“Then we will find another way to retrieve the keys. Leave it with me.”
She nods, gratitude in her smile, and as she settles back beside me, I reach for my phone.
It’s me. Is the dove in the cage yet?
I press send,wondering if contacting my brother Joseph mid mission is allowed. We never do in case our phones are tapped, and yet this is too important to let slide.
His response is immediate.
No, there’s been a setback. I can’t talk.
I gazeat my phone with frustration. Joseph has been instructed to escort the last remaining sister to London and seduce and marry, much the same as me and my brother Julius.
Three brothers, three sisters and two dynasties merging to make an unbreakable one. If there is a problem on his end, we are all fucked because Tiffany Zaferelli is the key to the entire operation being a success.
I say nothing to Alice because she doesn’t need to know of any problems, and she whispers, “Is everything okay?”
“Of course.”
My mind races as it seeks to reassure her, and as I tighten my hold, I wonder if this will all work out. There is a lot at stake, and we are not home yet; anything can happen, and I can’t rest on my laurels until it’s mission accomplished. The girls are still in danger all the time their stepmother is lurking in the shadows, and from what I know about Morgan Sorcusi, she is definitely at home there.
My mind is racing and I really need to speak to Jack, but I am reluctant to ruin this special time with Alice.
I dash out one last text in the hope of passing the problem onto someone else, and as I lean back in my chair with my arm firmly around my woman, I attempt to savor the moment and forget about the mess we’re in.
CHAPTER 28
ALICE
We are on our way to the airport, and I am struggling a little. On the one hand, it’s amazing to be holding the hand of my husband. Then on the other it’s as if I’m leaving behind an important part of myself. The one where I had a mission. The one who demanded answers.
Tension is high as we make the journey, surrounded by dark security. Simeon is on edge, his brow rarely unfurrowed, and his right-hand man Jack sits in stony silence up front with the driver. For once the partition is down and occasionally they speak in guarded tones, in some kind of coded language.
I don’t pretend to understand what they refer to, and after a while, I zone out. Milan is impressive, and I have always loved Italy. As children, we traveled extensively and yet were never given the freedom to explore.
Now nothing had changed. I have everything that money can buy except for my freedom, and I am lamenting the fact that my quest for answers appears to be firmly on the back burner.
We reach the airfield and I note the private aircraft waiting patiently on the tarmac. The steps are extended, and Simeon’s guards are surrounding it, one eye on the horizon, their guns already drawn.
A knot forms in my stomach as the true reality of my situation hits hard.
I married a criminal.
An armed one, a dangerous man, and a man who shows no mercy.
The massacre in the last private jet I witnessed appears to have washed off me like soap with water. There is nothing clean about how I feel inside as I contemplate the many men who have died already because of me. Will Simeon be next? Jack, or even me? Are my sisters safe? It’s an impossible situation and nerves are beating hard inside me.
The car stops at the foot of the steps, and I can make out the pilot with his headset on, speaking into it already.
My heart jumps as Simeon pulls me from the car, his guards forming a tight circle around us as we hurry up the steps.
Once I’m inside, Simeon points to a seat nearby. “Strap in, we leave immediately.”
I do as he says, my nerves wrecking my calm resolve because what if it happens again? That somebody storms the plane and guns down Simeon and his guards. What if I’m taken and another man forces me to, well, I can’t even go there? I clench my fists as the jet engines start, and as Simeon takes his seat beside me, I register the firearm primed and aimed at the aircraft door.
“Should I have one of those?”
He doesn’t take his eyes off the door as the plane begins to move. “Can you shoot?”
