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“I’ve seen a video where they created an outdoor hanging ceiling out of fairy lights… I want that.”
Ella looks at me, flabbergasted. “You’ve watched videos on how to decorate for an engagement party?”
“Why are you surprised? You know I don’t do things in halves. I’m excited about marrying you.”
“And when was that?”
“About three weeks ago. That’s when I started planning our trip to Alaska.”
“But given the short time we’ve known each other, you couldn’t have known I would say yes.”
“No, I didn’t know for sure, but I was hopeful. How could you resist me?” I wink at her and give her a toothy grin.
She laughs out loud, and it’s the best sound in the world, especially in the tense circumstances we’ve found ourselves in.
“I love your confidence,” she says through her giggles. “And I love you, Aiden Burg.” She leans over and kisses me, and I feel the truth of her words in the way her lips attach to mine.
Fuck, I love this woman so much. She’s everything to me.
We finally arrive at the airport, and after paying the driver, we enter the building. In my peripheral vision, I see the sedan pull up and the passengers jumping out of the car. Walking rapidly through the terminals, I consciously pick the densest cluster of people to move through to make it harder for them to follow us.
But damn my height! It makes me too easy to spot.
When we turn down a corridor, I notice an open janitor’s door and without hesitating, I push Ella inside, pulling the door closed but leaving a tiny gap.
Her breath is coming out in little puffs, and I can feel her racing pulse when I take her in my arms. “We’ll wait here for a few minutes,” I whisper into her ear.
She hasn’t spoken a word since we got out of the taxi, following my lead without question. Her skin is cold to the touch, and her hands are trembling. Is this bringing back flashbacks of when she tried to escape?
“I hope this closet opens from the inside,” she whispers back. Her voice is shaky.
“Everything will be fine, Sunshine. I’ll get us out of here,” I reassure her, hoping this little break will give her an opportunity to calm down.
“How did Tiero find me?”
“We don’t know it’s him. We’ll figure it all out later. Right now, let’s just get home. You ready to move on?”
“I feel dizzy and want to throw up, but other than that… yeah, I’m ready,” she jokes.
I take her hand in mine and squeeze it. Widening the gap in the door, I peek out, and when the coast appears clear, I open it fully. Looking left and right, I go the way we came.
On the way, I spotted a clothing store, and when we reach it, I pull a kaftan-like dress from the hanger, tear off the tags, and hand it to Ella. “Pull this over your clothes.”
I do the same with a scarf, which she immediately wraps around her head. I find a brightly colored man’s shirt, then go to the cashier and hand over a few notes. Pulling on the shirt, I take El’s hand, and we leave the shop in disguise.
I’m confident we’re unnoticed when we jump into a new taxi and head back to our hotel.
When we arrive, we go straight to our room and, unasked, Ella begins to pack our belongings while I empty the safe and put the gun in the back of my pants.
“I’m going to check us out while you finish up. Lock the door behind me, and under no circumstances leave the room, okay? Only unlock the door when I knock in code.”
I step into the corridor and wait until I hear the lock turn. Good, she’s safe here.
As I walk to the elevator, I pull out my phone and see a missed call from Gary. I hit redial; he answers right away. “Your hunch was correct. De Marco’s jet left Sicily yesterday, presumably with him on board. Though we could not get flight information about where he was headed.”
“Shit. I haven’t seen him, but it’s safe to assume he’s here. We were followed when we left the Grand Prix but managed to lose them.”
“Get to the Martre Airport. Steven is waiting there for you. He’s cleared to take off in an hour.”
