Unbroken (Fighting for Gisele #3) Read Online Free

a pillow to her chest. She gazed out the window, not really interested in the city below. Tears welled in her eyes as she fought the disappointment of it all.
    No one was what they’d seemed. They were all using her, each to suit their own purpose. Yuri had raised her, but he didn’t love her. Gisele was a means to a greedy end for him. And Alek had taken care of her since she’d moved to Vegas, and even before, when they were growing up. He was her big brother, but now she couldn’t trust him.
    If only Gisele could talk to her father; that would make so much difference. She felt the loss in a big way, as her father was the only person who had truly cared about her after her mother had died.
    She had many unanswered questions, despite her father’s letter. It had been intended to resolve issues for her, but was sorely lacking. His kind words provided the merest of explanation for events that impacted her life in a significant way.
    Gisele daydreamed about asking him to tell her the whole story and enlighten her on the details of what had happened. Yet that was not to be, so she was on her own. Her father had faith in her, enough to entrust her with such a rare item.
    He had known Gisele would be a target once she had access to the valuable gem. For that reason, her father had retained a reliable law firm and secured the item in a Swiss bank. He had set that up knowing that when the time came she’d need as much protection as she could get.
    The happy occasion of Gisele’s birthday had morphed into a much darker turning point in her life. For so long, she’d looked forward to that day as the shining moment of her emancipation. Instead, the day signified a twist of fate that had plunged her into mortal fear.
    Gisele buried her face in the pillow, wishing she could slide into some other universe, one where there weren’t bad guys or life-threatening situations. She tossed the pillow away. That was a childish thought. If she intended to survive the foreseeable future, she’d have to get much tougher than that.
    Gisele’s only comfort was in knowing she wasn’t alone. Although she had regretted dragging Micah into her problems, she didn’t any longer. He made it clear that he wouldn’t abandon her, and to be honest, she needed him.
    Micah was the one person that she could rely on, the only sincere person involved in this mess. That meant so much to her. She had to be brave and see this through. Since Micah had pledged his loyalty and assured her that he would think of a plan, she must do her part.
    And she would. Gisele stood up with new conviction. Tomorrow morning would be a challenge, but she was up to the task. She’d steel herself to be strong, to do what was required, and to buy the time that she desperately needed.
    *****
    The next morning, Gisele stood in her closet deciding what to wear. She strained her mind to think of what she would have chosen before knowing about her inheritance. But the knowledge she had gained hadn’t been forgotten.
    Gisele wanted to present herself the way Alek expected her to, but she wasn’t certain what that was. Thumbing through a few dresses, she pondered what outfit to go with. If she was too dressy, that might seem off. But if she was too casual, then Alek might think she didn’t care, or was trying too hard to make it seem that she didn’t care.
    Finally, she chose a summer dress. It was scorching hot outside, and no sane woman would wear anything more formal in the heat of the day. To heck with it; the only way to proceed as usual was to wear what she wanted to. That was what she had done other times, so overthinking her clothing choice was bound to lead to a poor result.
    Gisele finished her makeup and hair, then looked in the mirror to mentally prepare for her performance. She looked casual, but stiff, so she took some deep breaths. There was no way that Alek knew she’d been to the bank the day before. That was impossible, so she had no reason for concern.
    All she