It felt like mere minutes before we were up in the air, and I was in some sort of weird suit, getting strapped to Sergio.
I was shaking so hard I thought I was going to puke.
“You’re Russian,” Sergio whispered hotly in my ear. “Don’t embarrass your country.”
“Easy for you to say.” My teeth chattered. “You’ve actually done this before.”
“No, he hasn’t,” the pilot called back.
My eyes widened.
Sergio burst out laughing. I hadn’t heard his laugh often, but it was deep, sensual. I leaned closer to his body. “He’s kidding.”
“Hilarious.” I flipped off the pilot behind my back. He probably didn’t see me, but I felt a lot better knowing I’d shown my irritation.
“At altitude,” the pilot called.
Sergio pulled the goggles over my face.
My back was pressed against his front. Everything was snug. I could feel his body heat. I wondered if he could feel my heart rate going off the charts.
“You ready?” Sergio yelled above the noise as the door to the airplane opened.
“No.” My teeth chattered.
“Trust me,” Sergio called. “Alright?”
I had no choice but to nod my head back.
“Jump when you’re ready, Andi.”
“But…” I couldn’t turn around. “…shouldn’t you jump?”
“I’m attached to you. Jump, Andi.”
“But—”
“It’s your choice… to jump. It has to be your choice, Andi.”
I was empowered in that moment. I’d never been in control of anything in my life, and he was offering me a small part of it.
A small part.
But it was there.
All I had to do was jump.
So I did.
My breath rushed out of me as air hit my face, making it hard to breathe and think all at once.
It was loud.
So loud that I knew even if Sergio was saying something to me, I probably wouldn’t be able to hear him.
I tried to enjoy the scenery of Chicago.
I closed my eyes and then spread my arms out wide, like I was flying. My face broke out into a grin as I opened my eyes and felt, for maybe the first time in my life, completely free.
We fell.
My smile turned into laughter.
And then I felt movement behind me. The chute was pulled; it tugged our bodies hard, nearly hanging me in the process.
The rest of the ride was smooth. Sergio didn’t say anything as I continued flapping my arms like a crazy person. Laughter bubbled out of me once we hit the ground.
And it was like, in that moment, reality came crashing down.
I wasn’t free.
I wouldn’t be free until I was dead.
In those brief moments, Sergio had given me all I’d ever wanted — but had never been brave enough to admit.
Freedom from the thoughts of sickness.
Freedom from the thoughts of death.
Freedom from my physical body reminding me that it was soon.
My laughs quickly turned into sobs as Sergio unhooked us. I fell to my knees, tears dripping onto the ground, mixing with the dirt and grass.
Sergio didn’t yell at me.
He didn’t tell me to get up.
No, my husband, the man I wasn’t even sure I liked most of the time, sat with me in the dirt, and pulled my body into the protection of his chest and let me cry.
We sat there for at least fifteen minutes.
He didn’t say anything — then again, he didn’t need to. He held me, he let me cry, and when I didn’t think I had any tears left, Sergio tilted my chin toward his face and whispered, “You’re the bravest person I know.”
Nobody had ever called me brave before.
He may as well have said he loved me for the impact his words had on my life, on my very soul. I tried to avert my eyes.
He didn’t let me.
Sergio brought his mouth to mine. And kissed me.
Not because he was pissed.
Or because it was on my stupid honeymoon list.
But… I think… because he wanted to.
And I let him — because in that moment I realized one thing. I more than liked him. I was on my way to loving him — the way he fought with me, the way he teased, the way he let me be me without any judgment.
The way we lived — in a constant battleground.
“You did good, Russia,” he said when he pulled back.
“The kiss?” I teased.
“The jump…” He rolled his eyes then kissed me again. “But for the record… this was good too.” His tongue licked the seam of my lips before pulling back. “Family dinner?”
I nodded, my face felt sticky from crying.
We held hands the entire walk back to the building.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sergio
HER TEARS SCARED ME.
Because they represented what I already knew. She hadn’t fully grieved or come to terms with what was happening to her — what was going to happen.
I respected her positivity.
Hell, I respected her in general.
But I knew, as the days progressed, I’d probably see more tears as life continued to spin out of control for both of us.
I was on the same ride as her. Selfishly, it felt more painful because I was powerless to stop anything.
I could hold her hand.
Kiss her tears.
But in the end that’s all I had, and it sucked.
My mind went back to the phone call in the hospital. Tex had yet to get back to me, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything good or bad.
Family dinner would at least take my mind off the emotional day. By the time we arrived at Nixon’s, Andi was back to her usual self. She even had a marker and was going through the list that she’d somehow confiscated from its hiding place in my office.
Just thinking about my office made my vision flash to the black folder. What if she read it? What if she found out secrets about me even I didn’t want to know? And why the hell did I care?
“Origami,” she announced. “That’s next.”
“The hell it is!” I shouted. “How is that even honeymoon-related?”
“You’re rich,” she stated. “Therefore, our honeymoon wouldn’t have stopped at the African safari.”
“Oh?” Her reasoning was exhausting. I pulled into the driveway and shut off the car.
“Japan.” She nodded confidently. “You would have taken me to Japan, and how can you go to Japan and not learn the art of origami?”
“I’m not folding paper.”
“You are.”
“Not.”
“Are…” Andi unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned across the console. She unbuckled mine and trailed her fingers slowly up my stomach.
“Seduction?” My eyebrows arched. “Isn’t that a bit above your usual tactics?”
“You kissed me, therefore I figured it would probably work this time…”
Damn her. “You may have a point.”
“After origami, we can bake.”
“I hate to ask…” I groaned. “…but why the hell do we have to bake a cake?”
“Because when I did my Internet search, almost every single honeymoon couple goes to those all-inclusive resorts where they teach you how to bake, but learning how to grill a fish is stupid. Who doesn’t know how to make salmon?”
I wanted to point out that I’d probably have to look it up online but kept my mouth shut, knowing Andi she’d just add it to the list of honeymoon activities.
“But cakes? Muffins? Chocolate? Come on, that’s way more fun. Besides, I’ve always wanted to be a cake boss.”
“How about you just pick one or the other?”
Her fingers gripped the front of my shirt; she gave a little tug. Our mouths nearly collided. “Well, we do have fifteen other activities that come to mind.”
My eyes focused on her
mouth. “True.”
A loud horn honking interrupted our little discussion and then banging on my side of the window startled me.
Slowly, I looked over my shoulder.
Tex was waving a gun around and grinning like an idiot. I was going to shoot him.
We didn’t have the best of relationships — not that either of us actually tried to be nice to one another.
“Family dinner!” he shouted against the window.
“Why is his gun out?” Andi asked.
“Guns to Tex are like water to fish.”
“Both need it in order to survive?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if his skin was starting to actually grow around the trigger.”
Andi scooted out of the car and met me on the other side. She took one look at Tex and then in seconds had the gun out of his hand.
One minute it was in his hand…
The next it was in hers.
I stared dumbstruck.
Tex’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell, Andi?”
I think I fell in love with her a little bit right then. I patted Tex on the back and whispered. “Remember, she’s on my team.”
“Damn straight I am, partner,” Andi said in a southern accent then handed Tex his gun. “Let me know if you need pointers later.”
Tex’s eye narrowed. “I wasn’t prepared.”
“Well maybe you should be… next time.” Andi gripped my hand in hers. “After all, terror comes in all sizes.”
“Don’t I know it,” I grumbled under my breath.
Tex laughed softly and followed us inside. “You’re alright, Andi.”
“I’m more than alright. I’m amazing,” she announced.
Nixon was at the head of the table pouring wine. His eyes met mine briefly before he looked back at Andi. His lips curled into a mocking grin.
Whatever, shit face. Yes, we were getting along. No need to go and celebrate or anything.
He looked about five seconds away from patting himself on the back like he was the one responsible for fixing things, when really it was…
Well, I don’t know. Maybe insanity… or just time.
She was growing on me — like a freaking weed I couldn’t get rid of, only prettier and funnier. Damn it!
“Sergio’s doing honeymoon activities with me on account that we can’t travel out of the country without getting shot at by the FBI or my father,” Andi blurted out to the entire group
All talking ceased.
I briefly contemplated crawling underneath the table and rocking back and forth; maybe then they’d think I’d gone insane and stop staring at me like I was the freaking Grinch who’d finally managed to grow a heart.
“That’s so sweet!” Trace was the first to talk. “What did you guys do today?”
“I know what they did a few days ago,” Nixon said into his wine glass.
I kicked him under the table.
He didn’t even wince, the bastard.
“Oh, did you like my present?” Trace asked, her eyes alight with excitement. I’d always liked Trace, but yeah, not the best question to ask right then.
“Yeah.” Nixon leaned forward. “Did you have any trouble unwrapping it.”
I kicked him again.
But this time Chase yelped. “What the hell, Sergio? Why’d you kick me?”
“The present was… unexpected.”
My eyes narrowed. Not exactly a glowing review of my seduction skills.
“I mean, at first I was…” Andi’s gaze met mine. “…surprised.”
“I knew you would be.” Trace nodded encouragingly. What the hell had she given us? A dog? Shit, I hoped not, because it would be a dead dog by now.
“And then, I don’t know, it just felt natural,” Andi continued. “And perfect.”
It was getting hard to breathe. The air was thinning by the second.
“Oh, um…” Trace shared a confused look with Nixon. “…I’m glad?”
“Me too.” Andi blushed brightly before looking away and shrugging. “Monogram towels were really so thoughtful. I especially liked that Sergio’s had little mustaches on them.”
“Ah-ha!” I slammed my hand onto the table. Not meaning to do that out loud. Towels! Of course. I’d used one already.
All eyes turned to me.
“Forgive him, he really likes the towels.” Andi nodded. “Gets him all excited in the shower. I would know.”
I choked on my wine while I received curious stares from every single one of my family members.
“I’m happy for you… guys,” Bee interjected, rubbing her still-flat stomach. She was only in her first trimester. “You both look so happy.”
Could we not be the center of attention?
A knock sounded, and then Frank waltzed in. Thank God. He was always late to family dinner. I finally felt like I was out of the hot seat.
“Grandpa.” Trace rose up from her chair and kissed him on the nose.
He blushed and took his seat at the head of the table.
“Sorry for being late. I had a few things to collect.”
“Did you find them?” Nixon asked, his gaze cool and indifferent.
Frank’s eyes darted around the table then finally settled on me. “I did.”
“No better time than the present.”
“What?” Trace touched Frank’s arm. “What’s Nixon talking about?”
Frank poured a shaky glass of wine. “I guess it’s best to get things out before dinner. It’s hard enough as it is.”
Dread filled my stomach. This couldn’t be good, whatever it was. Frank rarely just announced things at family dinner.
“Trace…” His gaze was loving, adoring even as he tilted her chin toward him and flicked her nose with a chuckle. “…I am old.”
“No shit,” Tex said under his breath.
I held in my laugh.
“And the rest of you — you are so young. So… alive with ideas for your own families. Luca left the Nicolasi family to Phoenix. He has a small child on the way. Trace, you and Nixon have the Abandonatos to deal with. Mil and Chase, the handful that is the De Langes.”
“Here, here.” Chase lifted his wine glass into the air. I knew they were still giving Mil hell since she was one of the only female bosses in existence; then again, Chase was a trained assassin, so they didn’t fight it much.
“The Campisis…” Frank motioned to Tex. “…a tighter run family I’ve never seen.”
Tex did a little bow.
Frank let out a breath. “And my family… the Alferos, while I trust my men, I want to leave my family to blood.” His eyes fell to Trace. “You do not need the added stress of leading two families. I want you and Nixon to have beautiful grandchildren, I want you to laugh, to enjoy life as much as possible, which is why I need to do this.”
His speech was making me more and more uncomfortable. Andi shifted in her seat, her eyes downcast like she knew something. But how?
Frank pulled out a black folder. “It’s Luca’s.”
Wow, not what I expected.
Andi’s gaze met mine; she was so pale she looked like she was going to be sick. What was going on?
Frank set the folder on the table and opened the first page. A picture of a guy and girl around my age stared back.
Trace frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“More secrets…” Frank sighed. “Trace, your grandmother and I were not entirely honest with you.”
Nixon pulled Trace closer. Bastard knew what was coming; I could see it in his eyes.
“Before we went into hiding — three years before to be exact — your grandmother had an affair.”
The table was completely silent.
“With Luca,” he whispered. “She was ten years younger than me, still in her early forties.”
My mind tried to do the math, tried to put the puzzle together.
Andi was looking sicker by the minute, and Trace was well on her way to joining her.
“They
had twins,” Frank continued. “A boy and a girl. They both went to live with Luca, though his lifestyle at the time wasn’t exactly child-friendly. He put them in the best schools, but when he discovered that by keeping them close he was putting targets on their backs, he let them go. He wanted them to live normal lives before getting sucked into the lifestyle he lived.”
“Why now?” Trace whispered. “Why are you telling us this now?”
Andi spoke up. “Because the plan changed.”
“What plan?” Trace repeated.
Andi’s eyes met mine. What the hell was she talking about? She glanced back at Frank. “The plan was simple… take over the Russian crime family’s hold in Chicago, protect me in the process, marry into the Nicolasi family by way of Dante Nicolasi, Luca’s son.”
Something slammed into my chest — maybe it was my heart, or maybe it was just the feeling of absolute disbelief.
“What?” Trace whispered.
Frank sighed and sat back down in his chair. “Andi was never meant for Sergio. She was meant for Dante. And Dante was meant to take over the Alferos when the time was right.”
She wasn’t mine.
She wasn’t mine.
She wasn’t mine.
Why the hell was that the only piece of information I was coming away with during the conversation?
“So why change the plan?” I finally hissed out, my voice sounded a hell of a lot like I’d just swallowed knives.
Frank met my gaze. “Because I made a judgment call. Dante didn’t know Andi, doesn’t even know this plan exists. And Andi doesn’t need a boss as a husband before she dies. She needs a friend.”
Dumbstruck, I could only stare and hope my emotions weren’t written all over my face. It was part rejection, part shock, part relief.
“I, um…” I stood, my chair scooting against the hardwood floor. “…I need a minute.”
I walked toward the back door and didn’t glance over my shoulder. Not even when Andi yelled my name.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Andi
SERGIO DIDN’T STOP WALKING. I STARED at the table and let out an exhausted and halfway guilty sigh. He didn’t know the whole story.
Or his part in it.
Then again, it wasn’t my story to tell. Not by a long shot.
Frank cleared his throat.
Elude (Eagle Elite #6) Page 11
