CHAPTER ONE
Gigi
I applyanother layer of coverup over the dark purple bruise around my right eye, my hand shaking. “Good enough, you think?”
Erika, my best friend and constant support, squints her eyes, assessing the makeup. “It’ll have to be.”
Without warning, I turn and envelop her in a hug.
She is the entire reason I made it out of my marriage alive and that my daughter and I are safe. We met at a support group for battered women. She took one look at me and made an offer of help I knew I’d never get again.
I know that’s kind of crazy, but I could sense that she understood my situation. Our stories were so similar. Married to handsome, powerful men who ended up…
I turn back to the mirror, doing one last touch up on my eye.
Erika gave me and my daughter a temporary place to stay when I left my ex. I quickly found my own place, though, and was building a life, when he found us two weeks ago…
That’s when she took us in again, moved us into her super secure apartment, and now, she’s helping me find a new job.
I’ve got an interview in an hour. The position would be a dream for so many reasons.
The New York corporate headquarters for Smith Brothers Real Estate hosts all sorts of employee benefits. Like super secure onsite apartments like the one Erika is in. But they also have onsite daycare, and the building connects to a shopping plaza that boasts a grocery store and tons of restaurants. I’d never have to leave.
And the Smith Brothers? They are known for their state-of-the-art security in every real estate development they create.
Not only is this the safest place in New York, but the Smiths are also a multi-continental force dominating the US and England. My ex, Vigo Sinclair, isn’t intimidated by many people, but I could tell by the way he spoke, even a year ago, that the Smiths have got him worried.
Anyone who can scare Vigo is all right in my book.
And both reasons make this job ideal. Which means I can’t mess this interview up.
“They’ve just opened the offices on the East Coast, so they have loads of positions to fill,” Erika murmurs as she touches my shoulder. “You’re going to do fine, promise.”
She knows I’m nervous. And not just because I really need this job.
The name, credentials, and even the social security number on my application are fake.
Erika’s brother is connected with some underworld identity thieves, or something like that, and they got me the documents.
But I’ve got to start by just getting my new name right when I talk to the hiring director.
I kept my first name, or some version of it. My family is Italian American, and my mother named me Giulia, the Italianversion of Julia, because she wanted to bring the old country into our family.
But my dad, he called me Gigi from the time I was a little girl. It was the name given to me out of love. He died right before I met Vigo.
So that’s the name I picked for my new life. Gigi. Vigo’s never heard it, but I still answer to it like I breathe. Without thinking, which makes it a good choice.
For a last name, I chose…Hope. Corny? Maybe. I’m not woo-woo by nature, but I’m trying to send some message into the universe.
I need all the help I can get.
“Ready?” Erika asks.
I nod with a shaky breath. “Are you sure you’re all right to watch Emma for me?”
“Of course,” she answers, squeezing my shoulder. “Me and Emma are best buds. Just stay calm, remember to smile, and stick to the truth as much as possible.”
I want to hug her again, but I’ve creased my borrowed silk dress shirt enough. Instead, I check the tuck of the silk into my pencil skirt. “I owe you big time.”
