32. Maximo
CHAPTER 32
Maximo
Everything comes down to this.
The months of planning so I could exact revenge on the man who ruined countless lives. And what do I have to show for it? A woman who didn’t have to trust me but does. Someone I fell for in the unlikeliest of situations, a soul that matches mine.
Julia.
She wasn’t supposed to happen but fuck me, I am so glad that she did. Rocco walks with his hand around Tasha’s shoulder, smirking down at her before whispering something inaudible into her ear. Rolling her eyes, she swats his chest. Rocco drops his head back and releases a heavy laugh that echoes through the airport.I can’t believe we made it here in one piece.
Catching my eye-line, I nod at him, and without pause, he leads Tasha away from Julia and me.
“Wait, what’s—” Julia protests, but I stop her. Pulling her hand—that’s clasped tightly in mine—to my lips and kissing the back of her knuckles.
“ Bella ,” I hum, “I need you to trust me.”
Lifting her free hand to cup my cheek, she searches my eyes. “I do.”
“The four of us remaining separate makes it less likely for us to be noticed. We are off the no-fly list, but we can’t be too sure about anything else.”
“I don’t?—”
“When we step through security, I need you to be eight to ten people in front of me. Keep your head down, and no matter what happens…” I pull her close to me, dipping my lips to the shell of my ear. “Whatever you hear, ignore it. Do you hear me? You ignore it, and you walk away. You get on that plane and fly to Sicily without me. There will be someone at the other end.”
“N-no, Max, no, I won’t?—”
“Baby, please.” I cup her cheek, leaning back slightly. “Promise me. I’m not saying it will, but I need to know that whatever happens to me, you’re safe. Rocco will be saying the same thing to Tasha by now. Say it. I want to hear you say that you’ll do it.”
Julia swallows thickly before giving me a controlled and brief nod. “I promise, I-I’ll leave you behind.”
“Good girl.” I smile. Pressing my lips to hers in an owning kiss, marking her as mine for one final time before we move past the point of no return.
I don’t care about myself. I fulfilled my plan, but she was never part of it. So, all I care about now is keeping her safe. Nothing else matters. I knew what I was getting myself into, as did Rocco when we decided to do this. We chose to kill a man who had damaged the lives of millions across America. We made our choice.
I place my hand on the small of her back and gently thrust her forward. The pain and fear in her eyes gut me from the inside out, but I can’t afford to let her see that for once, I’m just as afraid. Not for me getting caught, but the thought of never holding her in my arms again, not being able to build a life with her.
If we make it through this…I’ll spend the rest of my time on earth showing her that she made the right decision coming with me.
I’ll never allow her to have that look on her face again.
Bag checks and security ran so fucking smoothly. The little voice in the back of my head convinced me that something would go wrong. Rocco, the girls, and I move down the line and toward the entrance of the plane with our passports and tickets in hand.
“Hello, welcome to Virgin Flights.” The stewardess greets us. Taking our tickets, she checks the names before pausing. “Max,” she smiles, “would the four of you like to follow me.”
“What’s going on?” Tasha asks behind me.
“I’m not sure.” I shrug.
The four of us walk through the aisles of other fliers all the way to the front of the plane and right into first-class seating.
“These will be your seats for the?—”
“There must be some mistake,” I protest softly.
The stewardess grins, taking a step closer to lower her voice. “Damon asked me to relay a message. Now you owe him big time.” She smirks, and I return the expression. “He informed me of what you did for those of us who couldn’t.” Taking a card from her pocket, she hands it to me. “My brother lost his life last year. So, if you need anything in the future, any of you,” she looks at the four of us, “call that number, and The Missionaries will extract you.” Stepping back, she plants another smile on her face. “Enjoy your flight on Virgin Flights. Drinks and food will be served soon.”
She squeezes between us and goes about her job.
“What the fuck was that about?” Rocco steps up.
“Damon got in contact with The Missionary.” I chuckle. “At this rate, I’ll owe him my first-born son.”
“Slippery fucker.” Rocco snorts.
We place our bags in the overhead compartments and settle into our first-class seats. Tasha and Rocco have a cubicle to themselves, while my girl and I have the same a few seats away. Both of us buckle in, and I’ll never grow tired of seeing the grin on Julia’s face.
Turning to face me, she leans forward, placing a kiss on my cheek. “We did it.”
“We did it,” I repeat.
“And just so you know, Damon is not getting our first-born son.” She pokes my chest playfully.
Pulling her closer to me, I wrap my arms around her, breathing her lemon and sandalwood scent into my nostrils. “You want babies with me, Bella ?”
“I want whatever we can get.”
And that right there, tells me all I need to know.