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“Oh,” I said, kissing her again. “In that case—”
A loud knock at the door startled both of us. Mila instantly pulled her dress back over her breast as I adjusted my sitting position to make my boner less obvious.
“Miss?” An older woman’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.
“Come in,” Mila said, scooting a few inches away from me. The same older maid I’d met in the entrance hall carefully stepped into the room.
“Your brother wanted me to inform you that he has confirmed the table for five-thirty.”
“Five-thirty?” Mila wondered, redoing her bun. “I thought it was at seven.”
“It was, but he changed it.”
Mila bit her lower lip. “We’ll be down shortly. Thanks, Anna.”
Anna threw me a look with daggers in it, then nodded and walked off—leaving the door wide open.
Mila and I exchanged looks, then her gaze dropped to the floor. “You thought I was kidding when I told you about my golden cage. Well, I wasn’t.”
I was starting to understand the magnitude of living the life of Mila Kowitsch, sister to an assassin. There was no doubt that Andrei cared for her, but at the same time, he was also putting her in danger, controlling every aspect of her life to keep her rich and safe.
Maybe my chief was right. Maybe she would be happier without her brother.
I reached into my pocket to pull out the little black box with a purple bow. Initially, I’d wanted to wait until after dinner, until we had a moment to ourselves, but looking into Mila’s sad face, I would have put on a clown costume to cheer her up again—which, thankfully, I didn’t have to. Her sad eyes settled on the black box in my hand.
“Is that for me?” she asked.
“No,” I joked. “It’s for Anna. I think she really likes me.”
Mila laughed and carefully grabbed the box. There was nothing to unwrap. It was one of those jewelry boxes you opened simply by pushing back the lid.
“Noah,” she gasped, pulling out the bracelet. Its fine gold shimmered in her hand as she read the engraving. Her lips moved along with the words,love always wins, then she threw her arms around my neck, pressing her lips tightly on mine.
“This is the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received,” she mumbled against my lips. “Thank you!”
I was thrilled to make Mila so happy with something so small. Although, it was quite pricey for a detective’s salary.
“Thanks for putting up with my old, grumpy ass.”
She smiled as one of her hands moved down to my butt and squeezed it. “You mean that sexy piece?”
The sound of a clearing throat startled us. Both of us instantly pulled away. It was Anna, a tray with champagne glasses in her hand.
“Andrei wishes to hold a toast before heading out to the restaurant. The driver is already waiting for you in the driveway.”
“Thank you, Anna,” Mila said, this time a hint of annoyance in her voice. She handed me the bracelet and then held out her wrist for me to put it on. It felt so good to see her like my gift this much. I thought maybe it would just get lost among her many priceless diamonds. But the way she looked at it and smiled almost made me believe that it really was one of the best gifts she’d ever received. But how could that be? She was surrounded by gold.
I rose to my feet. Thank God the boner was gone. “Well, let’s not keep your brother waiting.”
Anna was still waiting at the door but turned when she saw Mila getting up as well. Andrei was already waiting for us in some sort of formal living room. Like the rest of the house, it was ridiculously extravagant with golden mirrors and large oil paintings. He raised a glass of champagne when we entered.
“We still have time for a toast before we head out.”
Mila grabbed a glass from the tray Anna was holding. I did the same.
“May my little sister live a long and happy life, filled with everything her heart desires.”
I raised my glass. Andrei and I met eyes. The hatred in them was gone, but he was unable to hide the contempt.
“I’ll drink to that,” I said and took a sip.
“Well, with that being said, why don’t we go outside and take a look at my birthday present?” Andrei asked.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Mila said, sounding almost embarrassed. But Andrei ignored her and headed to the door.
“Oh please, I had to get you something. And this time,” he said, holding up a pair of keys that had a golden Porsche sign on them, “I really hope you’ll actually drive it.”
