“Of course.” The answer is automatic. Fuck, I’m look at how far gone I am.
She nods, then pulls back slightly before standing up. “I should get some sleep then. Big day tomorrow.”
I stand too, close enough that I can see the freckles that dust her nose and cheekbones. .
“Gigi,” I say, the nickname slipping out before I can stop it.
Her eyes widen slightly, her breath catching. Panic bleats within me. Fuck. I wasn’t supposed to call her that. That was supposed to be my internal nickname only. Only her inner circle can call her that. I have no right to claim it, but I just did anyway.
“Is that—” I stop, suddenly uncertain. “Is it okay if I call you that?”
Color rises in her cheeks, a blush that makes her look so beautiful I forget to fucking breathe. “Yeah,” she says, her lips trembling a little bit as she looks at me so softly I hate myself for it. “Yeah, it’s okay.”
The guilt intensifies because she’s giving me this intimacy, this trust, this piece of herself while I’m still carrying the weight of what I originally planned to do to her.
“Stay with me tonight,” I blurt out, and it’s not a command for once. Just a request, almost desperate. “Please.”
She should refuse. She needs to recognize that every boundary we blur makes this more complicated and infinitely more dangerous. She needs to protect herself from me.
Instead, she reaches for my hand, lacing her fingers through mine with a trust that makes me feel like the absolute worst kind of bastard.
“Okay.”
Dawn comes too quickly. We’re both awake before the sun rises, moving quietly through the estate toward the sunroom where Bambi waits. Gigi exudes nervousness but remains gentle as she prepares the deer for release, checking his wound one last time, ensuring he’s strong enough for what comes next.
“He’ll be okay,” I assure her, watching her fuss over details. “You’ve done everything you can.”
“I know.” But her hands still shake slightly as she opens the enclosure door. “It’s just what if he’s not ready? What if I’m releasing him too soon and he?—”
“He’ll be fine.” I move to stand behind her, my hands settling on her shoulders. “Trust your skills, Gigi. Trust what you’ve built here.”
She leans back against me slightly, and together we watch as Bambi tentatively steps out of the enclosure and into the early morning light streaming through the glass walls.
The deer pauses, testing his weight on the formerly injured leg, and I feel Gigi hold her breath. But Bambi moves smoothly, no sign of pain or weakness, and after a moment of hesitation he walks toward the door leading to the grounds.
Danny’s already there, holding it open, and he nods to us as Bambi passes through into the cool dawn air.
We follow, watching as the deer moves across the manicured lawn toward the tree line where the estate’s woods begin. He’scautious at first, stopping frequently to test the air, but with each step he grows more confident.
At the edge of the woods, he pauses and turns back to look at us. I feel Gigi’s breath catch beside me, and I glance down to see tears streaming down her face. Happy tears, based on the smile splitting her features.
Then Bambi bounds into the trees, disappearing into the shadows with the kind of grace that speaks of complete healing, and Gigi makes a sound that’s half sob, half laugh.
“You did it,” I murmur against her hair. “You saved him.”
“Wedid it,” she corrects, turning in my arms to face me. And the joy on her face—pure and radiant and absolutely beautiful—literally takes my breath away.
This is what she looks like when she’s allowed to do what she loves. When she’s not trapped or scared or wondering what fresh horror awaits her. This is Gigi unleashed, Gigi fulfilled, Gigi being exactly who she was always meant to be.
And I’m the one who took this from her. I destroyed her clinic and her career and her ability to do this work on her own terms.
The guilt crashes over me like a wave, threatening to drown me. Because she’s standing here radiant with joy over saving a deer, talking about dreams I promised to help her achieve, and she has no fucking idea that the original plan calls for her death once the alliance is secured.
She has no idea I’m supposed to kill her.
The thought makes bile rise in my throat.
“What are you thinking?” Gigi asks, studying my face with concern rather than suspicion. Like she trusts me now. Like she believes I’m becoming someone better.
