But the gun in Gio’s hand, the one he’d just used to murder my crew, was now pointed at me. My heart jerked to a stop, turning me into a statue.
Ethan’s Italian was urgent and commanding. No, wait. Not commanding, it was... was it pleading?
“Roma,”Gio ordered, flicking the barrel of his gun toward the plane and then back to me.
My gaze shifted to Ethan. For what? To save me? He’d been so sure he could convince Gio, but my crew was dead.Dead.
It didn’t seem possible, but everything inside me was colder. Emptier.
“He was going to let them go,” Ethan said in sheer disbelief. The words came out like they were unfamiliar and choked in his throat. “I... believed him.”
I didn’t know what to do with that information. Something was wet on my face, and I wiped it away. Tears?
No, the coppery-red liquid on my fingertips had come from Rory. The sweet, almost fatherly man who had no problem reporting to a younger, female captain, when so many others did. I used the cuff of my sleeve to wipe away the blood.
How was I still alive?
How the fuck was I supposed to live with this?
“Roma,”Gio demanded again, angry. The murderer wanted to go home. He surveyed the rest of the vacant landing strip, maybe examining if his gunshots had attracted any attention, but the place was deserted.“Roma.”
“Jesus, give her a second,” Ethan said, then repeated what I assumed was the same thing in Italian. He hadn’t loweredhis threatening gun.
“Are you going to kill him?” a voice asked. It had to have come from me, but it sounded alien, unrecognizable.
He spoke through clenched teeth. “I. Can’t.”
“Do you know how to fly?”
His aim on our boss didn’t waver. “No.”
It was difficult climbing up onto my shaky legs. Everything around me was shifting and unstable, made worse when Gio stalked over to me. He reached out with one hand to help me up, but kept the gun trained on me in his other.
“Tell him he can’t kill me, at least not until we land.” A nervous, inappropriate laugh burst from me and died as quickly as it had come on.
Those dark eyes I’d once found so intriguing flooded with concern. “I’ve warned him.”
Gio’s sharp grip on my elbow was biting, and I tried unsuccessfully to shake it off as he tucked his gun into the front waistband of his pants.
“Andiamo.”Gio gestured to the bodies, his evil sneer directed at Ethan.Hurry up.
I simply watched as he lumbered to load them into the hold of the plane, unable to stop him. I’d thought about going for Gio’s gun and trying to kill him myself, but I got the impression Ethan wouldn’t allow that. No, he’d stop me before it happened.
And if I were somehow successful, what then? Vitale would find me, and he’d make me wish I’d been the dead pilot Ethan had just placed in the hold.
When it was done, I went up the steps, sandwiched between the two men, and then had to explain to Ethan how to retract the stairs and latch the door shut. My shuddering hands wouldn’t allow me to do it myself.
He followed me into the cockpit, telling me the door had to remain open.
“I need your help,” he said quietly. “There’s too much atplay here. I have to get him back to Rome in one piece.”
“There are bodies on my plane.”
“I know,” he said, full of regret, “but you can do this. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” I lifted my gaze to meet his, and his expression dimmed. “I won’t let anythingelsehappen to you,” he amended.
I stood behind my chair, my hand on the back of the seat to help keep me steady as I considered his statement.
“I know you’ve got emergency signals,” he continued, “and distress calls you can put out that’ll bring the authorities here.” He took a deep breath. “I’m asking you not to use them. We can get through this. Please, I need you to trust me.”
