جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 450

TommasoSomeone jiggled my shoulder, and I looked up to find the flight attendant.“Sir?” she said. “You asked me to wake you ten minutes before we began our descent. The rest of the plane will be woken then.”I thanked her and disentangled myself from a sleeping Paige. Had we talked about something? I vaguely remembered her frowning. But it could’ve just been a dream, and I needed to pull myself together before we landed. Mostafa would meet us on the airstrip, and we had to move quickly in case we’d popped up on any radar. These men needed a boss.Ten minutes later, I’d splashed some water on my face, changed my rumpled shirt, and overall looked as much like someone you could rely on as a man could be expected to after a thirteen-hour flight. The men around me woke slowly, and Paige talked me through the descent like always. I had to shut my eyes. We hit a patch of turbulence on the way down, and the plane’s wheels skidded on the bumpy tarmac. But, finally, we landed, and I was first

TommasoKillian and I hefted the last box of—fuck, I didn’t even know anymore—but we hefted it into the trunk of the last truck. I wiped freezing sweat off my forehead and looked at the sky starting to lighten. Mostafa said he thought we’d be able to strike tomorrow night, but I could’ve done with another week just to sleep through. Plane naps really didn’t do it.Without a word, Killian and I got into the car. Old habits put me in the passenger’s seat and him driving. I switched on the music, changed the station a few times, and ultimately shut it off again. The incipient sunrise tortured me. I’d told Paige I’d be there soon. We had one more trip, but I didn’t know if I’d make it back before the desert night turned to day.She seemed to be getting along with Sam okay, but I couldn’t imagine she was happy alone with so many men. Not for the first time, I considered swapping out one of her security team for Lyle. At the very least, she knew his face. But Lyle wasn’t just a tech guy, he

TommasoI woke up earlier than I’d expected to, while the sun was still below the apex of the sky, and stared at Paige for a long moment. Her hair splayed brightly over the pillows, curling around the curve of her full cheek. She’d never told me directly about her issues with mirrors, but I’d guessed. Watching her last night had been like a miracle. But now, in the morning light, my chest squeezed. She was brave. I knew that, had seen it a million times. But I wanted her to be able to keep getting braver, not get the wind knocked out of her by some bastard who wasn’t worth the time of day. I sighed and climbed out of bed to start my day.In the common room, Harry and Eddie sat blearily on couches.“I’m ordering breakfast,” I said.That brought them around. In a few minutes, I’d placed a massive room-service order with food for all six of us. When it arrived, I woke Paige, and she stumbled out of the room a few minutes later. The guys descended on the food, then returned to their posit

TommasoThe taxi stopped at a street corner a few blocks away from Zahur’s palace, and Killian paid the man. We got out together and looked around for a moment. The island neighborhood in the middle of the city reeked of diesel like everywhere else, but I could see parks, and there were occasional breaks in the constant stream of traffic. By comparison, it was almost peaceful.“It’s almost Manhattan.” Killian grimaced.I shook my head with a smile. “I think Manhattan might smell better.”He laughed sarcastically. “Now I know why people say you’re funny.”“Dickhead.”Killian looked around at the total lack of cover. “I’ve got an idea.”He walked confidently into a several-story bank. The powerful air conditioner shocked my system, but I followed his lead. He marched up to the counter.“Hello, I’m an international investor, and I need to see your roof.”The woman frowned, then called in Arabic to another teller. The man hurried over.“American?” he asked.Killian nodded. “Yes, I’m in ta

PaigeI stared up into Tom’s green eyes, suffused with love and iron certainty. He would always find his way back to me. In any life, in any way he could. Even if I went back to Philadelphia alone, I’d carry him with me.Silently, I stood and moved the suitcase of supplies off the bed. Then, I straddled Tom’s lap and kissed him. He moved with me, soft and hard like the look in his eyes. Like I knew him to be. The love of my life and the monster who’d saved me, the mafioso and the Robin Hood. He ran his hands up and down my sides slowly, his fingers grazing the sides of my breasts but never settling on them. I cupped his jaw in silent agreement. We would go slow. We would make the most of the time we had before he had to leave.He leaned back, keeping me balanced on top of him, and ran his hands through my long, loose hair. When he released it, the strands fell around us like a curtain. I rubbed circles in the five o’clock shadow on his jaw, a sure sign he’d been busy all day. His tong