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“For?”
“Em?” He waved the bag like a matador teasing a bull.
“Yeah?” She eyed it, then me and Cruz as she slid off the stool and approached him.
“That’s what it says.” He pointed to the small white envelope pinned to the outside.
She took the hanger and draped it over the back of the couch, detaching the note and reading it silently.
“What’s it say?” Cruz was as impatient as I was.
She sighed. “It’s an apology. Alessio wants me to give him another chance.”
Of course he did. So much for giving her space. She barely had a week to get over him kidnapping her.
“What’s inside?” Cruz pressed again.
She slid open the zipper and froze.
I put a lid on the pan and lowered the heat before going to her other side.
It was a red dress.
“Pretty,” Cruz commented.
“It’s the one I was staring at the first day I met Ama,” the corners of her lips twitched like she was fighting back a grin.
I huffed. Well, shit. That was pretty smooth on his part.
She shot me a smirk, then zipped up the bag and stepped back. “I asked him to give me space.”
“You did,” I agreed.
“Has it been long enough?” She didn’t look at either of us, just stared at the note like it might explode.
“That’s only something you can decide.” I stopped myself from touching her and comforting her. She didn’t need more pressure. How to deal with Alessio was truly up to her.
“Do the teams need more time?”she asked.
Cruz shook his head. We’d been giving Emilia time and waiting for Rod to let us know the beta team was in place. We didn’t want her to see Dias before she was ready, but they were now set and waiting for a signal.
“The next step is in place,” Cruz said.
She inhaled and pulled her shoulders back. “I’ll call him.”
“You don’t have to right now. You can make him wait a bit,” he offered.
She leaned against the couch, looking at each of us. “The longer I put it off, the harder it will be to get back into the swing of things. Being with you guys… It makes me not want to go back at all, but I have to.”
I reached out and took her hand. “We understand. None of us want you to go back to him either.”
“No, we really don’t.” Cruz slipped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned her head against his.
“This is dangerous.” Her hickory eyes flashed to mine.
“Since when have you ever worried about that? You’ve proven you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself. Plus, Derek will always be close by.”
“No, not the mission.” She twisted her lips. “This.”
