Page 20 of Emerald

“Maybe, but then again, if it hadn’t happened you would never have met Grace,” I explain to him.

“And I would never change that for the world but it’s not fair on you,” he says.

“Max, I gave up on my old life a long time ago. You’re not the only one with a second chance here. I won’t be able to be a ballerina, but I don’t have to be Emerald or Persephone anymore unless I need to be,” I explain to him.

“What are you going to do now? You’re still at the agency,” he asks.

“My job with the agency has changed. I’ve been tasked with finding the rest of the jewels. Because I’m supposed to be dead, I can’t go back into the Russian circles, certain people know my face. Even with this blonde hair, they may realize it’s me. I’m supposed to be dead, and if Dimitri saw me, he would know,” I tell him.

My brother nods. “What about Anna? You’re not going to give up on finding her. We must find her for Sergei.”

“That’s what I’m working on. The agency won’t give me any details and when I ask questions, they tell me to move on. I don’t know where she is, but what I do believe is she is deep undercover. Maybe so deep she can’t get out. We’ve hit five years since we disappeared, that’s a long time to be undercover, to be someone you’re not. It will begin to seep into your bones, and you don’t know where the real you and the new you begin.”

Maxim gives me a sad look and I know he still blames himself for how my life turned out. I can’t change it. It is what it is, I need to live with it now.

“I’ll find her, Max, and bring her home, for Sergei,” I promise him.

His brows pull together. “What happens if she doesn’t want to be found.”

“I don’t know, but I must try.”

Max looks over at Sergei and Grace dancing together and I know he feels that same pang of guilt that I do, that we are here alive, and Anna isn’t. That man deserves to have his daughter back.

“I’ll support you. Whatever you need I’ll have your back. Anything for that man,” he tells me firmly.

“You have Grace to think about now, Max. I’ve got this.”

Maxim’s eyes narrow on me. “I can’t let you go by yourself. You’ll need backup.”

This has me chuckling. “Max, you seem to have forgotten who I am. You can’t try to pull that big brother overprotective bullshit with me. Please, I’ve killed more people than you have.”

“Doubt it,” he adds quickly.

I raise a brow at him. “We are going to fight at your wedding about how many people each of us have killed?”

Max looks over my shoulder at the guests and Grace’s family before bringing his attention back to me. “You’re right. Your reputation does proceed you. Just because I know what you cando, doesn’t mean as your big brother I still don’t worry about you.”

Aw, that’s so sweet.

“Max, they trained me to be the best. I am the best. I promise I will be careful. But don’t get in my way,” I warn him.

He rolls his eyes at me, and I know it’s killing him not to overstep. “I promise I won’t,” he says with a grin.

The party continues long into the night, but I’ve had enough peopling for one night. I’m used to being by myself for large amounts of time and moving in with the Clark family has taken a bit of time to get used to being around so many people all the time.

Giggles come from the darkness and my body’s instantly on high alert as I’m not expecting it. Slipping into the shadows, I tread carefully so as not to alert them. When I peek around the corner, I realize what I’ve stumbled into. My eyes widen, and a smile falls across my face as I spot Mackenzie and Damon making out drunkenly. My girl deserves some loving, so I slip away, not disturbing the two of them. Internally, I high five her as I continue to my cabin.

As soon as I enter my cabin, I kick off my heels and peel off my dress before stepping into the shower. It’s the first time in a long time that I feel like my old self. Where I don’t have a target or need to look around the room and clock all the exits.I still do, hard habit to stop.There is no sleazy man I have to try to seduce. I was able to drink alcohol and relax, which is such a strange feeling after all these years of being always on, to switch off for one night,is relaxing.

Once I’ve freshened up, I head to bed, stare up at the ceiling, and wonder what the hell is in store for my life this year. I can’t even fathom where I will be this time next year or in five years. What I do know is, for the first time in forever, I feel like thereis a chance that Ellie Clark might eventually be able to live a normal life again, one day soon.

The next morningI’m woken up by a beeping sound. What the hell is that? It continues to beep until I still and realize it’s my work beeper. Groaning, knowing it will keep beeping until I turn it off, my stomach sinks as it means I need to check my encrypted emails. I walk over to my agency laptop and open it, punch in my agent code, and wait for it to connect to the secure server. I make myself a coffee as it connects, and when I sit back down after the first sip of coffee, I know I’m able to face whatever it is on that computer.

I stare down at the screen and there is information about two of the jewels from a close source at the agency who is helping me find Anna.

Pearl – Located in Tulum, Mexico.

She was bought in Morocco by the Libyan dictator Ahmed Salem to join his harem of playthings. She was then won in a card game by Pedro Dominguez, the current leader of the Yucatán Cartel. She was then given to his son, Domingo, as a twenty-first birthday present.

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