Page 25 of Nikolai
It was essentially a matter of money.A normal meal atIl Terrazzonewas apparently €200 a head and they were having a spectacular meal, so it was entirely possible Nikolai Garin was going to drop at least €500 tonight.
Garin could afford it.He could afford ten, a hundred times that, easily.He was part-owner of Black Inc., which everyone knew was a money machine and, apparently, he was also part-owner of another security company, the one that was tasked with working for the Consulate.He was drowning in cash.George wasn’t drowning, but he was slowly coming up in the world.
But even with money, Parker Donovan wouldn’t go out with him, look at him with soft eyes the way she was looking at Garin.The man who might drag George down.
George was in the cafè part ofIl Terrazzone, where you could have a drink and a fewantipastifor under €50.Above all, the cafè portion was hidden behind huge potted plants, so George could watch Garin and Parker without them noticing him.
They were at the best table in the restaurant, with the best view over the bay.Parker looked happy and relaxed, as if she belonged in the restaurant.Of course she did.
Rich background.Polished education—a PhD in Classical Studies, for fuck’s sake.Author of a bestselling book and a successful Netflix documentary.Walking proof of everything George wasn’t.
Once again, George was on the outside looking in.Always outside—all his life, looking through windows at people with better clothes, better blood, better luck.
But things had changed.He’d made sure of that.He had his app.His buyers of intel.His income had doubled, tripled and would triple again.He could afford good suits now.Good watches.He was rising, seizing the life others had denied him.
So why did he feel so damned small, watching Garin sit exactly where George had imagined himself—at Parker’s side, while she glowed in candlelight?
Still, he was the one with the app, wasn’t he?He was the one who could spy on the Consul.
And no one knew about his app.
It was well hidden.It would take someone like Garin to find it, and even then, there was nothing that tied his cell to the Consul’s cell.
George had thought about removing the app while the security consultant was here, but that would require him actually having Munro’s cell in his hands for about ten minutes.That would be more dangerous than the unlikely event of someone stumbling across his app.
George had put in a bid for the Dubai Embassy as his next posting.Now that was something to look forward to.Access to the cell of the Ambassador to Dubai was golden.
Garin said something, and Parker leaned forward to hear him better.
Garin sat as if the place belonged to him, his posture almost military.George had done his homework and Garin had been in the military almost twelve years.A fucking navy SEAL.Medals up the wazoo.
He was not Parker’s type.Women like her preferred polished types but that wasn’t Garin.Still, he had a powerful presence, and it pulled her in.Or maybe the money?Though she had plenty of her own.What the fuck?
It made him sick.
Parker had refused him over and over.He’d asked politely, discreetly.Drinks.Dinner.A simple walk along Via Caracciolo.She always smiled, but responded with something clipped in her tone.I’m busy, George.Another time, George.
Even if it was clear another time would never come.And here she was, out to dinner with a man she’d met this afternoon, leaning forward to hear whatever Garin had to say in his low, deep voice.
Watching them burned in his gut.Because this wasn’t only professional now.Keeping his secret safe from the security pro.The security pro had everything George wanted—authority, respect, power and money.
And now Parker.
Garin leaned forward, said something.Parker laughed.She was so beautiful when she laughed.Their glasses touched lightly.A toast, their eyes holding just a moment too long.George looked away sharply, his throat raw with rage.
Garin looked around the restaurant casually, but he did that often.Keeping an eye on the terrain.George moved his head fully behind the huge leaves of the big plant next to his chair, so he was hidden from view.
But he’d seen enough.He called for the bill because there was one more thing to do tonight.
ChapterFive
Parker didn’t want the evening to end.Lots of times on dinner dates she nearly cracked her jaw suppressing yawns and had to stop herself from checking the time constantly.
Not now.
The evening flew by, easy and fun and exciting.Nick was really easy to talk to.So easy she never felt the time passing.Everything seemed to be enhanced—the food amazing, the wine exquisite, the gentle breeze off the sea a warm caress on her skin.
And the biggie, of course.Sexual attraction.Wild sexual attraction, by the time the evening was over.Every time Nick touched her, heat bloomed under her skin.She was probably stoplight red, though maybe that could be attributed to the wine and the spicy food.
