I looked at him. “Wanting to find my father isn’t stupid.”
“It isn’t,” he said. “Asking me to help you was.”
I turned back to the darkening view and said nothing.
“What happened in that dressing room?”
I crossed my arms. “A man in a mask walked in, pressed something over my face. The next thing I knew was waking up in your car.” I rubbed my arms. “Is someone after me? Was it the necklace? Because standing in that room, wearing twenty million dollars around my neck, was a sign that said, ‘Come and get me’.”
He pulled out a cigar, lit it, and let the smoke go without answering.
“I feel like I’m losing my mind. I wish I never touched your money and just jumped off that building when I had the chance.”
“So you want to die.”
“Cole wouldn’t last a week alone.” The words came out in a flat truth. “I have already dragged him into this. Someone is after me, and I don’t know why. And I am standing here with no shoes and a headache, and you want me to walk into a family dinner.”
The quiet settled between us.
When Caitlin and I were moving through those boutiques, laughing, it felt close to normal.
“Is Caitlin okay?”
He pushed off the car. “Let’s go.”
I followed him to the driver’s door. “Can I smoke? Just once.”
“Inna.”
“One second, I just—”
He took my hand and walked me back to my side. “You are driving me crazy.” He opened the passenger door. “Get in before I lose what’s left of my patience.”
I didn’t get in. “I don’t want to go. Look at me, I have no shoes. And this is a family dinner. If they ask how we met, what will I answer? I am sure they will ask other things too, and I don’t have answers.”
He watched me without interrupting.
“If you’re going to keep pulling me into things like this, at least prepare me first. You drop me into these situations with no warning and expect me to just act like I wasn’t in danger a few hours ago? You want me to sit at a table and pretend to be your wife in front of your family?”
“Who said you’ll be pretending?”
I stared at him. “Aren’t I?”
His free hand came toward my face, and I moved back from it. He didn’t pull away. Instead, his fingers found my hair, pushing it behind my ear. What was he doing?
“I don’t rescue things I consider fake.” His voice was calm. “You are my wife until I say otherwise. Don’t use that word in front of me again.”
His thumb moved to my chin, slowly as if I were something that required gentleness when handling.
“As for the dinner, you’re my wife. You answer what you want and leave what you don’t. That power is yours tonight.” He tilted his head toward the open door. “Now get in. I don’t like repeating myself.”
He nudged my shoulder gently, but I only sat, leaving my legs out.
“You know what that means? You are giving me power. And I can tell your employees what to do. That’s what being your wife means.”
He reached down, lifted my legs, and swung them into the car himself. Before he closed the door, I held it open.
“You’ll regret saying that. You should take it back now while you still can.” I warned him.
