Semua Bab Love in the Line of Fire: Bab 81 - Bab 90

“This better be really fucking important,” Helene said as a form of greeting as her shadow walked in front of the flickering streetlight.Ilana looked around, spotting the four men she’d bought with her. But Ilana knew this place so she was at an advantage. They couldn’t attack her here and Helene knew that as well so her men maintained their distance.“Are you or are you not still working on the Meyer case?” Ilana asked, shifting her body just so, so that the dagger tucked in her waistband could easily be pulled out if need be.“Not. Now what do you want? It’s two in the morning for fuck’s sake.”“You told the person on the phone that you were taking care of it. What did that mean?”“Are you fucking serious? You woke me up at this ungodly, threatened me with that damned voice note, made me drive all this way just to ask me questions about a case that’s clearly gone cold due to your fuck ups?”“Helene, drop the act. I know you’re lying. Just tell me what you have planned out for Josep

Ilana pulled the door open, not looking up at him as she held her hand out for the laptop bag slinging from his shoulder.“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice groggy. From sleep, mind you. She immediately cleared her throat, not wanting to give him the wrong idea.“Not going to invite me in?” He asked, leaning against the doorframe.“Not really, no. You should head back and try to get some sleep while you still can,” she said dryly as she tried to snatch the bag from him. He easily sidestepped her, holding her wrist in a gentle grip.“Seriously, Cal?! Stop being childish,” she gritted out, finally looking up at him with narrowed eyes.“I’m sorry,” he said softly, his eyes softening.She sighed, her shoulders slumping. She stepped back, allowing him in.“You don’t have to be. I understand,” she said, busying herself with unzipping the bag and switching on the laptop to avoid having to look at him.The bed dipped as he sat next to her, close enough that she felt his scent overwhelm he

“Nathan?” Alice screeched through the phone and Ilana winched, the sound a little too high pitched for her ears.“Alice, dial down on the volume, will you?” She hissed, her head throbbing painfully.“What do you want with Nathan?” She asked, in a much quieter tone.A lady fluttered in front of them with two champagne glasses on a tray and offered it to them.Calix plucked one gracefully, muttering a quiet little thank you. Ilana followed his lead, albeit with a lot less grace as she drowned the liquid in one go.Calix began talking with the lady and Ilana took a step back, to allow herself a little privacy as she turned her attention back towards Alice.“I just want you to see if he’s there, okay? And be quiet about it.”“Okay. Everything’s okay, Lana?” She asked, a twinge of worry in her voice.“Ilana, she’d like to take your measurements now,” Calix said, next to her all of a sudden as he gave her a soft nudge.She nodded her approval, her phone still to her ear as she silently foll

Ilana turned towards the mirror once again and it took her a second to recognize the woman staring back at her.Mandy hadn't done much—just enough to erase the weariness from her face—yet somehow, she had made Ilana glow. Or maybe it was just the room’s lighting.“What do you think?” She asked, grinning up at her.She only nodded, at a loss for words. She hoped Mandy could read the wonder written all over her face. “You ready to show him now?” She asked, offering her hand to Ilana.Ilana placed her hand in Mandy’s and nodded again. She took slow steps, her heart too loud in her ears. Mandy pushed the curtain aside and Ilana held her breath, her eyes searching for Calix.There he was—seated on a couch, one leg casually crossed over the other, a half-full champagne glass balanced between his fingers. And perhaps her heart was loud enough for him to hear, because the moment the curtain shifted, he looked up—their eyes locking across the space between them.Ilana watched the immediate sh

“Okay,” Ilana whispered to herself, raking her fingers through her hair.“My bag - did I leave it in the car?” she asked, twisting to check the back seat.“Yeah, it’s here,” Calix said, reaching back and grabbing it for her.“You’ll have to bring it past the security for me,” she said.“Will do.”“Okay, err…I can mic you up. I’ll look around for Nathan while you talk to your dad. Keep him busy. And then once I manage to get Josephine out, you see if you can push him. Make him confess. Once we have the confession on tape, taking him down will be easy.”Calix nodded, a little frown on his face. “Okay, yeah. That sounds better.”Ilana nodded too, even though they both knew it wasn’t. The plan was full of holes. The last one - risky as it was - had been cleaner. But she swallowed whatever objections she might had.“I’ll call Ethan. He can get you in. If you walk in with me, it’ll just draw attention,” he said, already pulling his phone out.Ilana nodded.“Right,” she said. “Also - I’ll ne