Page 8

Chapter 7

Looking down at the woman in the bed, I wondered why the hell I was running my fingers through her damp hair. I was pretty sure I’d never done that before.

Pulling a woman’s hair while fucking her from behind? Yeah, I’d definitely done that. And thoroughly enjoyed it. But somehow not as much as I enjoyed stroking Evie’s hair with a tenderness I didn’t think myself capable of.

What the hell is it about this chick? Shit, I didn’t even know her, but for some reason, she’d gotten under my skin with her boldness, her tenacity. I… admired her.

Now fully asleep, Evie’s face had relaxed into pure softness, making her look like an angel. But I knew beneath that sweet, pretty face lay a fierceness that drew me in. She was an angel all right, but one forged from fire and ice.

I mean, I should be pissed at her because she was going to totally upend my life. Once I returned her to New York, I was going to have to go on the run because there was no way Luca Cappitani was going to let this shit go. Stealing his new “toy” and his money? Nope. I was a dead man.

It was March now, and I probably wouldn’t make it to the end of the year before he found me and killed me in the most heinous way imaginable. Probably tortured for days by his men before he personally decapitated me. That was Luca’s specialty.

There would be no reprieve for me because I was his son. No, that would only make the betrayal more malignant in his eyes.

Nevertheless, I planned to give Evie the seven million dollars. Poor kid deserved it after what she’d been through. She could use the money to go to school or buy a house or whatever. She would always have mental scars from the past few days, but hopefully, the money would change her life for the better and allow her the financial freedom to move past this in the best way she could.

But first, I needed to get her back to New York, the last damn place I wanted to go. Why couldn’t she be from Kansas or Oregon or fucking anywhere else but where my father lived? Luckily, he’d still be in Las Vegas and not waiting at the airfield for us when we arrived. I’d get Evie to a safe place and then haul ass to… somewhere . And then I’d bide my time until he came for me.

I’d never held any notion that I’d live a long and happy life. Fiero played his part well as the eldest son, but I was a bit more rebellious. And as the youngest child, I was pretty much expendable in my father’s eyes.

Rising from the bed without jostling Evie, I stared down at her for a long moment. Hopefully Luca would never find her again because, if he did, there would be hell to pay for daring to escape him. Maybe I could talk her into taking the money and relocating somewhere outside the city with her family.

I made sure to leave her door cracked a little when I left and went to my room. Stripping off my suit, I took a shower and climbed into bed for what I hoped would be a good night’s sleep.

Because come tomorrow, I was going to need my wits about me.

“Can I call my family now?” Evie asked from the backseat as we drove back to the airstrip in New Orleans. She’d insisted on sitting back there so Rodrigo could sit in the front. I had the impression it was because he was older, which gave me a chuckle. Rod may not be a spring chicken anymore, but he was about the toughest old bird I’d ever met.

“We can’t do that right now, but you’ll be with them soon.” My eyes caught the droop of her lips in the rearview mirror, and I hated that. So I opened my mouth and told a big, fat lie. “They’ll be waiting for you when we land.”

That was one hundred percent not going to happen. I was still working out the logistics in my mind, but I needed to stall her for at least an hour after we landed in New York to give myself time to get away. And I needed to fabricate some kind of story that wouldn’t implicate Rodrigo. Fuck.

Evie mentioned her dad and brothers, so I was positive they’d show up with law enforcement if they knew she was being brought back to New York, and that wouldn’t bode well for me. I could probably talk my way out of prison since I’d rescued her from the traffickers, but jail time was not my biggest concern. Luca Cappitani was the more dangerous threat.

Nope. I needed to be long gone before her family was called and dragged the cops into it.

To quell any more questions from Evie, I turned on the radio and tuned in to a classic rock station. Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” bled from the speakers, and the irony of that particular song wasn’t lost on me. How apropos.

Evie’s head appeared between the front seats. “Did you know Frank Sinatra was Jon Bon Jovi’s great-uncle?” she asked.

Rod and I glanced at each other before shaking our heads. “I never heard that,” he said.

“Yep, on his father’s side. If you look at their eyes and the shape of their faces, you can see the resemblance. Jon used to keep a picture of Frank backstage at all his shows.”

“How’d you know that?” I asked, and she shrugged as she sat back.

“I know lots of things. My brother Monty calls me a font of useless drivel.” She smiled fondly, and I liked seeing it on her face. “I can’t wait to see him. I’m closest to him because we share a birthday.”

“Twins?” Rod asked.

“No, I’m a year older than him, but he’s a lot taller so he thinks he’s the boss of me.”

“How old are you, Evie?”

“I’m turning nineteen this month, so Monty will be eighteen.” Her voice turned wistful. “I’m so happy we’ll be able to spend the day together.”

“You’ll see him soon,” I promised.

“I miss my other brother and my dad too. Heck, I’ll even be glad to see my mother.” I sensed the tension in that last sentence but didn’t have time to ask any questions because we were pulling up to the hangar.

Putting the sedan in park, I swiveled around to face her. “Look, Evie. I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything,” she agreed with an up and down bob of her head. She looked so much better today. Still bruised and with a cut lip, but there was a brightness in her eyes that was missing yesterday.

“There’s a guy here, and I need you to pretend to be my prisoner when we’re around him.”

“Why?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion before rising. “Ohhh, he’s not part of the operation or whatever you call it?”

I ignored Rodrigo’s smirk of amusement at Evie still thinking we were Feds. “Right. He’s definitely not part of the operation,” I answered. “We’re going to have to stop a couple times to refuel the helicopter, but we’ll have you home really soon. Just play your part until we’re in the air.”

“So don’t try to kick or scratch you?” she asked, one side of her lips tipping up, and I chuckled.

“Exactly. Try and control your wildcat instincts.”

“Okay, anything else?”

“Just… don’t talk to anyone but me, okay? And only if I speak directly to you.” Her lips pinched together in disapproval, but I couldn’t worry about that right now. We needed to get past Guido without arousing suspicion. And speak of the devil…

Guido strolled out of the cream-colored metal hangar sporting about five more gold chains than he needed to wear. “That’s the guy I need you to avoid talking to,” I whispered fervently, my eyes flitting between Evie in the rearview mirror and the idiot in the purple track suit.

“Jesus, is that velour?” Evie asked, her nose scrunching up. “I didn’t even know they still made that stuff.”

Rodrigo covered his laugh with a cough as Evie continued. “Just to clarify, I’m not allowed to call that guy Flava Flav?”

“No,” I replied wryly, “but you can say it in your head.”

“Like you could stop me,” she muttered under her breath as Guido approached the car.

Opening my door, I stepped out, and the prick slapped me on the shoulder. “Damiano, my boy. Everything go okay last night?”

“Fine.” If you consider taking out everyone in the house and then planning to completely screw over my father as fine.

Guido nodded, his smug smile irritating me as he clapped his hands together. “Great. Let’s get you on the road. Or in the air, I guess,” he said, and something about his subsequent laugh seemed tinged with nervousness. What the fuck is that about?

Rodrigo appeared beside me and nodded curtly at the other man. “Morning. I’m just gonna check on the helicopter.”

Guido’s head bounced up and down on his thick neck. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. I’ve got it all ready for you. Fuel, flight plan. Everything’s good to go.” The incessant nodding was making me dizzy, and I walked to the back of the car and popped open the trunk.

“Rod, you wanna help me with these bags?” I asked, shooting him a look.

“Yeah, I gotcha.”

He took two of the heavy duffels containing the money I was supposed to have handed over last night, and Guido frowned. “What’s in those?”

Rodrigo leveled him with a no-nonsense glare. “Necessities we had to pick up, which are none of your business.”

Guido followed him inside the hangar, but I didn’t need to worry about him snooping through the bags. Rod could handle that punk. Once they were out of earshot, I opened the back door and helped Evie out. She was dressed in more of the clothes I’d had Rodrigo pick up from Walmart last night, including denim shorts, an army-green T-shirt, and brown sandals. She looked younger than her eighteen-almost-nineteen years.

“Let’s go. Be good,” I told her in a low voice, reaching for her bag—another Walmart purchase. It was cheap, floral, and contained Evie’s toiletries and another change of clothes, and I looped the strap over my shoulder.

Gripping Evie’s hand with my free one, I led her to the hangar. Guido immediately gave her a slow once-over with his beady black gaze, and my blood began to boil.

“Keep your fucking eyes to yourself unless you want them removed with a rusty spoon,” I growled, and the prick immediately looked away. I turned to Evie and pointed to one of the seats in the chopper. “Sit there and don’t give me any shit. Understood?”

Her eyes were downcast, but she raised them to mine and said demurely, “Yes, sir.”

Fuck me. My suit pants stretched around my swelling cock at those words. And at the sight of her tight ass in those shorts as she climbed into the helicopter. Cut it out, Cappitani. This is not the time nor the place. And certainly not the woman you need to be lusting after. A woman you will never see again after today.

That thought brought to the forefront an emotion I couldn’t quite define, but I was pretty sure it was akin to sadness. Shit, I liked this chick. She was funny, brave, and spunky as fuck. And goddamn gorgeous even beneath the bruises.

Rodrigo was in the chopper, doing whatever pre-flight checks he always did. “What’s the deal with this flight plan?” he called to Guido, who was standing just inside the hangar. “It’s got us going southeast over the Gulf of Mexico instead of straight to the northeast.”

“Dunno. Luca sent it. Said he wanted you to stay just off the coast for a bit and then refuel in Florida.” He shrugged, his hands jiggling in the pockets of his pants. “I just do what I’m told, and I was told to make sure you leave on time, soooo…”

He let the word linger, and I rolled my eyes, taking my time walking back to the car to retrieve the final money duffel and my own leather bag. Just to piss him off.

A chirping sound came from my bag and I frowned, unzipping it enough to pull out my burner phone. Fiero was the only one who had that number. Flipping it open, I saw a text in all caps, and my blood ran cold.

[unknown]: DO NOT GET ON THAT HELICOPTER!