Stepbrother Thief (48 page)

What do we do now?

The answer to my question is surprising, to say the least. I'd been expecting … well, I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Who would ever expect to wear a designer dress to take out a bad guy? To be more specific, a designer dress with
body armor
underneath it. Makeup, heels, diamonds in my ears and around my neck. It's a nice look, I'll be the first to admit—I mean, I'm wearing a navy striped Marchesa Notte gown, so what's not to love?—but it's definitely a little uncomfortable with the vest shoved up underneath it.

I know I'm not fooling anybody—there is most definitely a bulky bulletproof vest under my outfit—but Gill insisted on it. I'm even wearing the knife I found earlier strapped against my lower back—scout style I guess it's called. It's better than having it stuffed in the front pocket of Gilleon's hoodie, that's for sure. Now, the chances that I'll ever have to use it … or that I'd even be successful in using it? Pretty slim.

I glance over at Gilleon, sitting bathed in the ambient light from the front porch. The lines of his face are tight and his jaw is clenched hard, teeth gritted together as he stares at the steering wheel and works through whatever it is he needs to go over before we leave.

Me, I still have no idea what's going on or why I'm dressed to the nines—quite literally. Underneath the flowing organza of my skirt, there's a nine millimeter strapped to my upper thigh.

I turn my face and look out the window, breath frosting against the cool glass. Surprisingly enough, the street is quiet now, and the police cars are gone. As promised, a phone call to the boss and a few quick words with the cops was enough to send them on their way. Gill's nosy neighbor was outside, standing at the end of her driveway, glaring at us. But after she—and the rest of the busybodies—on the street noticed the cops leaving, they went back inside and shut their lights off, one by one.

It feels like we're all alone out here.

That's not even remotely the case.

I can see Gill's … coworkers? Hell, I don't know what to call them. They're loading up a van, using the back door and the gate to avoid carrying their very large, very illegal parcels outside. I avert my gaze, knowing that eight—
eight—
people are dead tonight. As sad as that is, as wasteful as this all seems, I don't feel as sick as I should about it. They came after me, after my family. If Gill wasn't such a badass, it'd be me in the back of a van and not them.

I swallow hard and lean my head back against the leather seat of the SUV. I think it's the same one we fucked in, but I'm not sure. Could just be a different rental. I wonder if my panties are still in the glove compartment?

“I shouldn't have put you through this,” Gill says, voice rough and low. He's practically growling.

I glance back at him, at his handsome face covered in shadow. Tonight, only half of that is metaphorical. The rest … if we can get through this, it'll be over. That's it. We'll get our cut of the heist money, as promised, and Gill can retire.

If.

If. If. If.

I hate that word.

“Is Max really trustworthy?” I ask. Having never met the guy, I haven't the slightest clue.

Gill's mouth twitches.

“Not really. But, like I said, Karl and Max have a history.” He holds up his hands. “Again, I don't know much about it, but …” He sighs and that grin that was slowly forming, it fades away in an instant. “We all have our secrets, I guess.”

“At least ours are out in the open.” I turn to face him fully. I know why Gill left me, know the truth about my mother's death, and he knows about our daughter. “So let's keep it that way.” I reach up and run my fingers through my hair. It's freshly washed, blown out and tousled. For what reason Gill asked me to do that, I can't even hazard a guess. “Karl … he can't be that easy to kill, right? I mean, if you could just walk in there guns blazin' and take him out, you would've done that a long time ago, wouldn't you?”

Gill turns to face me, reaching out and touching his thumb to my lower lip. His chest expands with a tired sigh. The very same chest that just so happens to be covered in a black suit jacket; I'm not the only who's dressed up … or the only one wearing body armor under my clothes.

“Of course. Anything to get back to you, Regina.” Gilleon glances away for a moment and then turns his gaze back on me. “But Max … is willing to go out on a limb after tonight. This … what happened to Aveline, it's too much.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Why would Max give a shit about Aveline?”

Gill licks his lips nervously and takes another deep breath.

“Regina,” he begins as I push his hand away from my mouth. It's hard to think when he's touching me like that.

“What?” I ask, fear trickling down my spine. “I know that voice. You're keeping another secret from me.”

“Some stories aren't mine to tell,” Gill says, raising both brows, like he's trying to get me to understand without speaking the words aloud. “Especially not when their owner is on her way to the hospital.” Something clicks into place in my brain.

“Aveline. You really
do
know her secret, don't you?” Gill sighs again and runs his hand over his face.

“If I tell you this, I tell you in complete confidence.” Gill leans in close to me and whispers hot against my ear. “If Max—or Aveline—ever found out I told you this, I'd have a lot more than just death threats from Karl to worry about.” He leans back again and glances casually out the window. I know better though, know that he's checking to make sure the coast is clear before he tells me whatever it is he needs to say. “I want to be truthful with you, like you asked.” Gill sighs and stares down at his lap for a moment, looking so much like the teenage version of himself that I have to tighten my fingers around the edge of the seat to keep myself from leaning over and pressing a gentle peck against his mouth.

“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 Max
ine
'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.

I lean across the car, curling my fingers against the nape of his neck as he reaches out and wraps the fingers of his tattooed hand around my waist.

“I love you, Gilleon Marchal,” I tell him, because I can never say it enough.

“I love you, too, Regina.” He kisses me then with a dangerous passion that curls my toes and brings goose bumps up on my arms.

Tonight, we're risking our lives for a future, the future together we never had, but that we deserve.

Tonight.

It's all over tonight.

The car ride to … wherever it is that we're going is filled with a tense sort of silence, the kind that begs to be broken, but that I can't for the life of me figure out
how
to break.

“Gill?” I ask after a few moments, my heart racing, my hands clammy in my lap. I
want
to help, need to really, but that doesn't make it easy. I'm not exactly trained for this, but if Karl wants bait, I can be bait. I can be the chance that Gilleon needs to get the shot in. Because that's all it'll take—one shot. Once Karl is down, if there is a firefight, Gill's promised that Max's people will take care of things.

“Yeah?” he asks, blinking a few times to clear his head before he glances over me, knuckles white on the steering wheel.

“Everything's going to be okay.” Gill smiles tightly at me, but I can tell from his tense facial expression that he doesn't believe it. “And not because it has to be, because nothing really
has
to happen. But because we'll make it happen.” I stare out the front window at the darkness and the rain, reaching up to wipe some condensation from the glass. Outside, the I-90 floating bridge rumbles past, the water from Lake Washington black as pitch beneath it.