Some lessons would be harder for Gina to learn than others. Nina wasn’t that naïve little girl from when they were children. That was her advantage. Gina would underestimate her, but Nina knew her better than anyone.
Nina nodded, and the few people in the restaurant stood. They were with her just in case Gina had decided to get all gangsta. She wasn’t stupid. Nina had become enemy number one, and if she hadn’t been, it'd only be a matter of time before Gina found out that she was the one responsible for the incident on the tarmac. Too bad, she wouldn’t get another chance like today to solve her problems.
The voice of my bodyguard, Jonah Masters, brought me back to the present. “Ms. Lee-Xiou where to now?”
“Back to the hotel. We’ll wait there until it’s time to execute our plans.”
Chapter 2
Several hours later, Jonah entered Nina’s hotel suite. “The van’s downstairs and everyone is in place.”
“Good. I’m ready.”
“Are you sure you want to go? We can handle tonight on our own and call you when it’s over.”
“No. I need to be there for this.”
Jonah couldn’t disagree more. As hard as Nina tried, he wasn’t sure if she had the stomach for what was about to go down.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Nina nodded. “Of course.”
“Why? Why do you need to do this?”
Her smirk gave none of her thoughts away. “You have no idea how loaded a question that is.”
Jonah couldn’t imagine having the kind of relationship Nina had with her sister with any of his family members. He scratched an old scar above his eyebrow with his thumb. “Not that it matters, but I’m just curious, what happened between you and your sister to cause your feelings for her to be akin to hate?”
Nina went to her closet and pulled out a black raincoat. “It’s hard to explain. I’m not sure that anyone who didn’t grow up in the Chang household could fully understand.”
Jonah wouldn’t let it go. “Help me to understand. You were gone for fifteen years; you were free of your family. Why come back?”
Over the past few months, Nina had become very close to Jonah, and if he weren’t working for her maybe she would act on her attraction. He wasn’t very tall, less than six-feet, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on this man. She was a sucker for the dark and brooding type. Jonah fit the description to a T. The black hair, scruffy beard, and hooded eyes were all instant turn-ons. But, for now, Nina could only focus on her goal.
Jonah took the jacket and held it open, while she put her arms through the sleeves. “It’s complicated.”
He tried to get answers, but it was evident Nina didn’t want to give them. For now, he’d leave it alone. Maybe after some time, when she trusted him more, Nina would explain this all to him. In the meantime, Jonah would do what he was paid to do. At the moment when he didn’t think Nina was going to elaborate, she did.
“All I can tell you is that Gina always thought she was the smartest person in the room and that I was a little idiot. It drove me crazy. Honestly, I don’t know when I started to loathe her. To some degree, I think a part of me always did. In an even more twisted way, she was my mother and father’s favorite child. I resented it and her. I always knew there would be a day that I would resume my life as Nina. I just needed to bide my time and now that day is here.”
“You are twins. I thought twins had a special kind of bond.”
Nina laughed out loud. “Most probably do, but she and I do not. Because of Chang’s profession and shady dealings, the only person I was able to spend time with was Gina and my cousin, Joseph. I had no choice but to try and get along with her. I tell you, I hated every minute. But, I dealt with my life as a Lee-Xiou for as long as I had to and not one moment longer. The day after I graduated high school, I hopped on a plane to the United States and got as far away from my family as I could.”
“Why? Were they really that bad?”
“My life at Xiou Manor was unbearable.” Frustrated, Nina pushed a strand of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear. “I’ve told you that before. You know that. And, considering you’ve been planning this coup with me for a while, it’s surprising that you’re still asking that question.”
“Good point. I can understand your feelings for Chang. He has a lot of blood on his hands, but Gina?”
Nina arched an eyebrow as she pierced him with a hard glare. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s the spitting image of Chang. I hope you can see that.”
“Yes, I know she’s been known to be cutthroat too.” Jonah waffled his head from side to side. “But, it seems to me that
