He’s beyond out of your league.
“Kate—”
I interrupt, “You know, I should go check on Mel. She’s upset about Nikolai, and we’ve been drinking so?—”
“Kate, I want to talk about this when I know we have privacy, okay?”
I nod even though he can’t see me, a tear slipping down my cheek. “Sure, yeah, of course. Let’s talk when you get back. I gotta go now. Bye.”
I hang up the phone, unable to keep the line active and risk him hearing me cry. I’ve had too much wine, or I wouldn’t be feeling so emotional about his lack of willingness to commit to me and define our relationship.
“If you could’ve just played it cool,” I mumble to myself.
The door creaks open, and Mel stumbles in.
“Kate,” she whispers loudly.
“What?”
She jumps up on the bed, rolling over to me. “What did your saucy sugar daddy have to say?”
I stifle a laugh, still half-crying. “He’s not my sugar daddy.”
“If you so say so. What did he say?”
“He has another trip to make somewhere, but I think as soon as they let me out of here, I’m quitting.”
She leans up on her elbow. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“Why should I stay as his assistant? Once they get rid of the big, bad Russian guys, he won’t feel obligated to protect me anymore. I have no reason to keep being his personal assistant.”
Her mouth gapes open. “Okay, what about the great pay and your dad’s care facility? Or the fact that you’re clearly in love with him?”
I sit up, crossing my legs, choosing to ignore her last question. “I’m not even qualified for the job. I’m supposed to know, like, three languages. I think if he could fire me without fear of a sexual harassment case or a dead body on his hands, he would.”
Mel’s eyes narrow at me in concern and disbelief. “But?—”
“This is ridiculous. I’m not the billionaire-marrying type. I don’t need all that money, and I certainly don’t need to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me. After catching Stephen with Maddie, I realized that. I want to be an illustrator. I’m going to look for another job in design.”
She brushes a stray swatch of violet hair out of her eyes and grips my shoulders to make me face her. “Listen to me, you’re a little tipsy. You’re missing him, and I think you should at least wait to quit and end it all until he gets back and you can talk in person. He’s out there, trying to keep you safe from those bad guys, and at the very least, you should give him a chance to ask you out or tell you he doesn’t want to move forward...whateverit is. Don’t make any rash decisions when you’ve had more than three glasses of wine.”
She pulls me into a hug, patting my shoulder. I release the breath I didn’t know I had been holding. Maybe Mel is right.
“Maybe I’ll feel better in the morning.”
She pushes back from me, a smile on her face. “Yes, definitely. I really think he’s a good one. My judgment means nothing at this point, but I do think so. Movie? This guy had better have a popcorn machine in that fancy kitchen.”
CHAPTER 36
LUKE
“How couldhe have killed him, Luke? How could Garrison have shot one of you? He’s not a traitor!” Fallon’s eyes are red from her sobs.
“I watched him do it! He killed Reid. He’s with Tycos.” My harsh voice calms slightly. “It happens. Sometimes, the enemy gets to them. We knew there was a mole. I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. Garrison didn’t expect to get caught.”
She continues to cry, her shoulders shaking.
I soften my tone as I pat her back. “You need to move out. You’re not safe with him. Come stay with me. I have enough bedrooms.”
