Page 73 of Being Bold
“I texted Yumi, but she’s probably asleep,” Selene commented without looking at him, breaking the tense silence that hovered between them as thick as humid air.
He only grunted in response.Is this how things would be now?When a scowl followed the thought, he pushed everything he felt aside. What mattered was keeping her safe.
Trying not to growl, he said, “You didn’t tell me where Dao wanted to meet.”
“Oh,” she spoke softly, her voice flat. “He gave me the location of a building, 1 Square Phillips.”
Bo nodded. “Then our first order of business is scoping the place. Find the weak points in its security and all the modes in and out.”
“Okay,” was her only response.
The elevator stopped on Victor’s floor. As the doors opened, he wanted to keep her from exiting. Pull her into his arms and tell her what his mind screamed at him.
I love you, dammit!
But it didn’t matter because their future didn’t involve being together. After the op was over, they’d go their separate ways. She could start somewhere new, be happy, and he would be . . . as fucked up as he’d always been.
Chapter 20
Selene
Is it physically possible for the heart to explode?
Selene’s beat so quickly that she feared it would. On top of that, her hands shook uncontrollably. She balled them into fists and tucked them in her coat pockets to hide the nerves and fear turning her into a hyper-sensitive mess.
The worst part? They hadn’t even entered the building yet.
How was she supposed to face Mr. Dao when she couldn’t stop trembling enough to step out of the van Duke had “borrowed” from a local florist shop? It was the cover TOP would use to access 1 Square Phillips and stick close to her.
If my heart doesn’t burst before I make it inside.
The residential building was the tallest in Montreal, with over sixty floors and seven hundred feet of height. They’d done some digging and found that Mr. Dao owned a penthouse on the sixty-first floor. Not that she had any intention of seeing it. Their meeting was happening in the lobby.
A tremor of fear shook her body, and she gulped in a breath. Maybe she could blame her shaking on the cold. The temperature was barely warmer here than it had been in Montana. Light snow dusted pavement, building tops, and cars everywhere she looked.
“Are you ready, Selene?” Victor’s question jarred her focus as someone placed a communications device in her ear.
She was afraid of what would come out of her mouth, so she only nodded. She blinked when Herc’s beefy arm filled her vision. He pinned a camera onto the fold of her wool beanie and advised her not to take it off or they’d lose visual.
“O-o-kay,” she stuttered, internally cursing herself.
Bo stepped in front of her and leaned in close. Lowering his voice, he asked, “You sure?”
The concern shimmering in his eyes and the strain on his face only made her feel worse. How was she supposed to keep it together when he looked at her like that? After rejecting her, she needed him to be cold, angry,somethingthat would make the inevitable separation easier.
If only she didn’t love him so much.
Breaking his gaze, she swallowed hard, then managed not to stutter on her answer. “Yes.”
Grateful when he didn’t say anything else, she blew out a breath and reminded herself this would be worth it. Soon, Mr. Dao wouldn’t be an issue anymore. She’d no longer have a threat to her life hanging over her head. She’d be safe and so would her parents. As much as she didn’t want to live in Santa Barbara, she was desperate to fly out there, see her mom and dad, and spend some time wallowing.
Until she got over Bo or figured out what to do with the rest of her life.
“It’s go time, people.”
Her breathing hitched at Victor’s declaration. She blinked rapidly as her vision blurred, but she caught movement as the van’s back doors swung open. Bright sunlight streamed in. Bo, Romeo, and Victor disappeared to take up their positions inside the building. Duke would be on aerial surveillance.
When her vision cleared, Herc waited on her. Dressed as a delivery driver and carrying an elaborate bouquet of multi-colored blooms, he would stick closest to her.
