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Annabel looked at Mila. No, not looked at her—studied her with hate in her eyes. “I’d have to agree. There’s a lot more to it.” She grinned maniacally. “Much more. Especially considering my father is—”
I was ready to rise to my feet, not even knowing how that would help, when Annabel’s words were cut off by her phone. People from other tables glanced our way as her noisy, techno ringtone sang out. First, she briefly glanced at it and pushed the call away. But when it rang two more times without a break, she finally picked up.
“Dad. I’m at Mon—” her voice broke off as her entire focus shifted to this call. I looked at Mila, then Andrei, pretending to be as curious as they were.
“What? Little Cesar?” Her eyes widened as her hand shot to her mouth. Then she rose to her feet in one, quick move, almost knocking over her—my—wine.
“I’ll be right there. Hold on,” she said, briefly pressing her phone to her chest. “Sorry, but I have to go. One of my mom’s cats has disappeared, and she’s freaking out.”
“Of course,” I said, adopting an empathetic tone.
“I’m so sorry,” Mila said, sounding honestly sympathetic.
Only Andrei was unable to show compassion. But then he nodded. “I hope it’s just a scare,” he said with a forced breath.
Just like that, Annabel ran off, not even saying goodbye to the man at the bar.
For a moment, we just sat there, the mood of the dinner at an all-time low. I could tell how pissed Mila was at Andrei for all of this, how she was barely able to hold herself from exploding at him.
This dinner is over.
“Well,” I said, pulling my credit card out of my coat and handing it to a waiter who was passing by. He understood perfectly and nodded.
“Thank you both for this beautiful dinner, but if it’s okay, I’d like to take Mila to a German pub not far from here. It’s not as nice as this place, but the Germans know how to brew a mean beer.”
“I’d love to.” Mila smiled a genuine smile. “Let’s go.”
The waiter came back and handed me the bill. I signed without looking at it and threw in fifty bucks in cash for the tip. With great satisfaction, I looked over at Andrei, whose hard facial lines protested every bit of what was happening. But I couldn’t care less.
“You joining us?” I asked.
He shook his head and took a sip of his wine. “You two go. I have some work to do. My sister and I are leaving tomorrow afternoon for a few days.”
“What?” escaped my lips before Mila was able to form the words. Andrei’s eagle eyes were instantly focused on me.
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
“Well”—only that I thought you were leaving next week, and the Feds won’t be able to pull off this operation with one day’s notice—“not really,” I said, composing myself again. Andrei wasn’t convinced. Even Mila seemed confused. “It’s just, I was hoping to take Mila somewhere special this weekend. She told me she’d be around.”
Her eyes widened in happiness. “I don’t have to go,” she said.
“Yes, you do.” Andrei’s voice was openly harsh for the first time. Mila’s brows knitted together, but Andrei paid her no mind. “We’ve been through this, and you agreed to go. Now keep your promise, Mila. A Kowitsch always keeps their word.”
“Well,” I said, rising to my feet and pulling Mila along with me. “We’d better leave you to your work then. Thank you for the interesting evening.”
And just like that, we left, leaving Andrei at the table by himself. For a moment, I was worried Mila wouldn’t come with me, but she was steady by my side, holding my hand tight, not even turning back once.
“I’m so sorry,” she said as we stepped outside into the evening summer breeze. It was dusk, and the sky had a play of bright and dark colors to it.
I gently pulled her off the busy street and into a small alley a few feet from the restaurant. Gently, I lifted her chin to look at me.
“For what? I get to spend all day with you. Nothing, and nobody, could ruin that.”
I dusted her lips with mine. She tasted of wine and fruit. A warm tingle spread through my chest all the way into my fingertips. God, I loved this woman.
“Besides,” I said, “if anybody has to apologize, it’s me. For the whole thing with Annabel. I promise it’s not what she tried to make—”
Mila pressed a finger to my lips and locked her gorgeous eyes on mine.
