He said it with the same certainty he’d used when assuring me we weren’t going to plummet to our deaths. And I believed him just as fast.
Before I could answer, he stepped closer—just enough for his cologne to wrap around me.
Then, he leaned in and kissed my cheek.
A billion-dollar syndicate heir kissing my cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world…my heart dropped.
“I have to go,” he murmured, against my ear. “But in a week, I expect to hear from you.”
I nodded automatically, because words had apparently ceased to exist.
“And ideally…” his gaze dropped to my lips, to my dress, down the line of my legs, “…I’d like to see you wearing those heels.”
His hand slipped from my waist, slow, like he didn’t really want to let go, and then he turned and walked toward the door.
Leaving me completely stunned.
3
Vince
The shovel hit the dirt for the fiftieth fucking time.
“What the fuck is even down here?” Rome groaned and started again. “We better be digging up a legacy heirloom, man, because this is actual syndicate hell.”
I didn’t answer. My eyes hadn’t left the ground. I hadn’t moved from this section. It had to be here.
From a few yards away, Bastion lifted his head. “You lost a weapon?”
“No.”
“Flash drive? Codes? Something implanted in the guy?”
“No.”
“Then what the fuck?—”
“It’s a ring.”
They went silent and stared at me.
“You made us drive an hour into dead zone turf for aring?” Rome looked at me as if I had lost my mind. “You said urgent, don’t ask questions. You said ‘bring gloves and a shovel, I’ll explain later.” He turned toward me, wiped sweat off his forehead. “You failed to mention we’d be digging for a goddamntrinket.”
“It’s not a trinket,” I crouched lower, brushing dirt away with one hand. “It slipped off during the fight. Went flying.”
“Jesus,” Luca muttered. “How hard did you hit him?”
“Hard enough to break his jaw in three places.”
“Nice,” Bastion said. “Still not an excuse to lose jewelry.”
I ignored him. Because I heard his tone.
The only present I’ve ever been given, and I lost it like it meant nothing. I should’ve killed the guy twice. Once for what he did. Once for what I lost doing it.
Nikolai was at the edge of the site, arms crossed. “I’m just going to ask once—whose ring?”
I didn’t look up. Sure as fuck didn’t answer.
