Page 62 of One Last Stand

Her mother made a face, something genuine in her eyes. “I would just like to have you close.”

Oh. She came back to the sofa, sat. “I miss you too.”

Her mother touched her hand. “We have drama because we are so much alike. We’re both trying to change the world, just in our own way.”

“I’m done trying to change the world, Mother. It’s a bad place with bad people, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

She gave her mother’s hand a squeeze, started to pull away, but her mother grabbed it. “I know Ruslan’s death still haunts you. That his betrayal still wounds you. That you feel to blame?—”

“I was eighteen years old, naïve and stupid.”

“You were in love.”

Her mouth tightened. “Yeah, well, he used me and someone died, so?—”

“You couldn’t have known he was KGB.”

She looked away. “Okay, so yes, I might have trust issues.” She looked at her mother. “But not Shep. He would never betray me.”

“If you don’t trust him, he’ll never have the chance.”

She blinked a moment, then. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“When did you tell him you were a Black Swan?”

Oh.“Yesterday.”

“And yet you spent a year with him. I think you love him, London, because the truth is we can only be betrayed if our heart is involved. And you don’t give away your heart without giving away pieces of yourself . . . which means letting him inside to the real you.”

London stared at her. “He knows the real me.”

“Okay.” Her mother held up her hands. “I believe you.”

Oh, Mother. For a diplomat, she sure knew how to stir up conflict. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to be happy. To find a man who sets your heart on fire. With whom every day is a new adventure. And who makes you feel adored. Like a princess.”

“Enough with the princess—that was . . . I was achild.”

“Of course. And now you are a Black Swan. My worry isn’t that Shep will betray you, but . . .”

A beat.

“What?”

“I’m worried that you will betray him.”

London’s mouth opened. “Seriously?”

“Yes. Because—well, because you’re a Black Swan.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you’re . . . impulsive, and . . . well, you yearn for impact, a life out of the ordinary.”

What—had her mother and Ziggy had a coaching call?

“And who taught me that, Madam Ambassador?”

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