I tailed off as I wondered what to refer to them as. Girlfriend and her best friend? The woman I loved and the woman she did? I was new to this.
“My friends,” I finished up eventually. “I had a failsafe installed when I put the place together, and I was able to knock Saffron unconscious. But I don’t want her here when she wakes up; just dump her somewhere back in town. Hopefully, her memory will be so scrambled she won’t remember what happened to the three of us.”
“And what did happen to the three of you?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you when I get back. If I get back,” I replied. I had no idea whether I would ever make it back to the city or not. Hell, whether or not I would make it back to the country.
“Well, I’ll keep some whiskey in the cupboard for your return,” he promised.
“So you’ll do it?” I pressed. I needed to hear confirmation before I could let go.
“Of course I will.” I could hear his shrug over the phone. “Anything to mess with Leo Marino’s head.”
“You really hate that motherfucker, don’t you?” I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yep,” he agreed simply. “I guess you do now as well.”
“With all my heart.” I nodded, staring up at the dark sky above me. “Thanks for doing this, Tom. I appreciate it. Don’t get yourself into any trouble on my behalf, though - be careful.”
“Please, I’ve been doing this for years,” Tom scoffed. “Give me a little credit. I’m good at this shit. She won’t have any memory of me whatsoever.”
“As long as you’re sure,” I sighed with relief.
“Anything else?” he asked with a yawn. I wondered how often he got calls like this - I knew that I was far from the only guy he mentored in his years as a hitman. How many messes did he have to clean up? How many people did he help get out of the lifestyle just because he could? I thought for a moment, lingering on his questions. What else did I need to make sure this was a clean break?
“Actually, yeah.” I nodded, closing my eyes. “Can you tell everyone that… we’re dead?”
“No problem,” he replied breezily. “Three of you, was it?”
“Yeah, me and two women.”
“Dare I ask?” he teased. I rolled my eyes.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I protested, then paused before I spoke again. “But you’ll do that?”
“If anyone comes asking, I will,” he promised. “I’ll spread it about as best I can.”
“Thanks, Tom, I really appreciate it,” I sighed gently. It felt odd, to be thanking someone for faking my death - for letting the people around me know that I was long gone. Like something I shouldn’t have been personally privy to.
“Can I ask where you’re going?” Tom requested.
“I’ve got no idea,” I admitted. “I just know we can’t stay here, that’s all.”
“Well, good luck, wherever you end up,” he remarked, and I could have sworn I heard a hint of sadness in his voice. “You were always one of my favorite students.”
“And you were my favorite teacher, you big old pussy,” I teased, trying to keep the mood light. “Text me when you’re done with Saffron, alright?”
“I will,” he promised. “Catch you later.”
He had hung up before I could reply, and I stared at the dead phone in my hands for a couple of seconds before I thought to move again. I was leaving everything behind - maybe forever. The life that I had once known was now far behind me, and all I could do now was move forward.
I made my way back to the car and strapped both Sabrina and Lily into the back seat to make sure they didn’t jerk around too much as we drove. I wasn’t certain where we would end up, but at that moment, I just needed to drive - to get out on the open road and put as much space between this situation and the three of us as I possibly could. I planted a quick kiss on Sabrina’s cheek then climbed into the driver’s seat, placing my hands on the unfamiliar wheel. I missed my old car, but this one felt like a new start. And God did I need one of those.
Chapter Twenty-Five
My eyes fluttered open slowly, but the headache hit me like a ton of bricks. I frowned as I forced myself awake - everything hurt. My lungs burned, my throat was scratchy, and I could feel grazes and bruises all over my body every time I moved. But still- and most shockingly - I was actually alive.
It took me a while to take in my surroundings. It wasn’t until I looked out the window next to me that I realized I was in the air. What? I leaped to my feet, pushing myself up on the chair to look around, and soon I caught sight of Anthony, who was asleep a few feet away. My panic subsided. Oh, thank God he was alive. He had made it. My entire body sagged with relief - if this were his idea, I would trust that it was the best one for us at this particular moment in time.
I sank back into my chair and stared out the window for a moment. Where were we going? I had no clue. Anthony had said he had property all over the world. Maybe we were traveling abroad? I felt a flicker of panic as I wondered what would become of the restaurant, but then I reminded myself - if I were still there, I would probably be dead. We could figure all that out once this had blown over, and in the meantime, enjoy some time away from home that didn’t involve getting pursued by psycho ex-co-workers of Anthony.
I strained to remember what had happened to bring us onto this flight. As I looked around, I realized it was just the three of us on the plane. I hurried over to Lily and checked her out for any damage. She looked relatively okay - a little drawn and tired, but I couldn’t see anything too serious. I ruffled her hair lightly, glad she was here and safe with me, and began to pace up and down the plane. Even though my legs screamed with every step and my head still didn’t feel entirely clear, I wanted to be in control of what I was doing because it felt like everything had been so distinctly out of my grasp for the last few days.
This had all been such a blur - not just whatever had brought us here, but everything leading up to it. A week ago, my life had been normal, and now I was fleeing to God knows where because some gangsters were on my tail and determined to take me out. I looked over at Anthony and wondered how much he had to do with it. Would any of this have happened if he hadn’t intervened when those two guys attacked me? Maybe not, I reasoned, but I’d always very probably be dead. His appearance in my life was for the best, even if it had flipped everything upside down.
I couldn’t remember anything past passing out as I was heading for the door. I recalled the horror of the gas taking over me, watching Saffron fall to the floor, hearing Lily breathing shallowly behind me and being thankful that at least she was still alive. I could half-remember being carried somewhere - I was almost certain that it was Anthony carrying me as I had grown so familiar with his scent that just being around it made me feel calm and centered. And then I woke up here. I had no idea where we were or where we were going, but we were safe - at least for now. No one could get to us all the way up here, and Lily and Anthony were both alive. That was all that mattered.
I was surprised at how much the thought of Anthony’s death disturbed me. Of course, losing anybody was terrible, and I never would have forgiven myself if he had gotten hurt because of me. But it was more than that, my heart ached at the thought of losing him, my soul shuddering when I wondered what it would be like not to have him in my life. I made my way tentatively over to him, and leaned on the edge of his seat, reaching down to brush a strand of hair from his face. I ran my finger along his jaw, feeling the light smattering of stubble that had grown in since the day before, and thought about how vulnerable he looked like this. I was so used to seeing him completely in control, completely powerful, but here, he looked almost childlike. His mouth was slightly open, his head tilted to the side, and he jerked slightly when I touched him. I stood up again, not wanting to disturb him - he’d been through some shit in the last twenty-four hours (or however long it had been), he probably needed his rest.
I went back to my seat and found a cooler full of food and drink
sitting beneath it. I pulled it out and realized how ravenously hungry I was, and how much I wanted a drink. I cracked one of the tiny bottles of wine open and went to town on a couple of pathetically small packets of nuts and chips. I would pay for it all when we landed; I didn’t care. I just needed to fill my stomach with something so I could start working off some of my shitty post-hostage-situation symptoms. Which were, for the record, like the worst hangover in the world. But with the added fun of whatever gas I’d had swirling around in my system. I lay back in my seat and tried to enjoy the fact that I was actually flying somewhere. The last time I’d flown, it had been when I was fourteen to visit my father’s shitty side of the family halfway across the country. We hadn’t gone back, but I’d loved being in the air and had promised myself that I would do it again as soon as I could. Well, time got away from me, but here I was, and that was something.
I heard Anthony stirring beside me after a few moments, and my head snapped around. I was still on edge. Fuck, could you blame me? After what had happened with Saffron, I was pretty sure I’d have trouble ever getting a decent night’s sleep again. Saffron. I wondered what had happened to her. Was she dead? Maybe - at the very least, she was probably waking up in a worse state than I was today.
“Anthony?” I asked softly, and he turned to look over at me. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, as if he’d forgotten what we were doing here, and then stretched and stood up.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice all foggy with sleep. He came over to me and knelt next to me, taking my hand in his, and looked hard into my eyes.
“I’m okay,” I replied. “You?”
“Good,” he yawned. “Great, actually.”
He put his arms around me and pulled me into a hug - the angle was a little awkward, but I didn’t care. I pressed myself into him and felt a tear well in my eye.
“I thought I’d lost you,” I whispered, and he squeezed me even tighter.
“Not getting rid of me that easily,” he shot back, and I laughed, my tears retreating for the time being.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I moved back from him, and he planted a kiss on my cheek.
“No more?” I pouted.
“Not with Lily right over there.” He nodded to her. “And I have some serious nap breath.”
“Fair enough,” I sighed. “You’ll have to tell me everything that happened, you know. And where the fuck we’re going to.”
He took a deep breath, ran his hands through his hair, and replied. “Italy.”
“What?”
It was Lily’s voice that cut through the silence between us. We both turned and once, and she was on her feet, her mouth open as she gaped at the two of us.
“Hey, careful now, you had a fall.” Anthony hurried over to her as she wobbled on her feet. “Here, sit down, you don’t want to get hurt.”
“We’re going to Italy?” she demanded, staring up at him. “Why?”
“Because there wasn’t any safe place in the USA after what happened,” he replied, glancing over at me. I could only stare at him. Italy? I’d wanted to go all my life, to try some real Italian cuisine but… not like this. Jesus.
“And there’s a safe place in Italy?” Lily rolled her eyes.
“I have a villa there - it’s remote, an hour or so’s drive from Florence, and you’ll be safe there.” He nodded. “I just couldn’t bear the thought of worrying about the two of you every time I left you behind.”
“So you flew us out to Italy?” I stared at him, not knowing what to think.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” he admitted. “I knew they’d be after us. I just wanted to make sure the two of you would be safe. I’ve had the jet on standby for a while, I guess I just never thought I’d have to use it.”
Our gazes met, and we simply looked at each other for a few moments. Then I walked towards him and put my arms around him.
“Thank you,” I murmured, and then turned to Lily.
“Are you okay with this?”
“If it keeps me alive and means I won’t get tied to any more chairs, then yeah.” She shrugged. I went over to her and squeezed her hand, silently thanking her for supporting me through all of this. A small smile curled onto her face, and she looked up at me.
“Besides, free holiday,” she pointed out, and we shared a small laugh. Anthony watched us, relieved, and I took a seat next to her so we could watch as the land passed underneath us. It was peaceful, in a way, to see how far away everything was - to put so much space between us and what had happened back at the beachfront apartment.
We spent a couple more hours on the jet before we landed, and were immediately whisked through customs before hopping into a hired car to take us out to the villa. Anthony really had planned everything. I wondered how long Lily and I had been out for to give him the time to get all this organized. Or maybe he’d always had this on back-up? I glanced across at him as he drove, with so many questions on the tip of my tongue that I didn’t know where to start - too exhausted to think about saying a word.
We arrived at the villa as it was getting dark, and Anthony helped us both out of the car. My jaw dropped when I saw where we’d be saying.
“And you own this place?” Lily demanded as she stretched and climbed out of the car.
“I made a lot of money doing what I did.” He shrugged modestly. The villa was incredible - multi-colored bricks topped with terracotta rooves, with a huge archway that led into the main house. We made our way up the long driveway, and Anthony went back to carry everything he’d manage to salvage from the apartment up to our new quarters.
“This place is fucking amazing,” Lily breathed as she made her way around the entrance hall. “How long do you think we’ll be staying here?”
“Until everyone thinks we’re dead, I guess,” I sighed. It was an awful thought. A truly chilling one, even. And what would happen to the restaurant while we were away? We were just picking up steam, and it felt stupid to walk away from that now, even if we did get to sample some real Italian food in the meantime.
“Ugh,” Lily shivered, obviously as put out by the idea as I was. Then she cocked her head at me.
“Do you think we’ll ever go back?”
Her voice was small and nervous, and my heart ached for her and how much I’d put her through in the last few days. She was just trying to be a supportive friend to me, and now she was trapped in the middle of this freaking mess - a mess that she should never have really been involved in. I wondered if they would have come after her too, eventually, or if it was just me they were gunning for. All I knew for sure was that if she hadn’t been with me at that apartment that night, then she wouldn’t have had to fly across the world to get to safety. What would her family think, her friends? Her entire life was just sitting back in America, waiting patiently for her to return, and I couldn’t be sure that we would ever make it back there.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I… don’t know.”
I wished I could have offered her something more certain, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. I knew exactly how she felt because I felt it too - the helpless injustice of the situation, how much it felt like we’d been dumped into something we didn’t deserve and never asked for. I closed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair, unable to face her in that instant. I just needed to get my head together before I could offer her any real comfort.
“Of course you’ll go back.” Anthony’s voice made me jump, and I turned to see him carefully placing our bags down in the hall.
“How can you be so sure?” Lily asked quietly, her eyes wide as she regarded him.
“I just do,” he responded firmly. “Sabrina, can I borrow you for a second?”
I cast a look in Lily’s direction, and she nodded for me to go with him. I followed him out into the hall, and he led me to one of the bedrooms.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I have to go back to America.” He let his he
ad droop downward as if he knew what my reaction was going to be.
“What the fuck?” I snapped. “After everything that happened? Do you want to get yourself killed?”
“Trust me; it’s the only way I can get you guys back to America safe,” he assured me. “Just… please. I need to go.”
“Now?”
“Now,” he replied. And I felt a wave of panic move over me. I didn’t want him to leave - I was already scared enough as it was, and the thought of being here all by myself, without his protection, was terrifying.
“Do you have to?”
“Yes.” He nodded. He stepped towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’m sorry, I really am. I want to stay here with you, trust me, there’s so much I-“
I interrupted him with a kiss. I didn’t want to hear a word more of what he was saying. I knew that if he said he had to go then there was no way I could keep in here. I trusted him, and I knew he would never tell me what he was going back for. But I just needed this last little bit of comfort from him, a last promise that he was coming back and that he still cared for me. After everything that had happened, it was the least I could ask for.
BABY FOR A PRICE Page 15
