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I sit up and turn the alarm off.
"Midnight?" she asks.
I nod. "Midnight." I get up, sliding my phone into my pocket. And pull out a large envelope that I leave on the seat. “Thank you for sitting with me.”
"Why did you come here?”
"I didn't come here to talk. If you wanted to hear the things I had to say, your voicemail box is full of messages. Tonight was about showing you that everything that happened between us happened because we both wanted it to. Because there was nothing that we could've done to have stopped it. We were yanked, pulled, pushed together by the universe, Kiara. Not because of a business deal, not because of family meddling. Just us.” I take her hand and press a kiss to the palm. “And that in a hundred thousand lifetimes, given the choice, I will always choose you.” I drop her hand. “Who would you choose, Kiara?"
I don’t wait for her answer.
I leave, and the stars are my witness that, to my word, in the most important choice of my life, I chose her.
***
"We know where he is," Frank booms, strolling into my office unannounced the day after. " All the cameras and bugs were bought from the same place. We tracked down where he got the equipment and, er, politely encouraged them to tell us where to find him. Either way, these are the three places he hides out in." He throws a stack of photos on my desk, showing him coming in and out his hideouts. “So, what’s the next step?”
"I want him arrested and tried and locked away forever. We need to catch him in the act. Follow him. He's got to fuck up at some point. We’ll call the police to bring him in.”
“And if they don’t?" Frank asks.
“He better hopes that they do; it's going to better than anything I have planned for him.”
His eyes bore into me, but there’s no protest. I don’t know if Frank actually feels an emotional attachment to the people he’s watching, or if it’s just the desire to do a really good job, but it doesn't matter. I know he’s the one person I can trust with Kiara’s safety.
"Okay, let me know if he makes a move.”
I made her a promise that I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. And the least I can do is keep that promise.
I don’t have time to ponder it too long, though. A few minutes after Frank leaves, Odette comes running in, koala slippers on her feet, loudly whispering, "Gerry's here. On the warpath, look alive!”
My door flies open and I'm greeted by the sight of the person I least want to see.
"Have you suddenly entered the business of fucking up and I missed the memo?" he yells, his face red.
"If you’re just coming in here to yell at me, Gerald, I’m busy.”
"No, you're not. You know how I know; you've fucked up two big deals in the last few months. The Heracles chip and now Watch."
That gets me to look up from my laptop.
"Yeah, everyone heard about Nathan giving you a window for submitting an offer and you didn't even fucking bother."
"Wow, looks like your sources are actually getting good information for once."
He stomps his foot like he’s a child. "Are you mad? You spend six months trying to convince the board to do this, and now when it's time, you don't even bother?"
"Is there an actual reason you are in Hong Kong? Other than to bust my chops?”
"I'm here to meet with Nathan. See if I can save the deal."
"He’s in Singapore."
"He's back tomorrow. I'll see him then. And then we'll see who can actually follow through with bringing this sucker home. The board is going to be very interested in hearing about this. I'd be a little worried about your position."
"Then you have no idea about who I am at all. Threatening me is not something I’m likely to forget. Now, feel free to see yourself out before I get you thrown out.”
He slams the door behind him but it opens again almost immediately. I'm ready for another round of insults, but it's just Odette.
