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“—Nick, has more people coming after you.”
“Ugh.” Tapping my fingernails on the arm of the chair, I groaned. “You guys can’t just lock me away.”
Once, when my father was going through another high-profile court case, my mother, Lucas, and I had to go stay with one of my aunts for three months. It was brutal. The last thing I wanted was to be sent away because of something I realized was a huge mistake.
“About that.” Vincenzo’s gaze flickered to my father, then back to me. “While I was in prison, Dimitri made some investments for me. I have to go down to Boca Raton and see the properties in person.” He smirked. “Legal investments, of course.”
“I agreed to let you go with him while things smooth over here.” My father turned toward the backyard. “It’s safer, and I don’t like it, but I know you’re safer with Vinny and his bodyguards.”
Vincenzo bowed his head, shielding his mouth from my father with his hand.Surprise, he mouthed, then lowered his hand to his side just as my dad turned back around.
Tightening my lips, I nibbled the inside of my bottom lip, trying my best to stifle my excitement. I felt the need to muster up a fake protest, but I didn’t want to stress my father out more than I had. I knew this was partly my fault, regardless of why I was targeted. Had he suspected anything between Vincenzo and I, I would have put on the performance of a lifetime if only to protect him. Instead, I quietly nodded. “When do we leave?”
My father roamed the room, picking up and inspecting objects he’d seen a million times. “Tomorrow.” He paused for a moment. His gaze lowered to the floor, and he tilted his head, picking up a photo. He studied it for a moment before laying it face down on an end table.
“Was this all necessary?”
I stared out the window at the tarmac where the driver unloaded suitcases from the black Range Rover. He handed them over to someone in a suit who loaded them into the cargo area beneath the plane. I shifted my gaze to Vincenzo sitting across from me, buried in his phone.
He lifted his gaze, sliding his phone into his inside jacket pocket then closed his laptop on the table between us. “I didn’t want anyone tracking us through a crowded airport.”
“Whose plane is this?”
“A close family friend.” He leaned closer, whispering, “You have to keep your hands to yourself until we get to where we’re staying, am I clear?”
“Do you not think I know how to behave?”
He lifted a hand to his chin, stroking his short beard as he nodded at someone behind me in the front of the cabin. Arching a brow, he lowered his gaze back to mine. “Do not test me, Elizabeth.”
As much as I wanted to challenge him, I knew the limits. Though I was with him on this trip because my father wanted to get me out of the Tri-state area, I was still looking forward to being able to have alone time with him. I reclined my seat, reading a book on my phone while he worked on his laptop. The single flight attendant served us wine once we were at cruising altitude, but I declined, requesting a bottle of water instead. Vincenzo lifted his eyes, cocking his head.
I shrugged, mouthing,behaving.
A faint smile appeared on his lips before he turned his attention to the screen once again. His smile made it difficult to focus on my book, though I tried my best to keep my eyes off him. He was the definition of perfection in every way. I spent the next few hours daydreaming about a future with him. A future I could never have.
The moment the plane touched down and came to a stop, the flight attendant and pilot let us off. Vincenzo slipped his Aviators on the bridge of his nose as we descended the stairs. Two men met us at the bottom. They shook hands with Vincenzo, conversing in Italian. Two others unloaded our luggage and arranged it in the trunk of a shiny, black Rolls Royce Phantom.
A driver stood by next to the open back door. Vincenzo rested his hand on my lower back, guiding me to the car as he continued to chat with the tall, intimidating men. I climbed into the back seat and the driver closed the door almost instantly.
I wished I had known what he was saying, but now it would’ve been hard to hear him, anyway. He appeared agitated. Finally, he reached into his inside jacket pocket and retrieved two bound wads of cash and passed one to each of them. He then disappeared and the other back door opened. He got in, stretching his arm out and offered my knee a gentle squeeze before the driver slipped in.
“Everything okay?” It almost scared me to ask.
“Perfect now.” He withdrew his hand and kept in on his leg as we exited the airport.
Boca Raton, a city of about one hundred thousand people. Known for its golf courses and beautiful beaches. It’d been a while since I was last here, but when my family would come down to our vacation home, I always made incredible memories. Palm trees lined the streets, water fountains erupted in the middle of ponds surrounded by lush green grass at country clubs.
“Have you been back since we all came down here last time?”
Tightening my lips, I nodded. “A couple of times, but this feels…different.”
We’d been in the car for fifteen minutes when it slowed in front of a modern, walnut privacy gate with rows of frosted glass rectangles stretched across each door. The driver rolled his window down, pressing on a keypad. The gates slowly opened inward, revealing a wide driveway. Cement squares with emerald grass separating each one paved the path to an enormous white, modern masterpiece mansion. The abstract, walnut wood accents and beams gave me the impression an award-winning architect had designed it. It was breathtaking.
The car came to a stop. The driver exited the vehicle and opened my door. Vincenzo jumped out and sped around, reaching his hand out. I stumbled, but he caught me, stabilizing me.
“It’s…I’m speechless.”
Two black Range Rovers entered the driveway. I took a step closer to him, almost taking hold of his arm, but refrained.
