Chapter 28 Maxim
MAXIM
I’ve spent the past week with Brooks, Damon, and Sergei going over every detail of the Russian Ball.
This plan must work. There is no Plan B or C, or even Z.
Grace has been having a hard time with her sisters.
Zoe isn’t happy at all and has gone back to Ibiza, but Grace thinks it’s her pregnancy hormones making her act out.
Sophie is pouting because she wants to be part of the action in Russia, and Mackenzie is in her own world doing her own thing.
Tonight’s the night. There’s no going back now.
I’m nervous as I get dressed. Damon has fitted me with plenty of James Bond gadgets all over my body.
My designer watch has a listening device inside it and a GPS locator so the guys will be able to listen in from a van not far from the ball.
The knot of my tie is fitted with a pinhole camera, which will be Brooks and Damon’s eyes as well as a microphone for me to communicate with them.
Damon has also prepared a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses for me that are capable of facial recognition and will transmit back to the van.
They’ll be able to identify all the criminals at the ball and some of the world’s most wanted will be present.
It will be great intel. Damon has also given me the tiniest earpiece so they can help instruct me if needed.
My tuxedo has inbuilt holsters for my firearms as well as a knife holder strapped around my calf.
My cufflinks have switch blades in them.
Damon has created some epic shit, now I just have to save the world, get the girl, and my night will be complete.
“You’re all set,” Damon states, walking over to where all of Grace’s gadgets are set.
“Wish they had this kind of stuff in my days,” Sergei says in Russian with a smirk, eyeing off the goods.
“I could have used some of this shit in Iraq,” Brooks adds.
“Wait, you understand Russian?” I still and look at Brooks.
He shrugs, giving me a wide grin. That motherfucker.
Grace arrived in Moscow as late as she could so as not to raise suspicion.
She’s getting dressed in my bedroom, and when the door opens and she walks out, she takes my breath away.
She’s a vision dressed in a gorgeous white evening gown.
I instantly imagine her in something similar walking down an aisle, her hair falling all around her face, looking like an angel.
Maybe the aisle is made of sand, the blue horizon behind us, or maybe we’re at my Tuscan estate, and she’s walking through the vines.
If we don’t survive tonight none of that is going to matter.
She’s nervous as she approaches me, her hand reaching out for me to be her anchor.
I drop to one knee, and Grace’s eyes widen as she’s not sure what’s going on.
The rest of the room disappears, and it feels like it’s just the two of us.
“The moment I met you, Grace, you turned my world upside down. I never thought I would find someone to love in this fucked-up world until you stepped into my life. As much as I hate what I have done over the years, I don’t hate it as much as I used to because it led me to you.
Everything that is wrong in this world led me to what is right—you.
I love you, Grace. No matter what happens tonight, I love you. Marry me!”
She throws her arms around my neck, knocking me over. “Oh, my god. Yes, yes, yes!” She laughs, hugging me and kissing me all over.
I help her up, not wanting to get her beautiful dress dirty. “I wasn’t prepared, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I don’t have a ring.”
“I don’t care. I just need you,” she tells me.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I do,” Damon says, handing me a red box.
I open it and see a stunning diamond ring. I look at him and back to the box.
“Sorry. It’s not real, it has a wire cutter in the band, so if you get tied up, you can easily escape rope, zip ties, or metal,” he explains.
That’s cool, but Grace deserves better.
“I promise I will get you a proper ring and propose in a better location when all this is over, Grace.”
She bites her bottom lip as I place the temporary ring on her finger.
I should be freaking out. Who the hell proposes to a woman this quickly? For the first time in my life, I’ve found something good. And like I told her, I’m never letting go of that.
Sergei claps me on the back and gives me a manly hug, then he welcomes Grace into our fucked-up family.
Brooks clears his throat. “Sorry to break up the happy moment, but we have things to do.”
“Right,” Damon says, grabbing a gunmetal grey suitcase and opening it up on the coffee table. He pulls out more jewels and Grace’s eyes widen with delight. “This is a diamond choker, inside is your microphone.”
I help her put the necklace on and kiss her bare shoulder, making her shiver.
“This is similar to the choker Dmitri made me wear,” Grace explains.
I freeze. “What?”
“When they sent us out on jobs, each girl had a jeweled necklace
to correspond with their name. I had diamonds, Zoe had a sapphire, and so on.
What I’m trying to say is, Dmitri will be happy seeing me in this, it will remind him of my place in the world.
” She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze, and I try to calm down.
“With this, he won’t suspect anything is wrong. ”
Even though I understand what she’s saying, it doesn’t mean I like it.
Damon hands Grace an earpiece. “We’ll be able to speak to you through this, and you can respond via your necklace,” he says, pulling out the next bit of kit. “Here are your contact lenses. They will let you see in the dark and also have a telescopic lens.”
“Oh wow, those are weird.” Grace gasps as she plays with her lens.
Damon then passes Grace a diamond tiara. “This has a camera and built-in facial recognition software that will feed back to us in the van.”
“Let me help you,” I say, stepping forward. I place the tiara on her head and position it. “My queen,” I whisper into her ear, and she shivers again. “You okay with all this?”
“It’s all very ... you know, what you would see in the movies. It doesn’t feel real.”
“If only it was a movie, I would have paused it by now.”
“There’s no way they can find out what I have on me?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Technology is so advanced nowadays; things are microscopic. They are also hard to detect with bug machines.”
“If they suspect anything you can take off the tiara or accidentally catch your necklace and break them. Easy way to get rid of any evidence,” Damon suggests.
She lets out a small sigh. “You make this look easy.”
“I’m as nervous as you and I have years of training under my belt.”
She gives me a worried look. “I just don’t want to let you down.”
“You could never let me down,” I tell her, kissing her forehead. “I know all this is scary. You don’t have to go through with it. We can go with plan B.”
“I didn’t think there was a plan B.”
“We can find one. It will be okay.”
“As long as I have Damon and Brooks as my eyes and ears and I have you by my side. With Sergei as backup. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
I kiss her lips again.
“Here, Grace.” Damon hands her a jeweled clutch. “You will feel
extra safe with the cool shit in here.” He pulls out a lipstick and opens it up. “This is a one-round gun. There’s only one bullet in here, so use it with caution.”
Grace smiles, putting the lipstick back in the bag, and her shoulders relax a fraction.
“This perfume is mace.” He gives it a quick shake before passing it to her. “Now, see this innocent credit card?” He waves it. “If you slide it open, it’s a lock-picking set.”
“Um, Damon, I don’t know how to pick a lock,” Grace informs him.
“Okay, that sucks. I can give you a quick demo before you go, it’s pretty easy.”
“Why do I need a lock-picking kit?”
“In case you’re captured,” Brooks says.
Grace’s mouth forms an O of understanding.
“Which won’t happen,” I try to reassure her.
“Here’s the last of the gadgets,” Damon says, giving Grace a diamond-encrusted watch. “Inside is a listening device and recorder with ten hours of space. We’ll monitor you from the van. Just press the button on the side to start it.”
“I think you’re all set,” Brooks says. “Damon will give Grace a quick lock-picking demo and then you’ll be good to go.”
“The limousine is ready for you downstairs,” Sergei tells us as Damon shows Grace how to pick a lock using my bedroom door.
I guess it’s go-time.
Damon and Brooks give Grace one last pep talk before she leaves. She nods and says her goodbyes.
I hold my hand out for her, and she takes it. I can feel the tiniest of tremors.
“I promise, Grace, nothing is going to happen to you,” I tell her as I bring her hands to my lips.
I hope I can keep that promise.