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“My sister.” I lick my dry lips. “I want to know if she’s all right.”
He takes his phone from his pocket and unlocks the screen.
A ringtone sounds before a man says over the speaker, “Yes, sir?”
“Are you still at the clinic?” Angelo asks.
“I was just about to leave.”
“What’s the update?”
“They’ve been transferred from the delivery wing to a private room.”
I suck in a breath. Does that mean the baby is born?
“Send me the number,” Angelo says before ending the call.
A second later, his phone pings with a notification. He checks it before pushing on the green button. As if he can’t stomach the sight of my face, he barely looks at me when he hands me the phone.
I push it against my ear with a trembling hand.
Jared answers.
“It’s me. Sabella.” I dare another glance in Angelo’s direction. “How is she?”
“She’s fine.” He sounds happy, tired, and strained all at once. “It happened very fast. We almost didn’t make it to the clinic. It’s a boy.”
My chest deflates with a quiet sigh of relief. “Is he okay?”
“He’s perfect. We decided to call him Benjamin.”
A lump lodges in my throat. “I’m glad. My dad would’ve liked that. I’m sorry it happened like this. Will you tell Mattie I called? Please tell her I’m thinking of her. Of all three of you.”
“Are you okay, Bella?” he asks.
Angelo holds out his hand, still not looking at me.
“Yes,” I say quickly. “I have to go. Just tell her I love her.”
Angelo takes the phone and darkens the screen before pocketing it.
We drive the rest of the way to the airport in silence. The driver takes my suitcase and handbag as well as an overnight bag from the trunk. Angelo throws the sling of the bag over his shoulder and carries my suitcase and handbag in one hand while wrapping his free hand around mine.
The guards don’t follow us inside. They don’t have to. I’m not going to run. I made a deal, and as long as I uphold my end of the bargain, my family will be safe.
After showing his license, Angelo hands his gun in at the firearm desk. I’m surprised when he takes two passports from his bag, one for him and one for me. How did he manage to get mine? People turn their heads as we go through customs in our wedding attire. A few travelers come up to congratulate us, their smiles radiant. Our smiles are stilted in return. We keep up the pretense until we’re shown into a private lounge, and then we drop our masks.
A flight attendant collects our luggage. A waitress serves appetizers and champagne, but my stomach is twisted into too tight a knot to eat or drink. Angelo works on his phone, ignoring me.
Putting my untouched champagne aside, I dare to ask, “How did you find us?”
He looks up. “Street surveillance cameras.” He leans closer, forcing me to shrink back. “Here’s something you need to understand, wife.” His black eyes darken, menace turning his handsome face stunningly savage. “I’ll always find you, no matter where you hide.”
I hold my breath, too afraid to say another word. When he leans back in his chair and spreads his legs out in front of him, I dare to blow out the air trapped in my lungs. I only breathe normally again when he turns his attention back to his phone.
A few minutes later, we walk to the boarding gate. An airport security official returns Angelo’s gun. I have no idea who Angelo bribed to let him carry his gun in the airport and on the plane. Normally, he’d have to collect it at the firearm desk at our destination. Perhaps that’s why two airport security guards escort us to a private plane.
Except for the pilot and copilot who greet us at the door, there’s no other staff. The fact that Angelo and I are alone outside the cockpit fills me with dread and anxiety.
