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Yakov had not yet been called to answer for the crime of defying Viktor’s orders about the child. That told Lyon that Viktor was still trying to decide how to handle Yakov’s transgression.
And that meant it was the perfect time to approach Viktor, to put his long-considered plan into place.
Still, something nagged at him. There was a piece of the puzzle missing, although he didn’t yet know what it was.
Ah well. It was no matter.
He turned away from the window and headed for the elevator. Most of the pieces were in place — his approach to Viktor, his offer of a partnership, which Viktor needed to keep the Baranov name in play with the motherland.
Lyon’s plan to offer something.
His plan to take something.
The rest would come to him with patience. It always did.
He knew how to watch. How to wait.
He was the Lion.
29
Gabriella looked out over the Pacific, stretching to the horizon like a glittering carpet, and replayed the events of the past two weeks. That’s how long it had taken for her to leave her old life behind: two short weeks.
She hadn’t had a choice. Not really. Not after what had happened to Leo.
Still, she hated to do it. Hated to give Baranov the satisfaction of knowing she’d cut and run. Hated leaving her team behind, forcing them to strategize via video conference as they prepared for trial.
Because she was still going to trial. That much she’d made clear — to her team, to Nathan, to Logan.
Logan…
Their rekindled romance hadn’t seemed simple even back in Chicago, but at least there she’d had space to figure out where she stood, what the future held for them.
In California, staying at Logan’s house with Leo and Bea, who’d agreed to come along to keep things consistent for Leo, the question of their relationship seemed more complicated than ever. It felt like a step back, even though Logan’s expensive house perched on a cliff over the ocean was about as far from her childhood as she could get.
“Hey, you!”
Gabriella turned around in the lounge chair facing the water and smiled at Willow, Hawk’s sister, as she stepped onto the patio. “Hey! I didn’t hear the doorbell.”
“Bea let me in,” Willow said, dropping into the chair next to Gabriella. “How are you?”
Gabriella smiled. “Good.”
Hawk and Willow had come over almost as soon as they’d gotten into town, and Gabriella had been shocked by how much Willow had grown. The last time she’d seen Hawk’s little sister, Willow had been a little kid. Now she was a gorgeous woman with Hawk’s gray eyes and thick brown hair lit gold by the sun.
Willow tipped her head. “You’ve never been a good liar, you know.”
Gabriella laughed. She’d always liked Willow, even back when Hawk and Logan called her a pest and lamented the fact that she so often tagged along with them.
“It’s a bit weird,” Gabriella admitted. She looked around at the expansive property, the expertly decorated patio complete with kerosene heaters and expensive outdoor furniture. “Isn’t it?”
“What? All this?” Willow asked, following Gabriella’s gaze. “It can’t be weirder than your house in Chicago. Logan said you’re rich too.”
Gabriella rolled her eyes. “I’m not rich. Nathan’s family has money — old money — but I’m a prosecutor for the state. We’re just a line item in the budget every year.”
Willow shrugged. “I was just out of high school when Imperium took off. It was weird then, but I don’t think about it too much now.” She hesitated. “Maybe that’s not the only thing that’s weird?”
“What do you mean?” Gabriella asked.
