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Chapter Eight
El Segador
On the way home, we took a detour. We went to Europe, stopping in Germany, Italy, France, and the UK. We were still ahead of schedule, and there were things on Swan’s list I could fulfill.
We marked off taking a hot air balloon ride in Rothenburg, Germany. The balloon was bright orange with a big yellow smiley face. The guide happily let her dictate to him when she demanded they go higher. He just laughed and winked at her. Which got my back up. The guy wasn’t as big as me, but he was younger, and women probably thought he was better-looking than me. He didn’t have the hard edge to him I did.
He spoke to her in German, telling her how pretty she was. When Swan just smiled at him with a blank look on her face, he gave her a sly grin. I said nothing but suspected he was testing her knowledge of the language. I was proven right when he told her in German he’d love to toss her big motherfucker of a boyfriend over the side and fuck her raw.
I propped my elbow on the side of the basket and replied in the same language. “Her motherfucker of a boyfriend is the right-hand man to the deadliest assassin in the world. Killing you would be no more than an afterthought. Do you really want to take me the fuck on?”
The little prick turned white. Swan frowned at me.
“What did you say to him?”
“Nothing too bad.” I grinned at her, pulling her close for a kiss. “Take pictures, baby. It’s a beautiful view.” It was enough to distract her. Likely because she was a good person and would never suspect the boy would think of doing her harm, or that I’d reciprocate. Or worse.
After our two days in Germany, I took her to see the Colosseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in France, and the Tower of London. She protested a little, but wonder had soon won out in every place, and she’d just gone with it. The sex had been every chance I could coax her into a private corner and the most fantastic of my life.
We knocked out taking a cruise, too. Instead of flying back to Palm Beach, we took a seven-day cruise to New York. We didn’t take just any old cruise, either. I got us one from Cunard. I’d booked the best suite they had, offering enough money they bumped someone so we got the best suite on the ship. I’d have taken us back to Fort Lauderdale, but it was another seven days and I knew that, though Doc had gotten back from his assignment with ExFil, he’d want some time to study Swan’s records. Swan didn’t object, because she’d never been to New York. I figured we could take some time there if she wanted.
I got the call from Doc about halfway into our seven-day cruise. He said he wanted to do a biopsy as soon as we got back. Bastard refused to say why he wanted to do it so quickly, but I let it go. Mainly because I didn’t want Swan to hear us. The last thing I wanted to do was worry her this close to the end of our vacation. The only thing we hadn’t checked off on her bucket list was the Disney World roller-coaster thing, and I intended to do that the second I could.
Other than her little setback at Base Camp, Swan was looking much better than she had when I’d first found her. She wasn’t limping, and I had her eating three square meals a day plus snacks. While she hadn’t put on much weight yet, her face had filled out slightly, and she didn’t look like she’d blow away in a stiff breeze. The cruise was helping tremendously. I got her to sit by the pool or on our balcony most days. When we did go out, I gave her piggyback rides. It got some strange looks, but she just laughed, enjoying the attention.
By the time we got to New York, Swan confessed to being ready to head home. She looked great. Her face had color where she’d been pale before. I took it as a win, even if she was tired. Hell, after being gone so long, I was feeling it, too. And I wanted to ride. I needed my bike, and I suspected she’d love it. It was first on my agenda when we got back to Palm Beach. Then Doc could do whatever Swan was willing to let him do.
We landed around noon. I’d had Swan sleeping as much as I could, distracting her from the fact I wasn’t letting her have anything to eat or drink. It had been part of Doc’s instructions. Instead of a waiting car, Tank and Iron were there with my bike and a truck. We disembarked, Swan using me for balance so she could put as little pressure on her leg as possible.
“What’s this?” she asked, looking up at me. “Are we taking the truck or the motorcycle?”
I stepped forward and took Tank’s hand, then Iron’s. “We’re takin’ the bike, darlin’. It goes against everything I believe in, but I’ll even let you not wear a helmet if you promise to hang tight to me.”
“Oh, boy!” She practically squealed as she bounced in her excitement. “I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle!”
“It’s a bike, baby. My bike.”
“Figured El Segador could use all the help he could get. Three weeks with him by yourself? Well, we were takin’ bets whether you’d killed him yet.”
She laughed. “He was wonderful! We went ballooning in Germany, went to Paris and Rome and England… He took me on a cruise using the Cunard line! It’s historic!”
Tank and Iron, the bastards, just looked at me and chuckled. Tank said, “Looks like you got him pussy-whipped, girl. See you keep it that way.”
“Don’t know about that, but if he’s pussy-whipped, I’m dick-whipped. I’d do anything he wanted if he promised me his cock at the end of it.” Her smirk said she’d meant it to counter them.
Tank and Iron threw back their heads and laughed. Both of them. Iron pulled her into his arms, hugging her gently. “You decide you don’t want him, little sister, I’ll take you on. If for no other reason than to listen to that sassy mouth of yours.”
“That’s enough,” I growled. “Give her back.”
“Take your time,” Tank said. “Fury said Doc’d be at the clinic around one with Mama, Alizay, and Blade.”
That brought me up short. “At Fury’s clinic?”
“Yeah.” Tank shrugged. “He wants this done now. Something about not making Swan suffer needlessly. Had a few things to say about her previous care. I already told him you landed, and that you guys were takin’ the bike home.”
Fuck.
“What’s going on?” Swan looked up at me with big eyes. I could see fear there. Resignation.
