Page 104 of Vow Of Fire

“He said you hit him through the face.”

Those soft lips pouted. “It was only the once and he deserved it. For what he did to me.”

Fair enough. The man had betrayed her. Sure, it had been for my family, but he’d still gone behind her back. I didn’t voice it, but I was secretly proud of her for that.

Figuring now was as good a time as any, I took a red, narrow box out of my jacket pocket. “I have something I’d like you to wear.”

She turned suspicious eyes on me. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said?”

“I heard.”

She inhaled through her nose and I could tell she was fighting to remain calm. “What’s in the box?”

“A necklace.”

Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I saw them light up.

“It’s not what you think,” I said quickly, before she got the wrong idea.

The light faded and I was hit by a pang of regret. I wondered briefly what it would be like to buy her diamonds for real. To see those green eyes dance with joy as I lifted them out of the box. Feel her tremble as I hung them around her neck.

Except that would never be me.

“They’re the family jewels. By wearing them, everybody will know you’re under our protection.”

She gasped as I lifted them off the plush red-velvet lining and unclasped them.

“Turn around.”

She did so, holding up her hair.

As I fastened the clasp, her hand went up to touch them. “How much are they worth?”

“A lot.”

She let out a nervous breath.

“You’ll be fine,” I said, as the elevator arrived and the door pinged open. “I’ll be right beside you.”

28

TROUBLE

Evelyn

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum rose into view, its white curved façade glowing beneath strategically placed floodlights while black SUVs and sleek town cars lined the curb outside.

I let out a shaky breath. This was it. The night we kickstarted our plan to get my gallery back. Unfortunately, I had to deceive Mikhail Orlov to do it, but after everything I’d learned, that was a small price to pay.

He’d taken advantage of me, anyway, I reasoned. Using the Agora to launder Sergei’s family money. This was me getting my own back.

A red carpet stretched up the front steps beneath a canopy of glass and steel, where photographers clustered behind velvet barriers hoping to catch politicians, celebrities, socialites, and billionaire collectors arriving for the event.

The rain had stopped, leaving the pavement slick and reflective beneath the city lights.

As our armor-plated SUV rolled to a stop, I swallowed nervously and touched the jewels around my neck.

“You look beautiful,” Dante said, still scowling. He hadn’t lightened up at all during the drive here, and despite giving me the necklace, seemed to be in one of the blackest moods I’d seen him in.