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He has connections I don’t. Connections that are difficult to come by.
“They all think it was a business deal gone wrong,” Joshua says, chuckling darkly. “I suppose that’s actually helpful to you, isn’t it?”
“In a way,” I admit. “It’s a secret that stays with us, Joshua. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Joshua says. “Honestly, the assumption is good for both of us. I’ve been able to burnish my reputation as a fixer, and you... well, I assume that your friends across the pond will have heard the whispers. You’ll use that to your advantage?”
“In some ways,” I admit. “But it’s not all to my advantage.”
Of course it isn’t. I called in a lot of favors to get my new UK passport, and my sudden ‘cousin’ who needs my presence to take care of them in their permanent illness is hardly authentic.
But it doesn’t matter. I will rebuild. It’s only a matter of how much I’ll have to tear down first. It’s been three days. The auction has come and gone, but Ivan’s threat and the fact that someone else may be involved haven’t escaped me.
There is only one way to protect her when we still don’t have the name of the threat that lingers.
“What about Kiersten?” Joshua asks me, and my throat tightens. “What are you going to do with her?”
I swallow, knowing that I hate what I’m about to say. It’s torn my soul apart for the past thirty-six hours, knowing that as much as I need Kiersten, as much as I love her... I can’t have her.
My being in her life would ruin things for her. It very well may get her killed. It’s likely. “Until we know who Ivan’s contact was, until I know every threat and how all of this will play out, she needs to be safe.”
Joshua leans back, uncomfortable. “I looked into it, and as far as I can tell, there was no other contact. He acted alone,” Joshua urges, but I don’t know that it’s true. In my very bones, I don’t think Ivan was lying. There was someone else involved. Someone who wants Kiersten, and I’ve only made matters worse.
“No one came to her apartment,” Joshua adds. I told him everything, and Ivan did say if she didn’t go to the auction, they would go to her.
He doesn't understand, though. I can’t risk a damn thing when it comes to her. So I make the hardest choice... and do the right thing. “I’m done with her.”
Joshua gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me. “Are you sure? Gabriel, I’ve never had a true conversation with her, but I see what she’s done for you. She made you happy and a better man.”
“That may be, but I can’t risk it,” I reply. “Me leaving? Well, men in our positions have done it before. But to leave with her? She’d be connected to me, and when the hammer falls... it would ruin her life.”
“Do you think leaving will be easy on her?” Joshua questions. Again, he leans back in his seat, eyeing me. “Your leaving could ruin her too. Ruin yourself as well.”
“I know,” I admit, although to which part I’m not quite sure. “But this gives her a chance, at least. I’ll give her enough money to start over. A new name, a new state. A fresh start without me tainting her life.”
Joshua says, “How much are you leaving her?”
“Pennies on the dollar,” I admit, the uncomfortable truth twisting in the pit of my stomach. “Liquidating my assets has been rushed. More than a few bastards are dancing on my proverbial grave right now.”
“Those missing pennies bought you your freedom in case something changes here before that case is closed,” Joshua reminds me.
Sucking in a breath and forcing my thumb to fucking stay still, I bite out the question that has kept me up at night. “Would you do me a favor? Not professional, no money, just... as a friend?”
Joshua nods, guessing my request before I have to ask it. “I’ll check in on her. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
It’s the most I can ask for. It’s more than I deserve to ask for. “Thank you.” For the first time in days, I feel the hint of relief, although it comes with an agony and grief I’ve never experienced.
KIERSTEN
Present
For the first time in years, I’m actually nervous as I unlock the door to Club X. My palms are clammy and my stomach is full of jitters. Then again, most of the time, when I show someone around, they’re either an employee who’s here to make money or a prospective member. They don’t mean a damn thing to me like this man does.
With Gabriel at my side, though, I’m anxious. I hope he loves it. I hope he sees the pieces of us in this place. Maybe by now, he knows, or at least understands, that this is all because of him. Every square inch of Club X was a testament to what he did for me, what he taught me. They’re lessons that I’ve passed on for almost twenty years.
“When did you open this club?” Gabriel asks as we step into the entryway. It’s difficult to read him. He brought me flowers and insisted that we come here while the place is closed for him to see what I’ve been up to.
His energy is slightly off, or at least I think it is. It has been years, and although there are sparks and embers of what used to be, so much time has passed, and we both know our past is covered in ash. Even still, I find myself falling back to the young woman I once was.
