Every now and then, she shifted. She wasn’t able to sit still for long and I assumed it was due to the excitement. We stopped at our main office building, and I recalled our first fight there after the wedding. “Mila,” I said, taking her hand before we got out. “I’m sorry we started out so rocky.”

Mila smiled, leaned over, and kissed my cheek. Her lips were warm and her touch tender. “It’s fine, Aleksandr. Let’s get working, okay?” Her voice was filled with compassion. I knew our bond had changed.

We got out and entered the building. It was one of the legal companies, a law firm. We also used it to run some of the subsidiary companies. It was doing well and worked to hide our other companies well.

Entering the elevator, I felt Mila’s grip on my arm tightening. She was battling to contain her excitement. Entering my code, we headed to the software and security level of the building.

Exciting the elevator, we headed past the guards and down a short corridor. There were two doors on either side. These lead to a security room, one on each side. Inside were monitors linked to cameras for all our operations. One of the others was a break room, and the last one held our operating systems.

At the end of the corridor were double glass doors. These led to the hacking room as Tasha called it. There used to be onlythree tables inside. One for each of the hackers. Tasha’s was the largest system, as she did most of the digging.

Knowing that Mila was also a hacker and that someday it would come to this. I had Tasha set up a system for her as well. Mila gasped as we stepped inside. Tasha jumped up from her computer and pulled Mila into a tight hug. “I’m ecstatic that you are joining us,” she huffed.

“So am I,” Mila responded as Tasha dragged her to her desk.

“This system is yours,” Tasha added, pulling out the chair.

Mila glanced at me, and I nodded. She sat down, started up the computer, and then looked at me. “Jason is the leader of the Galabia Family,” I said.

“We have tried hacking their data but haven’t gotten very far,” Tasha added.

Before we could say anything else, Mila was already slamming away at the keyboard. Tasha stood behind her, watching as Mila pulled a file here and another there. She pushed them over to Tasha’s computer with a swipe of her fingers.

Tasha took her seat, and I watched them as they typed, shared, and glanced at each other. Most of the information they came up with was things we knew. There were tidbits of new intel, but nothing groundbreaking.

It was amazing to watch Mila work. The more the system blocked her, the harder she fought. She was grinning, laughing, swearing, and slamming the table now and then. I could see she was in her own heaven as she worked.

Standing in the doorway watching her, I drifted off into a daydream. Mila and I were walking on the beach happy as canbe. I was ripped from my mind as Mila cursed and slammed the table hard.

Standing straight, I was about to ask her what happened when Tasha beat me to it. Tasha was standing behind Mila, watching her screen. They were having a conversation I didn’t understand. The language sounded alien to me as they shared dots, commas, and random letters.

Listening, I tried to understand. After a while, I realized Mila had hacked their system but couldn’t get in deeper. Tasha leaned over her shoulder, typing away. But after a bit, she stood back, pushing her hands through her hair. The look on her face told me that they couldn’t get in.

They shared a couple more ideas in their alien language. Watching them, I was glad that they were getting along. Their ideas and methods appeared to be working in sync. I hoped we would gain access with the two of them working as one.

My good mood didn’t last long, though. I partially understood what they were discussing as they glared at Mila’s monitor. They were talking of a manual hack or an override. I felt my heart rate increase as the direction of their idea sunk in. I didn’t like where it was heading.

“No,” I spat, stepping closer. “There is no way I am allowing either of you near that place. It’s too dangerous. We do not condone reckless behavior.”

Mila stood and came to stand before me. Taking my face in her soft hands, she spoke tenderly. “I know it sounds dangerous. This is the type of work I do, Aleksandr. You trust me, don’t you?”

“Mila,” I replied, wrapping my arms around her waist. “I cannot let you go into an unstable situation.”

“If you trust me, Aleksandr, you will let me do this. Allow me to prove my worth to you.” Her words were like knives stabbing into my heart. I was struggling to accept that this could be our only option.

I wanted to keep her safe but to do so, I had to eliminate the enemy. If I didn’t allow her to do this, not only would the enemy still be around. But it would also destroy our relationship.

Reluctantly, I nodded, pulling her into a tight hug. “Mila, you need to be careful,” I whispered over her shoulder.

“Tomorrow night,” she replied, moving back. “They will be attending a banquet, and the office will be left with minimal guards.”

“Okay, now let’s go home.”

Mila and Tasha hugged each other, and we headed out. The rest of the day we spent shopping, swimming, and getting to know each other some more.

Chapter 20 - Mila

After waking, I washed, had coffee, and then stood before my closet, unable to decide what to wear. It wasn’t like it was the first job I was preparing for. But it was the first one I did for Aleksandr. Biting my nails, I felt my stomach turning. My nerves were going haywire.