Nina’s face turned stone cold. “Interesting . . . does she have you under her spell already or did you forget about the text she sent me?”
Jonah couldn’t help but think Nina started this war with her sister. She came after Gina. It wasn’t the other way around, so his initial thought still stood, but he kept it to himself. Instead, Jonah responded. “No. Of course not. I’m on your side. Again, I’m just trying to understand your motivation, and how you two came to this place in your relationship. I still don’t get what made you want to take her down like you do.”
Nina hoped that Jonah was as loyal as he seemed. Unfortunately, one never knew someone else’s reasons for doing anything. Given the circumstances, her suspicions were heightened. Her eyes narrowed. “Know this; Gina will do whatever to whomever if it means getting what she wants. She studied our father like a book and would do anything for his approval. She always followed his instructions down to the letter. If he said ‘jump,’ Gina said ‘how high?’ She never challenged him, and she was probably the only one who could.”
“I thought you said she pretended to be you for a little while so that you could figure out how to disappear and live your life away from the madness.”
“Yes, she came to the States, but it wasn’t to help me. She had no idea what I was planning. She arrived in Chicago because Chang told her to. The only way I could get rid of her, so that I could disappear, was to lie and tell her that I was pregnant. I knew she would want to fix the situation so she wouldn’t have to choose between Chang and me. My lie was supposed to buy me some time. Unfortunately, the lie became a reality.”
“You mean you weren’t pregnant by Luciano Manchetti when she came to the States?”
“No. I faked it. He was a good guy and I liked him, but no I wasn’t pregnant. I thought his family had enough money and connections to protect us. I quickly learned they weren’t ruthless enough to keep him or me safe from Chang, so I did what I had to do with the help of Joseph. Understand this, for as much as Gina claimed to hate our father; her loyalty was always to him. I can’t even begin to explain how much she wanted to be like him. In her own perverse way, she’s still trying to be like him and because of that, I could never trust her. I knew someday it would come down to me versus her.”
“What about your daughter?”
Nina shrugged. “What about her?”
“Do you ever think of her or have the desire to find her?”
“No. When I closed that door, I kept it closed. I’ll only reopen it if Gina forces my hand.”
Nina gave off the perfect picture of calm, but her eyes drifted off into some unknown place. During that unguarded moment, Jonah could tell there was much more to the story than what Nina had just said to him.
Her faraway gaze came back to rest upon his face. Jonah stared at her wondering if he was wrong. Maybe she did have the stomach for this life after all. “We should get going. Our window of opportunity is small, and the guys are probably getting antsy.”
“Then, let’s go. Let’s get this done.”
Chapter 3
Gina Lee-Xiou
I stepped into Brody’s hospital room almost twenty-four hours ago to the sounds of beeps, chirps, and machines working overtime trying to keep him alive.
He was still holding on. I watched like a hawk as a nurse entered his room and wrote some things down on a chart. I didn’t take my eyes off of her until she’d finished updating her information and left.
Brody’s chest was bare from the waist up except for the bandages covering his wound. How was it possible that I’d only recently ran my hands all over his body and placed hungry kisses everywhere including a chest that would have made Adonis jealous. I’d even put my lips on the area that was now covered with bandages.
I closed my eyes as I remembered the husky smell and feel of him. I was quickly transported back to when we had lain in bed and explored every inch of each other. Brody’s kisses were so potent that the mere thought of them evoked a reality that didn’t exist in the here and now. Powerful—no, explosive—was the only word I could use to describe it. No man had ever come close to sending me on a high that I’d had with Brody.
My memories were more vivid than they had a right to be at this moment. I was afraid to admit that we connected on a deeper level than just physically, and it became more and more difficult as I realized it was possible Brody might never wake up.
The invisible strings that drew us together were so strong and immediate that I had to ask myself if it were possible to have imagined the entire thing. Subconsciously, I wondered if I was creating something in my mind that didn’t truly exist.
If there was such a thing as bliss, I touched it even if only briefly. There wasn’t a wattage invented to measure the energy between us.
I closed my eyes as I remembered how my body burned every time his lips crashed down upon mine or came into contact with any part of my flesh. I hoped that he felt the same way when my lips tasted his naked skin or when my
