Page 60 of Until Death or Defeat

“I trust you, not your family. Any of them.”

“Well I don’t trust yours either, so we’re even.”

“Goddammit Giselle, just stay out of fucking trouble.”

I stop what I’m doing, angrily holding the phone in front of me. “You’re the only trouble in my life. Caesar and trouble don’t really go in the same sentence. Plus, I do whatever I want, you’re not myboss.”

I hear him scoff and I clench my jaw, his voice coming out low and dangerous, “You just like to get under my skin, yeah?”

“It isn’t my fault you get upset easily, maybe you should learn how to handle your emotions.”

“You think this is about me being upset? I manage powerful men every fucking day, yet here I am losing my shit over my wife acting like a teenager,” he says and then pauses to take a breath. “Don’t make me come there and make a show out of your disobedience,solnishko.”

“You wouldn’t,” I seethe.

“Just fucking come back when you’re done. No stops along the way.”

I hang up and toss my phone on my bed. Asshole. He doesn’t even think I’m capable of keeping myself out of trouble? I’m not some little damsel he has to coddle and save constantly. I can make my own fucking decisions and form my own opinions.

I finish with the box I packed and take it back downstairs, where Leo and Caesar are talking and laughing.

“All done?” Caesar asks and I nod.

“Let’s do this again, Gigi. How about tomorrow night you come by my new lounge?”

“Lounge?” I ask, setting the heavy box down.

“Yeah, little business venture. Caesar is thinking of investing so he’s coming too, but either way it’s just to enjoy. Food and drinks galore,” he adds with a smile.

I think I might have judged too harshly. It makes me feel lighter inside knowing Leo wants to reconnect. I tend to think the worst and jump to conclusions and I never let anyone explain themselves...so maybe this is an opportunity for me to learn to be more open? I take a deep breath, and smile.

“Alright, alright, I’m in.”

“Your husband is free to join as well,” he adds.

“I doubt it, but I’ll be there.”

14

Artem

“Ican’t believe you’re going,” I hear Max say in the next room over with Giselle after I hear heels coming down the stairs.

This woman is going to put me in an early grave. I walk myself over to the foyer and lay my eyes on her. Not only is she going after I told her how bad of an idea it is, but she’s going dressed likethat.

“Why? It’s my family,” she says to him casually. As if her fucking cousin and uncle weren’t cast out of her family, but she won’t believe that for some reason.

When I approach her in the foyer, her head turns to me but she looks back down at her purse again to seem busy.

“I’m going,” she huffs, not looking at me directly.

“I know,” I say gently. I step closer, moving my hand to her neck to slide her necklace clasp to the back, feeling a shiver run down her at my touch. “I’ll go grab the keys then.”

She immediately grabs my arm. “What? You said you weren’t coming.”

“Yeah, well I’ve changed my mind,” I say as she releases my arm, and I can’t tell if she’s mad or relieved.

“You think he’d miss an opportunity to piss and mark his territory? After the last time he and Leo—” Max starts before I put my hand up to stop him from talking and she turns to me furrowing her brows.