There was a surreal moment of clarity when she looked into my eyes. She stilled. I took the remote out of my pocket and pressed it.
First, a small fire started under the hood of the car. I saw the moment realization hit her. It was hard watching her beat against the windows trying to get out as I stood there. It didn’t take long before the front was engulfed with smoke—then fire.
I’d never forget her screams as I walked away.
Chapter 25
Brody sat down at his desk in his home office reviewing paperwork. It had taken him awhile to get back into the swing of things after he’d come home from Guilin. His CEO’s had done a great job managing his businesses while he’d been away.
Guilin. It didn’t take much for his mind to wander into Gina Lee-Xiou territory. That woman had taken his breath away the moment he set eyes on her. He’d wondered over and over again if walking away was a mistake. In the end, Brody knew he’d done the right thing. A relationship required trust and honesty. The bottom line—he wouldn’t accept anything less. Granted, most people lied all the time. He wasn’t exempt from telling a few himself. Little white lies like this chicken is great when it was dry or lacked flavor. A small smile appeared on his face at the thought of seeing Gina in a kitchen . . . cooking. He’d never have to worry about that.
He could accept someone saying, yes, I love whatever and hate it. His lips edged up a little wider thinking about Gina and how brutally honest she could be in areas where most folks would tell one of those little lies. However, those kinds of untruths weren’t the problem. Thinking about her was. One thought always led to another, and his mind would drift off into imagining that little dimple on the left side of her cheek. Or the way her breath would catch right before she was about to explode when they made love. Brody’s thoughts were taking him into dangerous territory. He shook his head to clear his mind.
At the end of the day, nothing with her would have ever been easy, and he hadn’t expected it to. If easy was what he wanted Brody would have been married by now. Part of Gina’s allure was that he was sure of two things, life would have been exciting and a daily adventure.
She was complicated, both hard and soft at the same time. The soft part, she kept hidden, and only a few people ever caught a glimpse of it. Brody knew Gina had more of a capacity to love than she gave herself credit for. He just wished she understood that she was enough, flaws and all. Maybe if she had, she wouldn’t keep the people that she loved at such a distance. She would trust them with her heart.
One thing was for sure; Gina would never achieve her wants and needs within the confines of the Family Council. Power and control wouldn’t fill that emptiness she had inside. He hoped for her sake that she figured out that the unknown could be an exciting place to be and that she couldn’t manipulate everything around her. Brody knew feeling safe was a big motivator in why it was so important for her to run the organization. Gina equated power and control with security.
She would be good at it that’s for sure. But, in all honesty, they probably needed her more than she needed them. Only, Gina didn’t know that.
If she knew how special she was, maybe the people who loved her the most would be allowed within those walls that were erected to keep them out. There was no way Brody could convince her. It was something Gina would have to realize on her own.
Brody ran his hand down the back of his head and neck. He needed to focus on what was in front of him, not Gina. That was over.
An alert popped up on his laptop screen. Brody’s hand hovered over his mousepad. Did he want the details? Curiosity forced him to click on the headline. The article opened and took over his entire screen.
Nina Lee-Xiou Manchetti aka Infamous Socialite Jules Ming-Sherman dies in a fiery blaze.
He wasn’t shocked in the least.
“Mr. Windham?”
Brody dragged his eyes away from the article. “Hmmm . . . Yes, Anita?”
She was a little out of breath as she rushed from the kitchen to his office. Her hands were still wet from washing dishes. She stood in the doorway drying them with a towel but wanted to tell Brody in person. “Security called. Ms. Lee-Xiou is at the gate. Should I have them let her in?”
His head snapped back in surprise. “She’s here?”
Anita didn’t even try to disguise her happiness. She smiled wide and lifted her hands to the heavens. “Yes, and thank god! Maybe you can fix whatever’s wrong and stop all this moping.”
Brody stood up from his chair. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re much too blunt?”
“Is that a yes or a no, Mr. Windham?” Anita had known the answer before she asked the question.
As hard as he tried, he couldn’t
