Then again, I’ll very likely be dead anyway, seeing how I have every intention of putting a bullet in at least two men’s heads tonight.
My phone buzzes, and I look down at the text message that flashes on the screen. It’s Everest.
Waiting for you at the airport with Aurora and Dolores. We need to go back to Oakley. Damien needs us. It’s war.
That’s fucking right, it’s war. And by tomorrow morning,something tells me we’ll all be dead.
40
Lia
“They found him with a shot to the back of the head. Everyone assumes Coltello did it. But honestly, why are we all jumping to that conclusion? He was in that Idaho warehouse, waiting to meet with the Syndicate. It would make a lot more sense that someone from the Syndicate offed him. I bet some of them just hate his guts. After all, he’s trying to take it from them. And their loyalty to Anna can only go so far. You know, some of them still call her Anna Price. She took Moretti’s last name, but to the Prices she’ll always be one of theirs. And now she’s dead, so why the hell would they be loyal to him? I bet they’ve just been aching to kill the guy. I always said Idaho was a mistake. I don’t think Coltello has that kind of power anyway—”
“Had.”
I blink my eyes groggily. I’ve been tuned out to most of Everest’s monologue, feeling myself getting drowsier as Aurora rests her head against my chest. She’s fast asleep, and I would be too, if the knot in my stomach weren’t keeping me awake. My eyes are glued to Logan. He sits beside me, texting back and forth on his phone. I’ve never seen him look so closed off, and yet, I know he’s not angry at me. Just tense with everythingthat’s about to happen.
He’s the one who cut off Everest, and now he looks up.
“You have a lot of theories, man, that’s great. How about you keep them to yourself?”
“Fuck off, man.” Everest leans back, rolling his eyes. “I bet Damien would be interested in those theories.”
Logan’s jaw clenches, and my heart tightens to see the look on his face that only I understand. Everest is completely clueless, as usual. “I’m sure he would,” mutters Logan. “How about keeping an eye on the kid?”
“Hmm?”
“Dolores is sleeping,” he says, gesturing to the woman in question, who’s resting her head against another airplane window. “And I’m about to join the mile high club.”
I sit up straighter, feeling just a bit of tension ease as Everest makes an exaggerated grimace. “TMI, dude. TMI.” Still, he lifts Aurora gently off my chest. I look at her, a lump in my throat, inexplicably feeling a sense of loss.
“C’mon, baby,” murmurs Logan, holding out his hand. I take it, and he guides me to the small private bedroom at the back of the plane. He closes the door behind him while I wait, hesitating to get in his preferred position, on my knees with my hands above my head.
And yet, when he turns around to face me, all I can do is rush into his arms.
“Shhh, Lia. My little ghost.”
“Please don’t call me that,” I sob out. “I don’t want to be your ghost.”
“Shhh.” He soothes me, running his fingers over my back. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. Okay, Lia?” He puts a thumb under my chin, tilting my head back so that my eyes meet his. “I promise.”
I sniff loudly, wiping away the tears that have fallen on mycheeks. He doesn’t seem turned on by them now. Merely sad.
“It’s all my fault, isn’t it? If I hadn’t gotten you that birthday present… it’s all my fault.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “They would have found us anyway. Coltello’s mobsters were already in the area, hunting for us. Selling that painting made it easier for them to find us, but it would have happened anyway. You’re not responsible, Lia. I need you to know that.”
“Okay.” I allow myself to believe his words, the knot in my stomach easing just a bit.
“I want you to lie back on the bed,” he murmurs. “I want to pleasure you.”
Something in the way he looks at me makes my heart ache. It feels like the last time. I know he believes it is.
But I don’t allow myself to speak those words. I lie back, and even though I feel lost and in pain, my stomach muscles clench as he nestles between my legs.
“I’m going to give you the best orgasm of your life,” he says, slipping off my panties and rucking up my dress.
I let out a whimper as he grips my thighs and licks a stripe up my slit. “Then you’re going to have to hurt me.”