6. Kerry
Kerry
Amy’s clutching her passport to her chest like it’s going to save her.
The wind blows her hair back as we stand on the airport tarmac, preparing to board my jet.
It’s going to take her a while to reset her nervous system after all of this, and I’m already making plans to help her once we get to my home.
I run a hand up and down her back, which seems to calm her, making something bright and hot burn in my chest. The fact that she’s comforted by me is a miracle.
I don’t blame her for being nervous. She’s never explored much of the world.
She’d never even been to a major city such as New York until recently.
And now she’s suddenly going to a whole new country, with a man she’s only newly come to trust. The people who were supposed to love and protect her are instead traumatizing and hunting her.
Sneaking her out of the hotel to get to the airport was rather boring.
There were barely any of Astero’s men there, mostly stationed at his hotel suite.
They really didn’t expect Amy to be there because her grandfather is a right load of shite.
But I have no doubt that we were followed once we left, considering they followed me from the warehouse.
I’d been too feckin’ distracted by Amy saying she needed me to notice.
Either that, or Astero just has eyes and ears in that part of town, which would make sense.
Either way, it’s only a matter of time for him to find out the truth of what happened and throw a temper tantrum.
Jack and Liam make sure that everything goes smoothly and quickly, which I’m thankful for.
They ensure that the immigration requirement for Amy to have a flight home scheduled is ‘forgotten’, and get everything cleaned up with customs. I lead Amy up the stairs of the plane.
Her lips part as she takes in the private aircraft that I’ve owned for a few years now.
It’s modern and sleek, with cushy black leather seats and golden scones on the wall.
With my hand on the small of her back, I bring her into the cabin and lead her over to the longest couch.
She sits down and looks up at me, nervousness still flickering in her eyes.
It’s all I can do to control myself from dragging her into my lap.
But something tells me she wouldn’t appreciate that with Jack and Liam on board, not to mention the flight attendant and pilot.
Just this once, I’ll put aside my feral urges to keep her as close to me as possible and let her nerves settle.
Instead, I sit down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
She has wider shoulders than a lot of women, and it feels good in my arms. I hope in time, as she heals, she’ll learn not to shrink those shoulders to make herself small, holding her head high instead and her shoulders back with confidence.
I know she has the potential. I’ve seen her fire, even been burned by it myself, and I relish in the sting of it.
Jack and Liam enter the plane’s cabin, nodding towards me and finding seats at the other end of it.
They’ve already sent over all of the information we have about Lily Morin to De Matteis.
Hopefully members of the Nameless can get it handled.
My two right-hand men settle in for the long flight, bringing out cards and quietly chatting, something about a show they’re both watching.
Amy is glancing around like she isn’t quite sure of what to do with herself.
I squeeze her shoulders. “It’s all right, leannán. Do you want to watch something? Or I have a laptop you can use.”
She nods and I get up to find my laptop bag. It’s where I always keep it, despite me not putting it there, reminding me that I need to give Jack and Liam a bonus. They’re a hundred times more valuable than this plane we’re sitting on.
I get us both settled with some drinks and a snack as Amy browses on my laptop to find something to watch.
When I sit down next to her, she looks up at me, searching my gaze.
There’s hesitation and fear in her eyes, not directed at me, but still lingering from being shaken up over Lily and leaving the country.
There’s a silent plea in her eyes. Please, don’t let me down.
How could I, when she’s looking at me like that?
How could I even come close to it? She makes me want to move mountains with my bare hands just to make sure she’s happy and comfortable.
I squeeze her closer into my side. I’ve never felt so out of control while being in control in my life.
Loving her feels like a contradiction. And I love it.
“I won't let you down, leannán. It goes against every fiber of my being to even think of disappointing you. I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure Lily is okay.”
Her eyes evaluate me, trying to decide if I’m telling the truth. The past haunts her eyes, the scars from all of the previous people that have let her down visible there. I wish I could pluck them from her mind, but I know I can't. Her parents, her grandparents, peers, teachers, who knows who else…
She finally gives a little nod, having found me worthy enough to trust. It relieves the tightness in my chest that I didn't even know I had.
I intertwine our hands, and she gives them a little squeeze, holding eye contact with me.
Oh, how far we've come from the shy little leannán that wouldn't even pick up her head to look at me when we first met.
A while after take-off, Amy's eyes get heavy. Her head lolls to one side, but she shakes it off as she tries to refocus on the show on the table in front of us. I pull her in closer. “It's okay. You're safe. Rest your head on my shoulder, baby.”
Her eyes widen as she processes my reassurance. She nods, and stiffly puts her head on my shoulder, like she isn't used to such comforts. I sigh and hold her close. It's the first time I've ever been able to, and I find myself never wanting to let her go.
A new feeling warms my chest. It's different from the loud, all-consuming obsession I've felt for her before. It's calm, quiet. Something I haven't felt for a long time.
Her head gets heavier as she relaxes and then eventually drifts to sleep. The tight walls around my heart that have been squeezing the life out of it since my mother died suddenly snap, and I can truly feel for the first time in many years.
I don't realize I’ve fallen asleep, but I’m jolted awake by the plane shuddering and the loud sound of squealing tires. Amy is still in my arms, but she's scrolling on her phone, watching short videos, still snuggled into my side. How long did I sleep if we're already landing?
“Feckin’ hell, what time is it?” I ask as I rub my face.
“Oh. Um. Early? Late? It's hard to say with the time difference.” Amy sits up, looking at me like she's sheepish to be caught awake in my arms.
Liam snorts from across the cabin. “Never heard ya snore before, boss.”
For the first time in many years, I don’t know what to say. Sleep and I have a difficult relationship, and I usually never sleep on the plane. There’s always work to be done, things to discuss. Even when I’m at home in my own bed, I keep my sleep short and efficient. Just what I need, nothing more.
But things are different when it comes to Amy. They always have been.
I rub my eyes again, as if that would change anything. Jack and Liam are grinning too much for my liking, but they’re getting up and preparing to deplane.
Amy sits up and looks at me. “You okay?” She whispers, as if she can sense how disgruntled I am.
I take a deep breath and clear my throat, trying to shake off the fog of sleep from my brain. “Yes. A bit confused how I managed to sleep that long, though.”
She tilts her head in confusion, as if I’ve spoken another language. “What do you mean? You slept for like...six and a half hours.”
“Right. Except, I never sleep on planes and only usually sleep four hours a night.”
“Four hours?!” She looks both baffled and almost disgusted by my sleep schedule.
“Yes, leannán. Four hours.” I can’t help but chuckle at her revulsion.
She lets out a little huff. “Well, that can’t be healthy. Studies show—”
“No offense, love, but I don’t bloody care what studies show. I have business to do and never enough time to do it. I rely on Liam and Jack for a lot of things, but I can’t for everything. I’m the boss, and I can’t ever forget that.”
Her eyes narrow, and she looks thoughtful as she starts packing up her things. I admit, her silence is more jarring than if she’d scolded me. But instead, she seems to dwell on it, mulling over my words until I’m itching to know her thoughts.
“Don’t you think you’d be more productive if you actually got good rest?” She finally says. Her mind is such a mystery to me. She sat quiet in her thoughts for that long and then that’s all she came up with? She must not be sharing most of her thoughts.
I shrug. “I get good rest. The four hours I get is good quality and I always feel refreshed.”
She tilts her head, as if I’m the mystery. “But how can you, with such little sleep? Maybe you’re just used to running on nothing and so you just think you’re refreshed.”
I chuckle, reaching out to run my fingers along her jawline. “Amy, I think I know my own body. Although I’m happy to let you explore it for yourself and learn it better than me.”
The beautiful blush that blooms across her face is a marvel, one I’ll never tire of. “That’s…quite the thing to say, Kerry.”
The grin that spreads over my face is wicked and I know it. “I’m aware, leannán.”