tucked that information into the back of my mind for later. “Is this about immunity for Mila?” I asked quietly.
“For some reason my boss, Richard, is resisting.”
“Does he know that I’ll walk away from Vancouver if he refuses?”
She gave me an apologetic look. “Richard is stubborn that way.”
“I’m more stubborn.”
A smile ghosted her lips. “Can I ask why it is so important that you get her immunity?”
I thought about my answer. “She’s the only innocent one in this whole mess. If I marry her, her life will categorically get worse, especially if she’s unfairly protected.”
“That happens all the time in this world.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to happen this time, does it?”
