Page 21 of The Billionaire's Classmate
He spoke with a purpose so pure that Savanna was taken aback. For a moment Ronny got lost in his thoughts, losing his gaze on Savanna that he had maintained for the last few hours.
***
Savanna had not expected this kind of story. She had assumed he wanted the fame and glory that men often thought came with working in the military. Instead, he had given her a touching story with a rather heartwarming theme of friendship at its core. Maybe this Ronny person was more than just a pretty face, but Savanna didn’t let herself think of such things for very long. She had been trained to check herself and not get drifted by emotions. She needed to ignore the feelings bubbling up inside of her and focus on the mission ahead of her.
“What about you?” Ronny finally said after a few minutes of silence. He looked up at her. Small tears adorned his face, but he refused to wipe them as he kept his eyes locked with hers, searching their depths.
“Well, I definitely don’t have a story like yours… I just got recruited one day and decided to stay. I couldn’t afford to go to college anyway, so I didn’t have much of a choice. It was either this or a low-end job at retail or worse.” She said with a dismissive air in her voice and waved her hand as if she could sweep the whole explanation out of sight.
“I see… well if you want to go to college now… I could –”
“Don’t. I don’t need your charity.” With that cold statement, utter silence grew in the plane. The rest of their trip was one of awkwardness, where neither one of them dared to say another word. Despite this, each of them caught a glance of the other, whenever they thought it was safe to do so.
***
A few hours later, they landed in Germany. Savanna had managed to sleep through the whole thing, even as the plane shook with a horrible turbulence. Ronny looked over, smiling at her relaxed features. He wanted to reach out and caress her cheek but thought better of it. Had it been any other girl, he would have done it, but there was something about this one that was different.
The flight attendant was about to wake up the sleeping woman, but Ronny stopped her. He wanted to be the one to wake her. Unfastening his seat belt, he moved forward. His body hovered over hers as he reached forward, his hand on her shoulder as he shook her softly. “Savanna…” He whispered her name. The word tasted like sugar on his lips and he smiled to himself, waiting for her to wake up.
When she didn’t, he leaned in closer before shaking her with a little more force. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and she moved quickly, kicking Ronny’s feet out from under him and pinning him to the floor of the plane before she could realize what she was doing. Her cheeks flushed slightly before she finally loosened her grip on him. “Sorry.”
“Jeez… warn me next time, will you?” Ronny got up, brushing off his expensive suit before rubbing his neck, where Savanna had managed to dig in her fingernails. “Why do you constantly attack me?” He protested, getting closer to her. She shot him a glance, a fire burning behind her dark eyes.
“I don’t like guys sneaking up on me. Remember that.” Her words sounded like a threat as she grabbed her bag and made her way out of the plane. Ronny wondered if something had happened in her past that had made her this defensive.
Eventually, they made their way through one of the secret American posts in Germany. There, they were briefed further on their mission. By the end, it was determined that Ronny would dress up as Savanna’s chauffeur and drive her to the soiree Kozlowski was hosting. She already had a position on the guest list as a well-known fence for precious gems.
While inside, she would get all the information they needed on the German as Ronny got in position, ready to kill the man with a clean shot once Savanna gave him the cue. It seemed like an easy enough mission, but there was plenty that could go wrong at any moment.
After they were both dressed for their roles, Ronny got behind the wheel of an expensive BMW. He rubbed the dashboard affectionately. “Great German manufacturing right here. I have a similar one at home. Red, though, I was never a fan of black cars.” Savanna rolled her eyes at his bragging. She didn’t need to know about his billionaire lifestyle, but for whatever reason, he seemed adamant about showing off.
“Are you nervous?” He finally asked as he looked over at her. She looked stunning in her shimmering white dress. It contrasted against her skin amazingly, making her skin glow in the gentle light of the car’s interior.
“No.”
“Not even a little?”
“No.”
“That’s impressive. You’re going to be lying to a bunch of people who could kill you in a moment’s notice.”
“It’s my job.” She said.
He looked at her, one hand on the wheel. His fingers tightened against the leather for a moment, before he sighed.
“Why are you so… cold?” He finally asked before setting his eyes back on the road. Before she could justify her hard exterior, Ronny pulled up to the impressive mansion. “Hmm… I think mine’s better.”
“Why are you such a show off?” And with that, Savanna made her way out of the car, slamming the door as she made her way toward the mansion. She couldn’t stand Ronny. He had a way of getting under her skin and yet, there was something lurking within her that kept coming up to the surface. She didn’t want to admit it, but a part of her felt like it was falling for him. In fact, she had felt an attraction toward him from the moment she laid eyes on him. But such things were foolish.
With this thought, she made her way to the bouncer. “Asha Rosas.” The man looked at his list, before making a small tick next to her fake name. With that he stepped to the side, allowing her into the luxurious home.
***
Ronny watched her enter the home, before making his way down the street. There was a nervous, prickling sensation in his back as Savanna escaped his view. He couldn’t help the knot that was forming in the pit of his stomach like something was about to go horribly wrong. He had felt this way once before when his best friend had gone into a fox den for a simple recon mission. He had never come back. Ronny, as he made his way to the designated vantage point, felt like there was the possibility of never seeing Savanna again.
“No… she’ll be okay… she can kick anyone’s butt…” Ronny muttered to himself as he squeezed the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white with the effort. He would see her again. He just needed to stay positive.
As his mind reeled with all the different possibilities the night could take, he took a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway. The car barely fit inside. He couldn’t even open up the door. Rolling down the window, he squeezed himself out of the car, until he was standing on the roof of the luxury vehicle. He quickly stepped down, hopping onto the trunk, and then to the ground. With a press of a button, the trunk opened up and he grabbed a heavy duffle bag.