Epilogue
Lila’s stomach clenched as she sat in the interview room. She was at a federal prison, waiting to talk to her father. He was still not cooperating with the government, and he said that he would as soon as he could talk to Lila.
Behind her stood Ian. The government wasn’t thrilled with that, but she had made it a requirement.
He wasn’t allowed to say anything, but he was there for her.
She looked down at her hands in her lap where her engagement ring sparkled.
Ian had it designed for her. A round ruby, her birthstone, set in white gold.
Ian’s birthstones, diamond, surrounded the ruby.
She still couldn’t believe they were planning a wedding and a life together.
The door creaked open pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up to see her father shuffle in. He was in hand and leg cuffs. It had been three months, but he looked like he’d aged ten years.
Good.
In these last few months, she had been able to trace Viktor Romanov’s movements through the years. It had been a legend he had created years earlier for someone else. Someone she was sure was dead by now.
He settled in the chair across the table from her. He looked from her to Ian, then back to her.
“Afraid to come on your own?”
“You have exactly five minutes.”
She had spent some time preparing for this with Miko. The woman was good at getting into people’s heads, and Lila had wanted to know just how to handle her father. He had wanted this meeting, and Lila had been sure that it was a ploy.
“You’re looking better.”
“I know. Seems that since I don’t have to hide out anymore, I get regular sleep. Knowing that there isn’t anyone after me has that affect.”
Then he said nothing, so she shrugged and moved to get up.
“Wait!”
“Why should I?”
He glanced at her hand, then at Ian. Even without looking, Lila knew Ian was giving her father no expression. If he made one move toward her though, Ian would beat the crap out of him.
“I see that you’re engaged.”
She said nothing.
“Sit down.”
“The days that I do as you order are well over. It ended the day you tried to kill me.”
He sighed as if completely put out. She’s the one who flew halfway around the world for this stupid meeting.
“Please.”
She hesitated, then sat in the chair.
“Can you tell me why you came finally?”
“I’m here meeting with The Company. They want to apologize. I also need to explain to them that you would not have killed my mother and brother.”
His expression eased. “You do?”
So easy. Miko had been right. Give him some hope, then punch him in the ego.
“Yes. They seemed to think that you wanted to confess to me, but I explained that you wouldn’t do that.”
“Exactly.”
“Everyone knows that Mom was the smarter one. You could have never been able to plan something like that.”
It was his turn to hesitate. “You think your mother was smarter?”
She nodded and leaned forward. “I mean, I saw the IQ tests. She was way higher than you. So, you know, you would have never been able to get one over on her.”
Lila sat back and smiled at him.
“You think I would never be able to plan something like that?”
“Oh, you would be able to.” She chuckled. “But like I was telling Mitchell Young—you remember him, don’t you?”
“Yes.” He bit off the word. And she knew her father would remember one of the men he had trained years ago. He was now the deputy director at the CIA.
“He has done so well for himself, you know? I mean, who would have thought he would rise up as far as he has, but he’s convinced that would have never happened if Mom had still been alive and working for The Company.” She let her smile dim a little.
“What did you tell Mitchell?”
“What? Oh, yes, sorry. Anyway, we were talking and he mentioned that they were still trying to get you to confess, and I explained that you were smart enough to plan a devious plan. I mean, you were smart enough to find me, right? Mitchell pointed out that you did hunt me down for a reason, and I told him it’s because you’re insane. ”
“What?”
“You’re insane, and not as smart as Mom, so there’s no way that you would have been able to pull off a plan to steal billions in crypto and kill all of us. I mean, it would mean that you were a genius.”
“You think I’m too stupid to pull off a plan like that?”
She gave him what she hoped was a patronizing smile. “You are smart, but, you know,” she leaned closer again, “not that smart.”
“You stupid little bitch,” he muttered.
She felt a shift in the air behind her, and she knew Ian was ready to fly over the table at her father.
She shook her head, telling him that she had this.
They had circumstantial evidence against her father, but a confession would make things so much easier.
She needed to do this for her mother and Adam.
“You think your mother was so smart?” He snorted. “She never suspected a thing. I planned it all right there at the house,” he shouted, spittle flying from his mouth, falling onto the scarred table. “Pushing that button, watching the house go up, was one of the most satisfying moments of my life.”
His yell echoed in the small, dank room. Pain almost shattered her heart. Her mother and brother, along with Agent Hiller had deserved better than that. She would deal with that later, but right now, she smiled, looked up to the corner where the camera sat.
“I think that’s enough to convict, right?”
Her father followed her line of sight.
“That’s entrapment.”
She laughed. “You did see the sign right before you walked into the room, right? It says that all interactions will be recorded unless you are with your legal representative.”
His eyes bugged out and she saw the intent before he did it, but she didn’t react. She didn’t have to. As her father tried to launch himself across the table, Ian moved. He punched her father in the nose, breaking it as she had months earlier.
The guards rushed forward to pull him back away from her. She stood, looked at Ian, then smiled. “Ready?”
His blue gaze burned with emotion. It had taken a lot for him to hold back all that time. “Yes.”
“Goodbye, Father.”
“I have connections. You will never be safe.”
She chuckled. “I think you need to worry more about that than I do. Word on the street was there is one very angry oligarch who realizes you’re the one who stole his money. Have fun with that.”
When they finally stepped out of the prison fifteen minutes later, she drew in a deep breath of fresh air. Her stomach was still jittery and her head and heart hurt, but not as much.
“Are you alright, love?”
She looked at the man who had saved her, never hesitated to move heaven and earth to save her.
He had been supportive of every one of her decisions, even when she decided to work for Devon Stryker instead of Dillon Security.
He had grumbled, but he understood that she would still be working with Dillon, just through Devon.
“Not completely, but I’m getting there.”
He offered her a small smile as he lifted their joined hands to kiss her fingers. “Let’s go. You’ll have to be debriefed.”
She nodded and followed him to the car. He opened the door to the rental, but she stopped beside him. Lifting her hand, she cupped his face.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
How could she voice exactly what he did for her? He had saved her beyond just keeping her alive. He made her want to live, to hope for a future with him. And he had even adopted a dog, a big, goofy golden retriever mix named Teddy.
“Everything, but mainly for controlling your temper while we were in the prison interview room.”
“I would do anything for you.”
She knew that. He moved his head so he could kiss her palm. The moment was something she would remember for the rest of her life. This acceptance. He never told her not to be anything but herself.
“Let’s get going,” he said, waiting for her to slip into the car.
He shut her door, then hurried around the car to take his place in the driver’s seat. He started up the car, and she realized there was something he never pushed her on. And she was ready to share it with him, finally able to talk about it.
“I would like to tell you about my mother and brother.”
He paused and looked at her. His blue eyes blazed with intent. “I would like that. A lot.”
She smiled as he held his hand out. As always, these days, she slipped her hand into his. With him, she could face anything, even the pain of losing her mother and Adam. Together, she knew they could face anything.
Before You Go…