Stepbrother Thief(116)

For me.

Always for me.

I stop staring at his reflection and look back at him, at his face, at those bright eyes staring right into and through me. I already lost you once, Gill. Don't put me through that again.

“It's worth the risk, Regi, for us to be free.” He takes a deep breath and steps toward me again, close but not touching. “But if you say no, then I won't go. I'll work jobs for Max, and I'll try to figure out another way to get through this.”

“I'm saying no, Gill,” I tell him, keeping my arms crossed as he reaches up and brushes some hair behind my ear. “Tu n'y vas pas, un point c'est tout.” I let my eyes flicker shut for a moment and try to control my racing pulse. You're not going. It's that simple. “Stop trying to convince me.”

“If I don't go,” he says, pushing on with that steel-toed determination that's always been a part of who he is, “then Karl will keep sending people after me.” My mind flickers to that gruesome scene at the hotel. “And Max might decide I'm more trouble than I'm worth.” Gill licks his lips nervously. “Max won't sell me out to Karl, but maybe my associates will just … stop having my back. It'd be that easy to lose, Regina, and we're so close to winning.” Gill lowers his voice to a murmur. “So close.”

“Gilleon, stop,” I say, because for whatever reason my eyes are brimming with tears even though I've already told him no. Merde. This motherfucker is making me cry and we've officially been back together for a day.

I blink back the tears just as Gill lifts his thumb and brushes some liquid away with his fingertip.

“I know you're a badass and all, and you've probably taken way worse risks than this in the last ten years, but … it seems silly to wager it all now, doesn't it?”

Gill chuckles at my comment, but the sound holds this sense of finality to it. One way or another, this whole situation is coming to a head, isn't it? I reach up and touch my mother's pendant. At least I know for sure now: all of this, it was for more than just diamonds.

“I won't disagree with the badass comment,” Gill says with a small smile, “but I won't lie either. This would definitely be the biggest risk I've ever taken because this time, I've got you. And Regi, that's all I've ever wanted.”



I run my fingertip around the rim of my wineglass and watch the clock on the wall tick towards midnight. If I'd let Gilleon go, he'd have left already and I'd be wondering if he was dead or alive, not sitting across from him at the kitchen table with a glass of white wine in front of me.

His expression is shuttered, his mind focused inward, no doubt worried about Aveline. After I made myself clear that there was no way in hell I was agreeing to this, Gill told Aveline, and she left the house with fire burning in her eyes. What's on the line for her, I don't know. All I can do is make the best decisions for us—Gill, me, Cliff, Solène.

As I stare at the clock, I know I've made the right choice.

I drop my gaze and look across the table at Gill, waiting for him to emerge from his own thoughts as I sip my wine.

“What's Ave's story?” I ask, because this silence is killing me. I feel like I have to fill it.

Gill glances up, blinking to clear his mind, and smiles at me. I was worried that putting my foot down like this might push him away, but no, he's being true to his word, reaching over and laying his hand atop mine.

“She's been tangled up with Karl for as long—longer—than I have, fighting for something she doesn't like to talk about.” Gill lifts his own wine to his lips and takes a long drink. “She and I, we're in the same boat with Max. This heist was as much about her as it was me.”

“Did I fuck everything up tonight for her?” I ask, hoping to God that's not the case. I'd hate for my own happiness to come at the expense of somebody else's. Gill, bless his heart, gives me a tight smile and shakes his head. “You better not be lying to me,” I tell him, pointing a finger at that perfect, muscular chest of his.

“Another opportunity will come up,” Gill tells me with confidence. I wonder if that statement's as much for him as it is for me. “We'll figure this all out.”

I nod, but I'm not entirely convinced, lifting my drink to my lips and staring at the pale smudge of lipstick on the glass. I went with a nude lip today, some blue-gray shadow and bright highlights on the cheeks. It's a spring look, really, but I needed something to brighten up the dark winter day outside. Maybe some Christmas lights would help? And a tree? Now that I've made up my mind to stay, I need to make this place feel like home.

“Thank you,” I tell Gill, drawing his gaze back to mine. “For listening to me. Part of me was convinced that it didn't matter what I said, that you'd go anyway.”