I stared at the screen, but she didn’t reply. I scrolled to distract myself. My feed showed pictures of Italy. The cobbled streets glistened after the rain. Balconies spilled with flowers, and sunlit villages were alive with strangers. It looked like home, yet all it gave me was a sense of distance.
Minutes passed before I realized the girls had slipped out of the room. My phone buzzed, and I tapped on Carina’s reply with a jolt of relief.
The door banged open while I was still typing. Clara stumbled in, breathless, like she’d run the entire way. A jolt of dread snapped me upright.
“The boss sent me,” she breathed. “He’s waiting in the car outside.”
My blood ran cold. In the car? Where was he taking me now? The question clawed at me, but I stayed silent. Refusing wasn’t an option. I knew if I didn’t go, he would come for me himself. So I stood and left the quarters.
The car waited outside. My mind churned with too many thoughts at once. With Rodion, anything was possible. I had pushed him too far, and the fear of what came next sat heavy in my chest.
I slid into the backseat. Rodion was already there, phone pressed to his ear. He didn’t look at me, and maybe that was for the best. I turned to the window as the car rolled out of the territory. His low voice filled the space, each word rough enough to stir something inside me. I forced it down, telling myself whatever I felt for him would fade once we left for Italy.
The car slowed, and my thoughts snapped back to reality. A private jet waited ahead, gleaming under the lights. My pulse kicked as I stared. Where was he taking me?
We stepped out and boarded. Moments later, the engines roared, and the ground fell away beneath us.
I sat across from Rodion. He had poured himself a drink. I kept my eyes on the window, pretending to be absorbed in the view instead of the man watching me.
From above, the city lights stretched without end, a sea of gold that made it feel like we were circling forever. I let myself take it in. California was beautiful, and I wasn’t ready to leave it behind. My life, my friends, and everything I knew were here. But safety came first.
Tears pricked, but I forced them back and fixed my eyes outside. My eyes caught the same building I had seen minutes ago. We weren’t leaving the city’s airspace. We were flying in circles.
At first, I almost ignored it, but the low thrum outside drew me to the window. I pressed closer to the glass. A helicopter paced us, steady at our side, its rotors chopping through the night. Across its body, bold blue letters read: POLICE.
Heat rushed through my veins. That wasn’t a joyride.
Voices crackled from its speakers, faint and broken. Still, our plane circled the city again, unbothered.
I turned to Rodion. He leaned back with his glass in hand, sipping slowly and relaxed.
The speakers outside flared louder, words I couldn’t make out. “What is happening?” I asked.
He tipped the glass and drained it. “I should ask you the same.”
I frowned. “How would I know? Why are they tailing us?”
His gaze hardened. “And how am I supposed to know why you’ve been avoiding me?”
My stomach dropped.
He tilted his head. “Are you ready to talk now?”
“Rodion, those are the police officers.”
“And this is you and me,” he said evenly. “We can circle all night until you decide to talk.”
I stared at him, disbelief knotting in my chest. Was he serious?
“Are you kidding me? Rodion, we—” I glanced out the window. The helicopter was still there, hovering, relentless. “Fine. We’ll talk.”
“Okay.”
I buckled my belt tight. “Can we land? We could get arrested.”
“Why are you avoiding me?”
A disbelief breath escaped me. He couldn’t be serious. But the look on his face told me he was.