Page 58 of Protected by the Sinner (The Sinner’s Touch #2)

Elodie

I hear the pilot welcoming the passengers, and my hands are cold with nerves.

Normally, I work in economy class, but today I was reassigned to first class, and I feel incredibly insecure. I really want to keep this job because it’s the fulfillment of a long-time dream: traveling the world.

If today goes well and I manage to build a career with this airline, there’s a chance I could be promoted in the future. That promotion means everything to me—it would allow me to move to Spain and get to know some of our mother’s relatives.

Amber and I went to court to get rid of Tobias’s last name, Cohen, and now we both carry De León as our official surname, though she added Beau’s last name too.

“Elodie, could you serve the water?” Miles, my fellow flight attendant, asks me.

He’s such a sweetheart. He talked to me to help calm my nerves, unlike the other flight attendant, who gave me a judgmental once-over and then made a snide remark about my red lipstick.

I nod, too nervous to speak, silently praying I don’t spill water on some rich passenger’s lap.

Maybe I’m so anxious because this first-class flight is headed to Milan; the memories tied to that city weigh heavily on me. Honestly, the whole of Italy does, especially Tuscany.

I try to push away the image of that arrogant, beautiful Italian man from my mind and brace myself to begin serving the passengers.

But I barely take one step before my heart leaps into a wild sprint, because the last person I want to see is sitting there, oozing power, staring straight at me.

Gianni Andresano.