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"And you are—" Jeanne prompts.
"Karina, and this is my husband, Arpad." The couple shake hands with her.
"Karina is a friend of my brother, Axel. She runs a security agency in London and has given us everything we need to leave the country." I raise the paper bag.
She glances at it, then at my face. "So, we can return to Palermo?"
"We can have a private plane fueled and ready for take-off from an airfield an hour away," Arpad adds.
"Or, you could first come to our place and freshen up." Karina glances between us. "When Axel called me and explained you needed help, we were at Arpad’s country house, which is a forty-five-minute drive away. You’re welcome to return with us and get some rest before you leave."
"It sounds like an improvement over the room we’re in, but I want to return to Palermo. The faster I can get back to my rehearsals, the more confident I’ll be for the premiere of my musical."
"You’re an actress?" Karina glances at her with interest.
"A jazz dancer, actually, but when this opportunity came up, I couldn’t refuse."
"Which musical are you starring in?" Karina asks.
"Beauty and the Beast. Have you seen it?"
"On Broadway, a few years back. Will you be touring the West End?"
"Maybe. If the response from the audience is good enough." Jeanne smiles. "Thank you so much for your help, Karina." She grips Karina’s hand. "I truly appreciate it."
"Let me know when you’re in London next." Karina gestures to the phone in my hand. "My numbers are keyed-in."
True to their word, the Beauchamps drive us to the airfield, and we are on Arpad’s private plane and airborne within the hour. Before we get on the flight, I destroy the phone and SIM card I'd purchased at the service station as a precaution.
Now, I lean back in the plush seat and stretch my arms above my head. Next to me, Jeanne glances out of the window. It’s still dark outside, but a silvery hue lights up the horizon.
"You okay?" I ask.
"I’m tired." She leans back into the chair with a sigh. "You do realize, this is going to spoil me for flying economy now."
"You won’t need to again. Once you’re my wife, we can use the Sovranos’ private jet whenever you have to travel."
She stills. "So, you still want to go ahead with the whole marriage thing?"
"Why would you think otherwise?"
"Now that we are safe and on our way back, I just thought—"
"That I’d forget about the deal we made?"
"Something like that." She smooths her palms over her jeans. "You could find so many other women who’d be interested in playing the role of your wife. Why does it have to be me?"
"Because you owe me."
She whips her head in my direction. "So that’s what this is about? That’s why you offered to find a way to bring me back in time for my premiere, so you could use it against me?"
"When you hold something over a person, you have power."
"And power is the most important thing to you?"
"Yes." I hold her gaze. "My entire life, all I’ve ever wanted is to be the person who holds power over everyone else in the room. I want to be the person who never has to bow my head in front of anyone."
"Yet, you didn’t have a choice but to accept help from Karina and Arpad."
