by Ella Miles
I lean back, loving how comfortable the chair is. I plan on sleeping most of the flight to wherever we are going. I recline the chair, put my feet up, and close my eyes, preparing to do just that.
“What are you doing?” Nacio asks.
“Sleeping.” I open my eyes and see Nacio standing over me with a frown on his face.
“Oh, leave her alone,” Santino says, reclining his own chair. “She just wants to sleep. If you want to sit by her so bad, sit in that chair there instead of your usual chair.” Santino nods to the chair just across the aisle from me.
Nacio’s frown deepens, but he takes a seat across the aisle from me instead of where Santino says he usually sits. I sigh. I wanted to sit alone, but instead, I’m surrounded by the Marlow men.
I begin to close my eyes again when I hear more men getting on board. Men that I don’t recognize. I wait to find the men that I do know. I wait to see Karp or Raul climb on. But I don’t see them. I watch as all the men fill the couches up front.
The only person that is left is Seth, as far as I know. I glance across the aisle and see Nacio pulling a computer out of his bag. I glance the other way and find Santino is already snoring.
I relax a little, hoping that they won’t bother me during the flight, so I will be able to get some sleep just as long as Seth takes the one remaining seat on the couches up front.
I close my eyes, trying to drift off, when I hear Seth’s voice.
“Where do you want him, sir?” Seth asks.
I open my eyes and find Killian standing in front of me with Seth behind him, holding on to Killian’s shoulder. Killian looks bad. Worse than the last time I saw him. He’s still wearing the same jumpsuit he was wearing before, but it is now covered in dirt and blood. His chest is exposed, as the top half of the suit is torn. His chest is covered in whip marks, blood, dirt, and sweat. Marks that I caused.
I feel a pain in my chest at the sight of him in such a state. A state that I helped cause. His arms are tied behind his back. I take a chance and look into his eyes that have deep circles under them from lack of sleep. His hair is matted on top of his head. Tape covers his mouth, but I still see a trickle of blood that falls from the corner onto the stubble that covers his chin and neck.
Still, even his current state doesn’t stop the desire from creeping up inside me. I want nothing more than to take him into the back room of the plane and fuck him until we are both satisfied. Even though I just had him last night, it wasn’t enough. It will never be enough. No matter how many times I have him, I will always want more.
Killian doesn’t look at me though. Instead, he looks at Nacio. I want him to look at me though. I need to see that the love is still there. I need to see that he still has fight left. That he hasn’t given up yet. That he is going to live. But he doesn’t look at me.
It doesn’t keep me from looking at him. Even though I have to look at him with anger and disgust, I still look at him because I can’t not look at his strong body that I fell in love with as it now looks so completely broken in front of me.
Nacio stands as he looks past him to the front of the plane and then sighs. “Put him in one of the chairs there,” Nacio says, pointing to his usual chair.
Seth tugs on Killian’s arm and shoves him into the chair. He buckles Killian in, so he can’t move. The chair is facing forward, away from me, so I can barely see him unless he intentionally turns his head around. He won’t. He’s too worried that someone will find out about what I did last night. So, he won’t look at me. Instead, he will face forward and pretend he hates me.
I watch as Seth takes a seat behind Killian and in front of Nacio. Now, I won’t be able to sleep. I can’t leave Seth alone to talk with Nacio. I hope Seth will sleep himself so I can get some rest. But he seems intent on making sure that Killian doesn’t move. Not that there will be anywhere for Killian to go as soon as the plane takes off.
I close my eyes as the pilot comes over the intercom, telling us to buckle our seat belts and then discusses how long the flight will be. I don’t listen, despite knowing the pilot could be telling me where we are going. I can’t focus on anything other than Killian. I can’t focus on anything other than the fact that, whether or not I pull the trigger, I’m the reason Killian is going to die.
The plane takes off, and I know Killian and I’s time is limited. Every second we get closer to our next location is one second less that Killian has to live. I must find a way to keep him alive. I have an entire plane ride to form a plan and to find any reason that he should live. I saved him once from death. I’m just not sure I can find a way to do it again.
The chair feels like heaven, despite my hands being tied behind my back. I am able to rest my head on the headrest, and even though I can’t recline the chair unless Seth reclines it for me, I am still able to get some sleep that I desperately need.
Sleep might be the only thing that keeps me from thinking about Kinsley. The only thing that will keep my eyes away from hers. The only way to keep our love hidden.
I close my eyes, expecting sleep to come easily, but then I hear Nacio speak, and I know I won’t be able to sleep.
“Paris,” Nacio simply says.
“What?” Kinsley’s beautiful voice asks.
I force my head forward instead of looking in her direction.
“We are going to Paris. I think it’s safe to tell you now. You’ll find out anyway as soon as we land.”
“Really? Paris?”
“You sound shocked.” He laughs. “It seems your grandfather found the perfect place to continue our work in plain sight, so we don’t have to hide in a dark, abandoned building, like we did in Mexico.” He pauses. “When we get there, we should go to dinner. I know the perfect place to take you to. Of course, we will have to wait until after you pass the final test.”
My heart beats rapidly in my chest. I won’t be able to stand it if she says yes, but I know that is what she should say. Thank God I’m tied up. Otherwise, I would beat that man for even asking her out.
“That would be nice,” she says sweetly.
I can hear the hesitation in her voice. I just hope no one else can tell she’s hesitating. I hope no one else understands the pain in her voice.
I’m glad it’s Paris though and not another dark, dank city with no way for her to escape. If they are in the heart of a city, she will have a chance to live.
I close my eyes again when they stop talking, hoping everyone will settle in for the long flight. But, of course, that doesn’t happen.
“Sir, I need to speak with you about an incident I saw on the security cameras last night,” Seth says.
I freeze, knowing that he is talking about Kinsley entering my room. My hands begin trying to untie the rope that I know won’t come untied, but it doesn’t keep me from trying. My only hope is that they won’t kill Kinsley on the plane. I have to hope they will keep her alive at least until we reach Paris. By then, I might have a plan to keep her alive.
Nacio sighs. “Not here, Seth. If any of the men were involved, it can’t be properly dealt with here.”
“It doesn’t involve the men,” Seth says.
“Well, everyone else is dead or shipped off. I don’t need to know the details.”
“It involved Kinsley.”
“Thank you, Seth, but I can tell the story from here. Like I said last night, it doesn’t involve you,” Kinsley says.
“I disagree. I think it does involve me,” Seth says.
“I—” Kinsley says.
“What did you see, Seth?” Nacio says, silencing Kinsley.
“Kinsley decided to visit the FBI agent last night. She stayed for almost an hour and then went back to her room. When I saw her leaving his room, I approached her and questioned her. She said she was there to torture him more, but I don’t believe her.”
“Is that true, sweetheart?” Nacio asks.
“Yes, I went to see Killian.” Her voice strengthens with each word. “I went to see him because I d
idn’t think he had fully paid for what he did to my father. And I wanted more information. I wanted him to tell me why he’d killed my father. I wanted to find out if he was still hiding something.”
“I don’t think that’s why she visited him, sir. I think she still loves him. I don’t think we can trust her, sir,” Seth says.
“Look at him! Look at Killian! His body is completely broken after what I did to him, and I still don’t think it is enough. He hasn’t suffered enough for what he has done. I should have killed him. I shouldn’t have let him live.”
“Sir—” Seth starts.
“Enough, Seth. It doesn’t matter what Kinsley went in there for. It’s obvious that Killian has more wounds than he did before. All that matters is that Kinsley kills him when it matters.”
“But—” Seth tries to speak.
“Enough, Seth. Go check on the pilots to make sure we are still going to land on time.”
I watch Seth get up and walk past me with a grim look on his face.
And then I hear Kinsley scream, and it takes every nerve in my body not to react to her pain. I can’t when I know Nacio and Santino are watching me.
“Get off me!” she screams.
“No, not until you understand that your life is in danger. Not until you understand that you don’t have a choice. You are either with us, or you are dead. You don’t get to do whatever the fuck you want. Do you understand?”
“Get off of her. She can’t breathe,” Santino says, sounding bored.
I hear Kinsley wheeze, and I breathe a little easier myself, knowing that Nacio is no longer holding her neck.
“That is your last chance, sweetheart. Fuck up again, and I will kill you,” Nacio says.
No other words are spoken, but I can feel the tension between Kinsley and Nacio and even Seth when he returns. Still, none of them speak.
I wait. I wait until most of their breathing has turned back to the calm steadiness it was before, and then I turn my head just enough to see her out of the corner of my eye. I thought she would look weak or scared. She doesn’t. She looks strong. She has a plan. I can see it in her eyes as she glances back at me. I just hope her plan involves her living. Because there is no use in saving me if she doesn’t save herself.
I’ve failed.
I know I’ve failed. I know Nacio is suspicious. I know I didn’t convince him. The marks he left on my neck prove that he doesn’t believe me, that he thinks I still care about Killian.
I’ve failed. I have no idea how to keep Killian or I alive any longer. We will both die. As soon as I prove that I can’t kill Killian, Nacio will kill us both.
I pretend to sleep for the rest of the flight, but it is a useless endeavor. I can’t sleep. I don’t think I will ever be able to sleep again.
I keep my eyes closed though until I feel the plane land on the tarmac. I open them and find everyone else doing the same—slowly opening their eyes. It seems everyone was pretending to sleep rather than talk to each other. Or they were actually sleeping.
No one speaks as the plane pulls to a stop outside the Paris airport. I watch as the men at the front of the plane disembark. I watch as Seth exits the plane and then climbs back on. I watch him unbuckle Killian from the recliner chair. I watch Killian stand, and I see the bruises and lacerations covering his back. He doesn’t glance back at me as much as I know he wants to. Instead, he walks forward, away from me. I try to look away, but I can’t. My eyes stay on him until the last second when he walks off the plane.
I watch as Santino stands and begins exiting the plane, leaving me alone with Nacio. I stand, but Nacio grabs ahold of my arm, preventing me from moving off the plane.
I look at him, but the look in his eyes scares me. His eyes look red instead of their usual shade of green. All of the muscles in his face are pulled tight as he glares at me. He’s going to kill me before I even have a chance to speak with my grandfather. Before I even have a chance to run to a phone and tell the FBI about our new location. He’s going to kill me right here on this plane.
“I know your secret.”
I suck in a breath, but I try to remain calm and not give anything away.
“I don’t have anything to hide.”
“Yes, you do. Since you first came here, I’ve suspected that your intentions weren’t pure. I’m still not entirely sure what your intentions are. But I do know you care about the FBI agent more than you should, so you can stop trying to hide it.
“I no longer care about how you currently feel. I care about how you will feel. What future you will choose. I intend to show you what you could have if you choose me, if you choose a life of running the company your father cared so much about. If you choose me over him.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You already know what will happen to you.” He strokes my neck that is still sore from where he almost choked me. “You will both die instead of just him.”
He releases my arm, but I don’t move. I watch as he picks up his bag and stands. He smiles at me as he grabs my hand and leads me off the plane. I let him.
He’s giving me more time, I realize as we get off the plane. He doesn’t want to force me to kill Killian. He wants me to want to kill Killian. He wants me to want to choose him over Killian. So, I have to make him think I’m open to the idea of being with him.
When I glance up I expect to see another crummy van waiting to pick us up like before, but I guess we only ride in luxury in Paris as a black luxury sedan is waiting. I climb into the backseat and see that Santino is already sitting in the front. Nacio climbs in after me. This time, when he puts his arm around me, I lean into him just the slightest, enough that I smell his cologne. It is much too strong, suffocating me with the stench. But I don’t move away as much as my nose wants me to.
I glance out the window and notice two vans driving away. One of them must contain Killian. I try not to stare or think about him. I just try to pretend that I’m open to giving Nacio a chance.
The driver begins driving off the tarmac. The ride is beautiful. I watch historic buildings pass us by as we drive to the heart of the city. We pass buildings that I have been in several times while on trips here with my father. We pass restaurants. We pass the Eiffel Tower. We pass The Louvre. We pass everything that everyone cares about so much in this city.
It all seems so beautiful. I would give anything to go back in time and enjoy everything more. The food, the history, the people—I would have enjoyed all of it more. Appreciated all of it more.
But, now that I know a base of operations is here, I wonder if every visit here with my father was just another chance for him to smuggle. For him to meet with Nacio’s father.
Every time he ran off to take a meeting or phone call, was he really taking a meeting with Nacio? Was he dealing with an employee he had to kill?
Now, every memory I have of him, every single memory I have of traveling the world with him, is tarnished.
The car finally stops outside of a building. Santino jumps out, seemingly happy to spread his legs. Nacio climbs out next and makes his way over to my door. He opens the door to my side of the car, and I climb out.
The warm sun shines down on me as I glance up at the building that is so typical of Paris. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I feel like I might have stayed at this building before. The building is four stories with white brick walls. Windows are scattered up the front with balconies protruding from each one.
I don’t understand how they can smuggle people in a building like this. I don’t understand how they think their men could go in and out of this building without others seeing it as suspicious.
I don’t think my grandfather, mother, or I could leave this building without being recognized. Not when we are all supposed to be dead.
I follow Nacio into the building, hating that there is such darkness living in such a beautiful place. As I suspected, the inside is just as beautiful as the outside. The entrance is simple, full of white with colorful pops of
silk flowers. The building looks like it used to be an apartment building, but now, it runs as our headquarters.
Nacio guides me to a row of doors. He points to the first door. “My office.” He points to the second. “Your grandfather’s.” He points to the third.
“My father’s,” I say, already knowing the answer.
He nods and then walks to the second door. He knocks loudly on it.
“Come in,” my grandfather’s voice says.
Nacio pushes the door open, and I walk in behind him. I see my grandfather behind the desk. My eyes widen at the sight. I knew he would be here, but somehow, actually seeing him here makes everything real. It proves to me how horrible he really is.
Granddad looks at me but doesn’t really look at me. Instead, he looks through me, like I’m not really here. He turns his attention back to Nacio, who walks over and takes a seat in the chair across from Granddad’s desk.
“We have a new shipment coming in an hour. Are your men ready?” my grandfather asks.
“They will be. They are settling in the agent and the last shipment now,” Nacio answers.
“Good. We need to discuss what the agent is doing here. That wasn’t what we agreed to. He was to be killed and left for the FBI to find tomorrow when they raid our facility,” Granddad says sternly. His face is already becoming flushed red.
Nacio pulls out the chair next to him, and I walk over and take the seat, but Granddad still doesn’t acknowledge me.
“I realized that the plan we discussed was flawed. We needed security, so if we did fuck up and leave a trail for the FBI to our location here, we would have a way out. A way to protect ourselves,” Nacio says.
“We shouldn’t need a way to protect ourselves! You should have made sure you wouldn’t fuck up!” Granddad says.