Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
After escorting them out, he returns to me in the kitchen and pulls me into his arms.
I look up at him, fingers tightening around the warm mug. “Where are we going?” I ask. My words are quiet. I am scared to admit I am almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Mexico,” he says simply.
I look skeptical, the doubt flickering across my face before I can hide it, but I don’t argue. From what I know, Mexico is not far enough. The hand of the Mafia reaches well into even the deepest part of Mexico. He pulls me into his arms again, hugging me tight, like he’s trying to press every broken piece of me back together. Then he kisses me deeply like he’s pouring every unspoken promise into it. When he pulls back, his breath is warm against my lips.
“Everything will be okay, you’ll see,” he whispers.
I close my eyes, breathing him in, letting the solid warmth of him chase away the last of the fear. “I trust you,” I say, and I mean it with everything I have left. “Nothing else matters as long as you’re safe.”
Chapter Seventy-Three
RICCI
Afew days later we cross the tarmac and board the private jet, the engines are ready and humming. The cabin is quiet and luxurious. The aroma of fresh coffee wafts in from the galley. Viola settles into the seat next to me the moment we’re in the air, her body curling protectively around Freddie. Her head rests on my shoulder, her breath warm against my neck, but I can feel the tension in her. The way her fingers twist in the front of her shirt, the slight tremor that runs through her every few minutes. She’s still so nervous.
I wrap my arms around her tighter, one hand stroking slow circles along her back, the other resting on her thigh. “Everything is fine,” I murmur against her hair, voice low. “We’ve had time to talk it all through. You’re safe. We’re safe.”
She nods, but I can tell she’s still worried. The kind of worry that doesn’t let go easily. I feel it in the way she presses closer, like she’s afraid the world might reach in and snatch me away if she loosens her grip even a little.
She lifts her head, those luminous green eyes searching mine. Her voice is soft, almost hesitant. “Can I ask you something?”
She’s spoken very little over the past few days so I am surprised. “Of course, go ahead.”
“Why? You were the Godfather. You have the whole world at your feet.”
The question hangs between us. I look directly into her eyes, and let her see everything I’m feeling; the exhaustion, the certainty, the love that’s been burning in me since the moment she walked into my life and changed the rules.
“Do you really think I want to be the godfather of a bunch of criminals and psychopaths for the rest of my life?” I ask, my thumb brushing along her jaw. “This was always going to be the endgame for me. Especially after you came into it.”
She nods slowly, understanding flickering across her face, but the worry doesn’t leave. She shifts, her hand coming up to rest over my heart like she needs to feel it beating.
“But why did you betray them? All the other families.”
“There was no other way,” I say simply.
“We, especially you, will never be safe anywhere in the world after what you’ve done,” she whispers. “We might be flying away, but will we ever be safe again?”
I smile, small and sure, and press a kiss to her forehead. “I have a plan. Do you trust me?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “I do.”
The words settle warm in my chest. She falls asleep not long after, her breathing evening out, her body finally going soft and heavy against mine. I hold her close, watching the clouds drift past the window, feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest. For the first time in years, the weight on my shoulders feels lighter. Not gone, never gone, but lighter because she’s here.
A little while later I wake her gently, my hand smoothing over her hair. She stirs, blinking up at me in confusion, still half-asleep and so fucking beautiful it makes my throat tight.
I hand her jumpsuit and parachute to her. Freddie is already strapped into a specially sewn front pouch in my jumpsuit.
Her eyes widen, shock flashing across her face as she stares at the pack in my hands. “Ricci… what—”
I explain it all, calm and steady, my fingers working to help her into the harness, adjusting the straps over her shoulders, across her chest, making sure everything is tight and secure. “The pilot will jump after us as well. It has been the plan all along,” I tell her. “We’ll jump into the sea. There’s a boat waiting to pick us up. The world needs to think we’re dead. As long as they believe that we’re not, we’ll never be safe. We’ll always be looking behind our shoulders but if everyone thinks we’re dead… if the plane crashes and they find burnt bodies… we get to start over.”