Page 51 of His Deadly Devotion

“Of course he does,” she lies.

“I’m taking her home.” Ares grabs hold of Zara’s hand and starts walking away with her.

“Make sure there aren’t any stops along the way,” Lorenzo warns him.

Vin glares at my brother. “Don’t threaten my son. You’re in our town, Valentino. Don’t fucking forget that.” Then he turns and follows Ares out.

“You two, car, now.” Lorenzo glares at us over a shoulder.

I take hold of Connor’s hand and head towards the blacked-out SUV idling by the side of the warehouse. “I could have handled that myself, you know,” I grumble.

“I know,” Connor replies.

“I don’t need a man to come in and save me.”

“You might not need it, but I’m always going to be the man who comes in and saves you, princess.” He opens the back door and waits for me to get in.

I press up on my toes and kiss him before climbing inside. “Thank you for being that guy for me,” I tell him.

Twenty minutes into the drive back to Lorenzo’s house, I realize we’re actually heading out of town. “Where are we going?” I ask my brother.

“The airport. You two are going to Zia Lola’s island. No one’s there, which means there’s no possible way for you to find trouble.”

I’m about to protest. But then images of being stranded on an island with Connor, uninterrupted, come to mind. And, suddenly, the idea’s not as unappealing as I first thought. So I keep thosethoughtsto myself.

23

Ican’t say I was one hundred percent onboard with being shipped off to some unknown island. The only reason I didn’t object was because Aurora seemed to love the idea. And like the lost fucking puppy I am, once again, I follow her.

I’m in this with her until the end. And I hope that’s a really fucking long time away. Because there is so much I want to doand experience with her. I just have to figure out a way to beat my parents first.

I know things about them that could have the whole organization, including Dublin, turning on them. Do I want that to happen? No. What I want is for them to stop with the fucking witch hunt, drop the bounties on our heads, and accept that Aurora and I are un-fucking-breakable. I will not let anyone come between us again.

I thought I could move on from her. I thought I could honor my cousin and leave her. That didn’t last long. One call from her in need and I went running. And when I saw the barrel of that rifle pointed at her head, I knew then and there that I would do anything to keep her.

We were dropped on this island by helicopter. It’s obvious Aurora has been here before as she leads me from the helipad to the house. We’re walking along a wooden path surrounded by gardens.

“You sure this is a good idea? Being here?” I ask her.

“This is the best idea my brother has ever had. We are completely alone, Connor. Just you and me. And wait till you see this place! It’s literal heaven.” She beams.

The closest thing to heaven I’ve ever felt isher. But I don’t bother to say that. “What if something happens? How would we get off the island? What if we run out of food? Is there even food here?” I glance around like a grocery store is going to suddenly pop up. It doesn’t.

“Lorenzo would have had the place stocked. My Zia Lola doesn’t live here anymore, but the family uses the property all the time. And if we need to get off the island, there’s a yacht.”

“You know how to drive a yacht?” I lift a questioning brow at her.

“No, but you’re a smart guy. I’m certain if we needed it, you’d figure it out.” Aurora winks at me and then she lets go of my hand and starts running. “Come on! I can’t wait for you to see it.”

My shoes hit the deck with loud thumps as I chase after her. Fuck, she’s fast. But I’m faster. I catch her right as we hit the sand. My arms wrap around her waist and scoop her up.

“Got you.” I bite down on her shoulder. And then my eyes peer out ahead of us. “Holy shit.” I let out a low whistle and set Aurora back onto her feet.

“Told you. It’s gorgeous, right?”

“It is,” I say. “I’ve seen a lot of beaches. But this is… something else.” The water is pristine, clear. The sand is white and untouched. And we are the only two people for miles and miles. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of fun here, Connor.” Aurora sighs. “Wanna see the house?”