Page 24 of Sicilian Savior

Her smile warmed me up as she sighed. “I trust you.”

Those words ignited the warmth spreading through me into a blaze. She trusted me. I knew that meant something coming from her. After all the hell Victor had put her through, trust wasn’t something she gave away freely. But I had it, and I intended to prove that I deserved it.

“Come on,” I said after the plane stopped and passengers started getting up.

Taking her hand, I led her through the airport. My head was on a swivel as I scanned the place for any faces I’d recognized from the package Wes had put together. All the heavy hitters from Victor’s organization had been identified and marked so we wouldn’t stumble into any of them. But just to be safe, I’d had Lucia hide her dark hair under a hat and her gorgeous eyes behind a pair of sunglasses until we reached the safety of the rental car.

“Whoa,” she said when we got to the silver sports car with black tinted windows.

“What did you think I was getting? A beater rental from Hertz?” I patted the top of the sleek car. “Nah. We’re in Italy, and these winding roads call for a fast car. Wes hooked us up with a guy who rents luxury automobiles.”

“It’s gorgeous.” She slid her hand over the smooth lines of the roof. “And it looks expensive. I don’t want you spending all your money on this trip to help me.”

“Girl, I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. And you’re gonna be glad I got this car when we’re playing race car around the countryside.”

She grimaced. “I’ll be too scared to enjoy it. I don’t like going too fast.”

“You will with me in the driver’s seat.”

I smiled and opened her door, then closed her in and hurried to my side. Our bags barely fit in the seat behind us, but I shoved them in, then hopped into the driver’s seat. The engine purred when I started it, causing a grin to spread across my face.

“Buckle up, baby.” I waggled my eyebrows.

“Oh, God,” she groaned, tightening her belt.

“Don’t worry. I’m driving, and I’m as good of a driver as I am a pilot. Extracting my team from the air wasn’t my only specialty. You’re also looking at one of the best damn getaway drivers on the planet. I can handle any vehicle, any speed, any time. You can trust me.”

She chewed on her lip, then sat back in the seat. “Okay. Do it. I trust you.”

I pushed my foot onto the gas and peeled out of the parking lot. The car handled better than I’d hoped as I guided it along the Sicilian countryside. The gorgeous landscape flew by as we wound our way through the hills to the location on the map I’d marked out—the villa Wes had found.

“How you doing over there? Want me to slow down?” I asked as I dipped down a hill. It made my stomach drop.

Lucia shook her head. “You know what? No! This really is fun!”

“I told you,” I joked.

“You were right.” She looked over and smiled, and my stomach dropped again—this time not from the car.

I pushed the pedal a little more. “So, you’re Sicilian, but you’ve never been to Sicily?”

“No. Never. Victor traveled here often, but he always left me behind. Said he would be too busy with ‘business stuff’ to entertain me.” She snorted. “More like criminal stuff.”

“Yeah. That’s bullshit.”

“And you’ve been here before?” she asked.

“Couple times. Work-related, though. In and out in less than twelve hours. Never really got to kick back and enjoy it. I’m only half-Sicilian, but I’m still looking forward to being here a little longer and enjoying my heritage.”

“Do you think this will take long? Before we get Luca, I mean?”

“I can’t imagine we won’t have him by week’s end. Marcus is thorough, but he’s also fast.”

“God. I can’t believe I’m going to have Luca back in my arms before next week. It’s amazing.”

“I’m really happy you trusted me to help you. I know that couldn’t have been easy confiding in me.”

“No.” She blew out a puff of air. “Honestly, I thought it was a huge mistake, and I’d have to run again. But I was right to trust you. And I do... trust you. Completely.”