“It's yours, if you want it.”
I jump, sloshing coffee onto the floor near my feet, and turn to glare at Gill.
He leans casually against the wall in the sitting room, but the intensity in his gaze betrays his easy stance.
“I thought you'd disappeared on me,” I say just as casually, trying to hide the relief in my voice. I have to trust Gilleon to make this work. Trust. That's going to be a tough one.
Gill notices and his expression softens a bit as he slides his fingertips into the front pockets of his jeans. There's no missing the pair of pistols hanging on either side of that muscular body. As warm, as cozy, as wonderful as this house feels, there's still danger afoot.
“I had a meeting with Max.” Gill stands up straight and tilts his head to the side ever so slightly. “You're beautiful in the morning, you know that?” I reach up and touch the tousled mess that my hair's become. Normally I make a point to clean up before I let anyone see me in the morning, but … I'm not living alone anymore. If my luck holds out, I won't be living alone ever again. Time to let my hair down, so to speak.
“Not a fan of the lipstick?” I ask, reaching up to trace my lips with my free hand. Gill smiles and takes a step forward.
“Definitely a fan of the lipstick,” he says, running his knuckles down my cheek. “And the dresses.” His lips twitch. “Most definitely the heels. But I like this, too. I missed this, all this messy, sleepy perfection.” Gill drops his hand as I raise an eyebrow. Inside, my heart might be pounding a million miles a minute, but I don't have to let the expression show on my face. I might be Regi, but there's still some Regina Corbair in there.
“Nice change of subject,” I say, stepping around him and heading towards the kitchen to grab a paper towel for that coffee splash on the floor; Gill follows closely behind me. “It almost worked. What was your meeting with Max about?”
Gill's lips purse and he exchanges a look with Aveline before heading to the coffeemaker.
“Not good then, I take it?” I ask as I grab a roll of paper towels and tuck them under my arm.
“How would you feel if Aveline and I went out for one last job and left Ewan here with you?” Gill's trying to make the request sound casual when it's anything but. Even the tight curve of his ass under that dark blue denim isn't enough to distract from me from that statement.
“You mean you want to go after Karl? To kill him?” Both Gill and Aveline raise their brows and look over at me. I set my coffee cup down on the counter and raise my hands in surrender. “Look, if I'm being too frank, let me know, but I just want to get things straight here. Is this what you're asking?”
“You nailed it, Princess,” Aveline says, slugging down the rest of her coffee and tossing the mug into the sink with a small wince from Gilleon. Everything's going to be okay, I tell myself, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. When I open them, they're both still staring at me. I consider asking why Aveline would be willing to help Gill out with such a risky job, but … I've kind of gotten the sense that Gilleon isn't the only one trying to wiggle out from under Karl Rousseau's thumb.
“Then what exactly is the plan here?” I ask, refusing to back down. I don't care how top secret this shit is. Gill promised me last night that he'd tell me everything; I'm putting our new relationship to the test right here and now.
Gill exchanges another look with Aveline, but all she does is shrug.
“The only way to fix this,” Gill says, and his voice holds this old, stale sadness that I wish I could whisk away in an instant. He focuses his blue eyes on mine and I have to force myself to take a deep breath. “Is to get rid of Karl.”
“Won't he have, like, a million bodyguards or something?” I hope I don't sound too ignorant, but really, who wants to truly understand how crime syndicates actually work? Not this chick right here. Some things are better left to the professionals. This being one of them. “I don't need all the details.” I take another deep breath and run my hands down the front of my robe. See, if I were dressed, I'd be able to handle this situation better. I feel … vulnerable in my pajamas.
“Karl will have lots of hired guns, yes, but …” Gill glances at Aveline. “Not all of them care whether he lives or dies. Truthfully, some of them would actually prefer him dead. An expired crime boss leaves a vacuum of power that some people might be interested in filling.” Gill takes a step forward and looks down at me, so tall, so handsome, his face a dangerous slice of dark and light. He needs this shit to go away. It's hard to get better when you're constantly straddling the line. “We have a contact, a possible way in the back door.”