This time, my fists actually balled at my sides, but I managed to grind out a single word. “Yes.”
“Good.” He leaned down before shutting the door. “Get her on that plane. No matter what it takes.”
The door slammed shut before I could ask where the fuck Ortigia even was. I sat in the car and googled it as I watched Vince and his army drive off.Ortigia is a small island off the coast of southeastern Sicily. It is part of the city of Syracuse and is connected to the mainland by two bridges.
Great. I don’t speak Italian. I’d have to worry about that later, considering I only had two hours to get to the damn airport. I shoved the envelope Vince had given me in my back pocket, checked my surroundings, and headed into the house.
Juliette was sitting at the kitchen table, eating what looked like a bowl of ice cream. My brows drew together. “Why aren’t you packing?”
“Because I’m not going.”
Great. Just fucking great.
I heard crunching, so I leaned in for a closer look at what she was chomping on. “What’s in there?”
“Cinnamon Toast Crunch, vanilla ice cream, and caramel syrup.”
I made a face that told her what I thought of the combination, and Juliette went off.
“Mind your own business about my ice cream! And while you’re at it, keep your nose out of anything to do with the men I date, too!”
An hour ago, she’d been thanking me for showing her what an asshole her date was. But clearly now wasnotthe time to point that out.
She pushed back from the table, chair scraping against the tile, and marched over to the garbage, dumping her ice cream—bowl, spoon, and all.
“And I’m not going to Ortigia!So just leave me alone!”
I counted to ten, but it wasn’t enough. I still needed to cool down before I tried to talk some sense into her. So instead, I went to the garbage and fished out the ceramic bowl she’d tossed. The day must’ve gotten to me, because before I could think better of it, I’d scooped some of the crap she was eating into my mouth.
I shrugged.Not bad.I rinsed the dish before knocking lightly at Juliette’s bedroom door.
“Go away!”
“I hope you’re decent because I’m coming in.”
She didn’t answer, so I creaked open the door and found her sitting on the bed.
I spoke calmly. “We have to go. You’re in danger.”
“Idon’t want to go anywhere!”
“I know you don’t, and I don’t blame you. It sucks that you constantly have to deal with the fallout from something you’ve worked hard to keep your distance from.”
When she looked up, tears welled in her eyes. “I have a life here. A job, friends…commitments. What would I even tell people?”
“Maybe you can say someone in your family is ill, and you have to take an unplanned trip.”
She seemed to consider it for a moment, but she shook her head. “No, I’m not going.”
I could try to reason with her some more or toss her over my shoulder and carry her ass to the plane. The latter would probably be easier, but I suspected it would raise more than a few eyebrows. So I took a deep breath before walking to the bed and sitting down. Telling her she wasn’t safe hadn’t worked, so I switched tactics.
“What’s it going to take to get you on that plane, Juliette? Because if I don’t get you to Ortigia safely, it’s gonna be my ass.”
She met my eyes and held my gaze for a few beats. “Tell me what my father has over you to get you to work for him.”
Fuck.Vince would not be happy if he found out I’d told his daughter the story of how we’d connected, but I looked at my watch—an hour and fifty minutes to go, and it would probably take an hour to get to the airport with LA traffic. “You’ll pack and get on the plane if I tell you?”
She nodded.
