“Just one bite?” She waggles the plate a bit. “It’s so good.”
“Trust me, if things get dicey, you don’t want your bodyguard in a food coma.”
“Fair enough,” she says. Then she tilts her head, something on her mind.
“Work?” I ask.
“Work. Well, only kind of, for me—I’m still out of a job, remember?”
“I’m going to talk to Sasha about that,” I say. Then I remember things are a little weird between the two of us at the moment. My mind flashes back to our fight and the glass smashing against the wall. Part of me wants to tell Angie, but the bigger part doesn’t want her to be worried.
I set it aside—for now.
“It’s cool,” she says. “I’m staying with Johan right now. It’s actually kind of nice to have a break from the grind.”
“Well, all the same, I want you to at least have a shot at getting your job back. You’re too talented to be out of work.”
“Thanks, but I’m more focused on this merger.”
My stomach twinges. “I am, too. Sasha says things are really still up in the air.”
“They’re both being hardheaded. Sasha provoked him when he fired me, and now egos are on the line.” She sits back, shaking her head. “It’s in both of their best interests to sign on the dotted line. This is the problem with men, you know? Too emotional at the worst possible times.”
“God, no kidding. They walk away from this, and that’s billions they could both be making just gone. And not to mention the whole B-R-A-T-V-A thing.”
“Speaking of which, I don’t mean to put you in a weird position, but…” She quickly nods. “No, I get it. I’ve been trying to work him a little, get him to put his ego on the freaking back burner and move forward. This deal’s too far along to collapse now, and you’ve put way too much work into it to see it fail. It’s just… I don’t know the angle, how to make it click for him.”
I give it a few moments’ thought. An idea hits like a damn crack of lightning. “A reputational play?”
She raises her eyebrows. “How do you mean?”
“If you can’t get him to put his ego aside, then play into it. Tell him if he goes for it,he’llget to be the oneto restore calm, stabilize the markets. Not to mention he can prove to everyone watching that he’s not his father. He’s not capitulating—he’s cementing his legacy.”
Angie doesn’t say anything at first, just stares at me with wide eyes. “Okay, that’s good. Really good. You know, sometimes I forget how good you are at your job.”
I wink. “That was your first mistake.”
“Alright, that sounds pretty solid. I’ll talk to him tonight, appeal to his ego, and see if I can get him to see the light.”
Before I can respond, Bogdan’s head tilts, a tiny but sharp movement. His gaze is locked onto the entrance.
Something’s wrong.
“What is it?” I ask, turning my head.
That’s when I seehim. Whoever he is, he’s impossible not to see. Tall, silver hair slicked back, expensive suit in a shade of deep midnight. A small entourage of six or seven men enter, moving like a tide around him.
I somehow know who he is before Bogdan says his name.
“That’s Peter Morozov. Don’t look for too long.”
He stops, scanning the room and landing on Angie first. His eyes flash with this strange mix of recognition, irritation, and authority. Then his eyes slide to me.
Something inside of me goes still. The feeling that comes over me is strange. It’s not fear. It’s more like recognition, like seeing a reflection from another life. Those eyes—icy gray-blue, sharp enough to cut glass. Eyes that don’t look atyou butthroughyou, like they’re seeing every little secret you’re trying to hide.
Does he know who I am?
“Come on,” Angie says, snapping me out of my daze. “We should go.”
