She and Lulu came over this morning to help me get ready and for moral support. I had no idea that Scarlett was so great with makeup and costumes, but she’sfantastic. I don’t even look like myself right now.
“I would do a split lip,” she says, moving her head back and forth like she’s contemplating it, “but I worry about it coming off on a glass, if you drank something.”
“Let’s keep it simple,” I agree. “Okay, now clothes.”
We decide on simple jeans and a white T-shirt and sneakers. And then I’m ready to go.
Julian won’t be with me, but he and the other men will be nearby. They’ll have eyes and ears on me because I’m wearing a wire, and I have the tiniest earpiece in so I can hear Julian’s voice.
“Test,” he says into my ear, and I grin.
“I can hear you, husband.”
“Aww, is he talking to you?” Lulu asks as she walks with us to the front door.
“Yeah. He’s nervous.”
“Of course I’m nervous. My wife is walking into the fucking lion’s den.”
I grin and then hug my friends before I climb into the back of the Range Rover and take a deep, shaky breath.
I can’t hear what’s happening with the rest of the operation. Only Julian, and only when he opens that line of communication. My man isdamn goodwith electronics, andhe set this whole thing into motion. The eyes and ears, the strategy, everything. Luckily, I was able to tell him where in the restaurant my father prefers to sit, and he could build everything around that.
The ride into town is quiet, and I keep wringing my hands in my lap.
“The makeup is good,” Danny says, watching me in the rearview mirror. “The boss won’t like it, but it’s good.”
“It’s pretty realistic,” I agree with a nod and nibble on my naked bottom lip. I’m not wearing any makeup at all aside from the stuff to make it look like Julian uses me as a punching bag. “How are you feeling, Danny?”
“Never better.”
My guard’s arm was just grazed, but still, a gunshot wound is a gunshot wound. He refused to take any time off, and he’s hardly left my side since that night.
I know that Danny will be with me for a very long time. I trust him implicitly, second only to Julian.
“I don’t have any reason to be nervous,” I mutter, but I know that’s not true. My father is unpredictable on a good day. If I say even one thing that pisses him off, he could pull his gun and shoot me in the face.
I wouldn’t put it past him.
“If you don’t want to do this, say the word, and it all stops now,” Julian says in my ear.
“I’m fine,” I reply and do my best to believe it.
This is going to work.
Danny finds a parking space at the shopping center, and then he and my new guard, Elio, walk with me to the restaurant.
“You’ve got this,” Danny says quietly, so only I can hear. “You’re not the girl he thinks you are. Just follow the plan. We’re all right here. I won’t let anything happen to you, Boss Lady.”
I nod. I want to smile up at him, but I don’t want to break character.
“Thank you,” I reply.
“I love you,” Julian says into my ear. “If anything feels off, use your hand gesture, and we’ll take him out.”
“I love you too,” I murmur before I look up at Danny. “I’ll be out shortly.”
He nods, and the two guards stand just inside the restaurant while I’m shown to my father’s table. He’s nothing if not a man of habit, sitting at the table I knew he would be. He’s not alone today. Because of course he’s not. He has his second, Viktor, with him, and they’re sitting side by side.
