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I can’t even sleep and as Ivan sleeps soundly beside me, this time it’s me who keeps watch. I love just staring at him when he doesn’t know it and appreciating his raw beauty that I still can’t get my fill of. The broad shoulders and muscular body of a fighter is a powerful weapon to use on a woman like me. Knowing what lies underneath the black uniform he always wears causes the heat to set me on fire and the only thing to douse the flames is him inside me.
I picture my own parents. Lord and Lady Richmond, who it appears, have been lying to me my entire life. Did they do it to protect me? I hope so, anyway, because despite everything I love my parents. They have never given me a reason not to and they only want the best for me. They must be worried sick, and I have been so busy having the adventure of a lifetime to spare any thought of what they must be going through right now.
The flight passes the same as any commercial one. Ivan sleeps and only wakes to eat the food the smiling attendant serves us. She doesn’t appear to think there’s anything strange about us. I’m guessing she has seen many things on this executive jet she lives in most of the time.
We eat the finest food and drink champagne, and it’s a world away from where we started this journey. I never want to see Norlisk again, but even that holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I first went with Ivan. He thought it was safe, and he was prepared to hide out there with me; keeping me away from what appears to be everyone’s worst nightmare, even at a potential personal cost to him.
There are so many questions I need answers for and so much fear, but as long as my husband is by my side, I can deal with everything that life throws at me save for one thing. Losing him.
* * *
Eight hours later,we land in Canada and after thanking the crew, we head through passport control and take a cab a short distance away.
Ivan is retreating into himself, and I wonder about that. Is there something I should be worried about coming here? Is he nervous for me?
I’m surprised when we walk out to a gleaming helicopter waiting like a magnificent bird to take us on the short journey to Club Mafia and I sense the excitement stirring inside me again.
“Wow, I’ve never been in a helicopter before.” I gasp and Ivan says with a soft laugh, “Then prepare to fall in love.”
He winks as he helps me inside and I can’t contain my excitement as the pilot smiles and hands me some headphones.
“Wear these. It will make it more enjoyable.”
As Ivan places his own on his head, I do the same and grip his hand tightly as the bird lifts into the air. It’s the most amazing sensation and as we leave the ground behind, the buildings look like dots as the helicopter banks to the side, causing me to squeal with delight.
Ivan laughs with me as we experience the most amazing flight over huge rivers and lakes and enjoy the most stunning scenery that even tops the mountain in Switzerland.
He points to various things of interest and as trips go, this is officially the best one of my life. There isn’t much between us and the open sky and the way the helicopter flies is as close as to real flying you can get, and I adore the sense of danger that comes as standard.
The pilot puts on a show as he flies through a canyon, making me squeal and close my eyes as the ground races toward us, and at the last minute he pulls up when I think we’re going to crash. I laugh in delight when he dips from side to side and it’s a rush of adrenalin I could use every day of my life.
“Can we get one?” I shout to Ivan, and he rolls his eyes.
“Anything for you, princess.”
His soft smile makes my heart thump with happiness, and I grip his hand and raise it to my lips, kissing him over and over again.
Then he pulls me closer and kisses me in a completely different way, leaving me in no doubt that he’s feeling the same. If I stopped to consider the madness he has brought to my life, I wouldn’t believe a word of it, and yet somehow this seems normal to us. As if we are destined to live this way, and I only wish the girls from Rose Hall Academy could see me now.
As we circle in preparation for landing, I stare down in disbelief at a place that is way bigger than I imagined. A sprawling estate of glass and marble, with a huge ornamental lake and an Olympic sized swimming pool, appear completely out of place in the vast land that surrounds it. It’s an oasis in the desert, a mirage even, and sparkles like the finest jewel as the sun rays find their mark.
I stare in awe and Ivan says above the noise of the engine, “Welcome home, princess. There is absolutely nothing to fear here.”
I nod, wondering if that is true for me because I’m guessing his friends won’t be so happy to see me. They need me for a very different reason than Ivan and now he’s here among them he may have second thoughts. I spare a thought for the woman driving it all and picturing her with Massimo makes my souls shiver. Does he treat her well? Does she see a different side of him? I certainly hope so because if she is suffering, I couldn’t live with myself.
We exit the helicopter into a waiting black SUV and my heart thumps as we are escorted by two men dressed in black, hiding behind their dark sunglasses. They nod to us with respect but there is something incredibly sinister about them, probably because of their frozen expressions that are telling me I’m not out of danger yet.
We sit in the back as we drive the short distance, and I can tell Ivan is deep in concentration from the distracted way he plays with my fingers. It’s settled around him like a dense fog and the power is swirling around him like the most brutal armor and it strikes me that he has landed here as a Bratva soldier rather than the husband I love.
* * *
We drivethrough the permitter gates, where men stationed at the entrance are observing our arrival. My heart trembles as I note the guns slung casually across them as they study us, and the realization sets in of what I’ve signed up for. Mafia isn’t just a word, it’s a way of life. It comes with danger and desperation and a life nobody would choose willingly. I kind of understand Ivan and his friend’s need to control some part of it and I wonder if they can really force change and find happiness here.
We head inside and are met by a man who is older and seems even more unfriendly than the guards who met us.
“Roberto.” Ivan nods with respect and Roberto says in a deep voice, “Don Sontauro is waiting.”
Ivan nods and takes me by the hand and as we follow the grim-faced guide, I wonder what fate has in store for me now.
