I accept a glass of wine from Liliya, take a sip, and tell my friend a slightly redacted version of our insane adventure so far.
10
Tommy
Theinsideoftheplane is straight out of a fairytale. It doesn’t even look like a plane, more like the inside of a fancy-ass mansion. Would that make Isidoro its lord?
With all the gold and opulence, it only makes sense. And those pastries… Holy shit, they are the best pastries I’ve ever had.
While Niko catches his friend up, I focus on the goodness on my plate. A small tablet came with it, probably for entertainment purposes. I finish the food in record time, but I don’t want to interrupt the two men, so I decide to just listen in while I do a quick search on the internet. Isidoro might be Niko’s friend, but I know fuckall about him.
“Unfortunately, they found us at Doña Chela’s village. Poor woman had her shop destroyed,” Niko is saying when I tune back in, squeezing his hands into fists in his lap.
I slide mine there, cocooning one of his. He immediately turns it and intertwines our fingers together, flashing me an adorable smile.
“And this lovely little thing?” Isidoro says, his unusual red eyes darting to me. “Who is he exactly? You were always the lone wolf type.”
Myheart skips a beat. Isidoro is an interesting man, and not just because of his sense of fashion. It’s this whole thing, the way it feels like we’ve entered the den of a predator. My hackles rise even though I tell myself there is nothing to fear because Niko’s with me. If he trusts his friend, then I trust him, too.
Niko pulls me closer possessively. “He’s my…” he trails off, stealing a glance my way at the same time I look up. I can see the gears of his brain turning. Oh boy, why do I have a feeling this can’t be good.
“He’s your…?”
Clearing his throat, he places a kiss on the top of my head. “Thomas is my fiancé. So I made an exception for him. And Doña Chela. She took care of him when he was little.”
What?
I gape at the man next to me, my brain not quite processing his words as my heart hammers inside my chest.Fuck me.I think I might explode. Did he just lie to this very obviously important man that the two of us are engaged? Holy shit! Why do I like this idea so much? And, hello, where the hell is my ring?
Still shocked, I try to play my reaction down while I rationalize this. We hooked up, sort of. Now, I know for a fact that Niko is my person—there is no question about that. I will do my best to have my happily ever after with him, no matter where this shitshow takes us. But there’s no guarantee he feels the same way. I might need to blackmail him or manipulate him into staying with me.
I shoot up, which causes Niko to do the same since we are still holding hands. Isidoro raises an eyebrow.
“Excuse us,” I say, scanning the plane for the lavatory. When I spot it, I drag my big, scary ex-mercenary toward it. “We need a moment in private.”
Once inside the surprisingly not cramped space, I lock the door and place my hands on my hips. “What the fuck, Niko?”
“Sorry, I… I just need to make sure Isidoro can be trusted before I tell him about the gem. It’s been ten years. It was the only way to explain why you are with me so he won’t ask a million questions.”
My jaw hits the floor. “If you don’t trust him, why are we here?”
He rubs his neck, pinning his gaze on his reflection in the mirror. “I do trust him. But you can never be too careful.”
“I thought he was your friend! How can you doubt him like this?”
“He is! I’m sure I’m just being paranoid, but what if, I don’t know, the Crimson Crew got to him somehow?”
I consider that. I’ve consumed enough mafia-themed content to know the lengths to which these people will go in order to come out on top. But surely, if this friendship is as real as Niko made it out to be, his friend wouldn’t betray him.
A knock at the door makes me jump. My elbow smacks the wall, making me groan and hiss in pain.
“Are you two lovebirds alright?” Isidoro asks in a singsong voice. “If you want to indulge in carnal pleasures, I have just the place for it on board. Double bed, foam mattress. It’s at the rear of the plane.”
Niko’s lips arch up in a smile. “Just give us a moment, Isi! We are good here!”
The rest of the flight goes without accident, but I’m overly conscious about the red gem in my pocket and the fact that we are lying to Isidoro. He seems like a really nice guy, even if he’s a bit eccentric. But it’s part of his charm.
The crew is bilingual, so with the help of Liliya, I chat with Doña Chela, while Niko handles his friend. It’s not that I don’t want to hang out with them, I’m just afraid that I might accidentally say something I’m not supposed to. Besides, it would be weird if I ignored my ‘foster mom’ the entirety of the flight, right?
