“He made me go to that lunch with him, and he tried to get me to tell him everything I know about you. Let me set up another lunch.”
“No.”
“Just hear me out.”
Julian sighs, clearly on edge, and I keep talking.
“I’ll lie and tell him that I’m pissed at you. You did ... something. I’ll make it up. And I’ll give him some bogus information and lure him somewhere. I’ll make it soundbig. My father’s ego is gigantic. I can feed into that and make it sound like there’s something going on that he doesn’t want to miss out on.”
“Look at you, you little manipulator.”
“I wouldneverhave had the guts to do this before.” I shake my head and take a breath. “But if he’s not stopped, he’ll keep doing this, over and over again. He could hurt you, and I won’t have it, Julian.”
“He’s not going to hurt me, Angel.” Julian pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head. “You’re so fucking brave.”
“I’m not brave, I’m pissed.”
“Still brave,” he whispers.
“It makes sense,” Rome says from across the room. “We’ll have eyes on her at all times. We’ll make sure she’s never in danger.”
Julian’s grip on me is so tight, as if he’s afraid of losing me.
He pulls back and frames my face in his warm hands.
“Are you sure, sweetheart?”
“Absolutely. I’ll go in with a wire. You’ll hear everything.”
“I’ll snipe from above,” Rome adds. “If he so much as sneezes at her wrong, I’ll shoot him between the eyes.”
Julian sighs and then reluctantly nods.
“Let’s get the plan together.”
Forty-Two
NATASHA
It’sthe makeup that’s messing with me. Sending me back to that dark place where I’m afraid of everything and everyone, including my own shadow.
A week has passed since the incident after the concert, and on the outside it looks like we’re just going about our normal lives. I met with the designer at the penthouse. Julian continues to work. The guys are pretending that they don’t know who attacked us that night and have sent out feelers to get intel.
But on the inside, we’ve been planning.
And every night, Julian has tried to talk me out of this.
“We can come up with a different way, angelos mou.” He rests his forehead against mine, holding me so close. “I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
“It’s easier this way. And it’s my own way of looking him in the eyes so he understands that he didn’t win. He didn’t beat me.”
He’s not convinced that he should allow this, but Julian also loves me, and despite wanting to protect me, he respects my need for closure. To do this piece of it myself.
But now I’m standing here in our bathroom, in oursanctuary, staring in the mirror, and my stomach rolls.
My right eye is black and purple with yellow around the edges, and I have a bruise on my jawline as well. My wrist is in my brace again.
“Wow, this is pretty good if I do say so myself,” Scarlett says as she steps back to take in her handiwork.
