She nods.“This isthedress.”
Puzzled, I stalk over to inspect the box in case itisarmed.
Maiden White Bridal Boutique.
All my muscles tense.“You bought aweddingdress?”
“No,” she says.“Youdid.”
I brace.Valentina doesn’t shop cheap.“How much?”
A hint of defensiveness creeps into her voice.“It’s a Galia Lahav.Off the rack.Last one.It was on sale.”
I have no idea what that means, or why she’s so tense.
I fold my arms across my chest.“How much?”
She exhales.“Sixteen thousand.”
I gape at her.Sixteen grand on a dress you only wearonce?I can already picture the audit file.The explanations.The reports.
Undercover purchase: one wedding gown.Reason: operational necessity.
“And you had to buy it now?”
Her face tightens, and she gestures to herself.“It was onsale.”
On sale.She's not talking about price.She's talking abouttiming.
Valentina doesn't do anything without precision.And she didn't spend the day with Adena for nothing.
“The wedding’s been arranged already?”
Adena doesn’t even bother to reply; she just sends me a glower that tells me everything I need to know.
Adena
Cold sweat gathers at the base of my spine, trickling down one vertebra at a time.
Ithasbeen arranged.Valentina took great delight in telling me every last detail on the ride back here.
I need to get back to the vault where walls can't hear us, where I can talk to him before the words claw their way out of my throat from sheer desperation.
“I’ve spent all the money you gave me,” I say as casually as I can manage.It’s true.I ordered the most ridiculous things on the menu, the most expensive wine, and barely touched any of it.
His eyebrow tips.“Something I’ll have to get used to.”
I ignore the comment, taking it for what it is—the expected reaction for the ears that hear every little thing.
We carry on the same mindless small talk on the drive to the vault.The evening ahead.Where he'll be.What I can expect.Words that mean nothing because they're all I'm allowed to say.
The moment we’re back inside the vault, the door closes behind us, and the world outside ceases to exist.
I don't even wait for the sound to finish echoing before it all comes pouring out.
"We’re out of time.The wedding is scheduled for tomorrow, and it’s going to be big."
He moves to the far wall, back to me.His hand rakes through his hair."How many people are we talking about?"
