Stepbrother Thief(125)

“Max called a meeting tonight, to hand me over.”

I blink away my surprise as Gill glances up at me. He must've arranged all this while I was getting changed. Bye-bye daisy dress, hello evening wear … plus bulletproof vest. I think it's Aveline's, but I didn't bother to ask. For all I know, Gill might have one in his closet for Cliff and Solène, too. Fortunately for us both, they're still sitting pretty in the attic.

“Why would Karl agree to a meeting with Max?” Gill smiles tightly at me.

“Because they were married once.”

I blink stupidly back at Gill and risk a glance out the front window. Max's guys are finished loading the van, closing the white doors on the pile of bodies in the back. I shiver and turn my attention back to Gill, leaning close and lowering my voice to a whisper.

“They were married?” I definitely don't want to imagine how that divorce went. “Mon Dieu.” I shake my head and sit back up. “Okay, that's certainly a shock. The two rival crime bosses were hitched.” Gill's still smiling, but it's a humorless expression. “What does that have to do with Aveline?”

“Aveline's their daughter.”

Holy shit. Was not expecting that one.

“Aveline's been caught up in Karl and Maxine's war for a long time now. Tonight, he took things too far for Max's liking.”

“So I'm assuming … Maxine is …?” I begin and Gill chuckles softly.

“Yes, Maxine is a woman.”

“I had to check.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “There's no reason a guy couldn't be called Maxine.” Gill's smile gets a little wider, warming my heart from the bottom up. The way tonight's going, I don't expect it to last, but it's a nice sight to see. “You never told me Max was a woman,” I add, trying to recall any memories I might have of the various mentions of Gill's boss' name. I guess he never said she wasn't one. Not that it really matters. Hell, there isn't room for sexism even in criminal enterprises I guess. Go Maxine.

“You never asked,” Gill says, that small smile still curling his lips. It fades just as quickly when he gets a signal from one of his guys at the front door of the house.

“The man you …” I really don't want to say that particular verb aloud. “Karl's son … Max's son?” I ask tentatively, but Gill's shaking his head.

“No, they were half siblings.” He sighs and looks up, watching as the van starts backing down the driveway, pulling alongside us and then disappearing into the dark in a blur of red taillights. “Point being, Max never wanted to take things this far. Tonight, though, she changed her mind. I guess seeing her daughter in that state was enough to push a few maternal buttons.” Gill's mouth twitches. “Though I'm sure it's not much. Max isn't exactly … the motherly type.” He takes a deep breath. “So. I go in tonight; I end this.”

My turn to purse my lips.

“Where do I fit into all this?” There's got to be a reason that I'm dressed up. Gill never does anything without a purpose.

“Karl wants me to bring you along.” Gill looks deep into my eyes, searching for something there. Whatever he finds, it must satisfy him because he takes a deep breath and continues. “Like collateral, something to keep me from doing exactly what it is that I'm going to do.” My turn to take a breath. If I said I wasn't scared, I'd be lying. I can hardly even believe I'm sitting here like this, a bulletproof vest under my dress, a knife at my back, a gun on my thigh. I feel ridiculous. I can hardly use any of this stuff. But I have to try tonight. For Gill. For me. For us. “I don't want to use you like this, Regina,” he adds, but I'm already shaking my head.

“I'm in.”

I take another breath and look Gill straight in the face. No, of course he doesn't want me there, doesn't want to take even the smallest risk with me. But I know Gill. And I know myself. I have to be a part of this, and I'm confident that Gilleon knows his stuff. If he didn't think we had a good chance to get out of this alive, he wouldn't have even taken the suggestion.

“Max has promised me your safety, but …” I nod. Situations like this are hard to control. Anything could happen. Anything. “There's a plan in place, but I need you to promise to listen to me, no matter what. When we're in there, you're not my …” Gill pauses and smiles softly at me. “You're not the love of my life, you're my assistant. You take my orders.” I raise both brows and sit back, giving Gill a look. “Regina.”

I roll my eyes and raise my hands in surrender.

“Okay, I got it, boss.” I don't like following orders, but in this, I trust Gill completely and implicitly. This is his thing, his area of expertise, not mine. Besides, I told him not to go in tonight and he listened to me. It's my turn now.