Page 126 of The Viper's Wife

She smiles, soft and sincere.Gorgeous. “I’d love that.”

25

NICO

Valeria swallows thickly,her gaze fixed on the seat in front of her while deep blue waters glitter and flash thousands of feet below us.

The plane jolts, and she claws into her armrests, whimpering a little.

“If I’d known you were scared of flying, I would’ve picked a different location,” I say. I hold the complimentary champagne toward her. “You sure you don’t want to take the edge off?”

She glances toward the drink, swallows, and shakes her head before staring forward again. “I’m good.”

“You look terrified.”

“I’m not,” she bites back. The plane jiggles, and she squeezes her eyes shut and continues, “I love hurtling through the air over the empty ocean in a metal tube that defies the laws of physics. I love that we watchedFinal Destinationlast week, so I have an especially vivid idea of what a plane crash would look like.”

The businessman sitting across the aisle throws us a dirty look.

Valeria peels her eyes open to scowl at me. “I find it relaxing.”She’s cute.

“So, Hong Kong next?” I ask, setting aside my drink and leaning toward her so she’ll reach for me next. She glares like she knows exactly what I’m thinking.So fucking cute. “It’s just a little fifteen-hour flight. A blink.”

We could ride the Star Ferry to watch the light show on the city skyline. We’d go to a restaurant to try every item on the menu until she finds something she likes. Walking through a night market stuffed with people. Getting lost together.

We could—get lost together. The thought flickers in my mind like a sputtering candle. People hide in places like Hong Kong all the time.

The plane bounces—lightly—and Valeria clutches onto my arm. She looks a little green.

“Do you want me to ask an attendant for extra barf bags?“ I ask.

She swallows a lungful of air. “Why would I do that? You packed extra shirts.”

“Anything to get me undressed.”

“Just distract me.” She glances out the window and back to me as quickly. The sunlight pours over her dark hair, lighting the strands on fire. “Why Hawaii?” Tired and sick, she pins her gaze to me like I’m the only thing keeping her tethered.

I thread my fingers into her hair, so thick and full in my hand. “Just thought we could unwind.”

An hour later,the plane coasts, and Valeria’s mostly distracted watchingFriday the 13th. I ease myself out fromunder her, spot a woman passing the flight attendant’s cart to the first-class bathroom, and head toward the economy seating.

Valeria’s not the only one experiencing the joys of public aircraft for the first time. The food sucks, the legroom is awful, and breathing air circulated with this many people can not be good for you.

I wonder if Valeria would’ve been just as miserable on my private plane. It would’ve been easier to relax her, at least. I could’ve fucked her gently on a couch as I talked her through her fears.

In the back of the plane, a man with a hat pulled low, eye mask, and pillow around his neck snores next to two empty seats. Something about him scrapes against my thoughts, and as I wash my hands in the bathroom sink, the puzzle pieces click into place.

I leave the bathroom and drop next to the man. He pretends to keep snoring.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t feed you piece-by-piece to a shark.”

Cosimo, one of my father’s soldiers, stops snoring, but otherwise doesn’t move. “Most shark attacks happen in Maui, usually in the fall. I’d be more likely to drown first,” he says, voice muffled by his pillow.

“I’m willing to take that risk.”

He shifts in his seat, pointing his eye mask in my direction. “I’m only here to watch. No need for hostility.”

“Take the first plane back and there won’t be any.”