Chapter 9
JULIUS
Eddie wouldn’t interrupt me if it weren’t important, and as we make our way to the cabin used as an office, we don’t speak. As I head inside, Eddie follows, closing the door carefully behind him before taking the seat opposite me.
A bottle of whiskey is on the table with two glasses, and as I splash some Dutch courage into the glasses, I say roughly, “What’s up?”
“I had word there is a welcoming committee waiting when we leave the airport.”
“As expected.” I lean back in my chair, and he nods, a thoughtful gleam in his eye.
“It appears that Francesco Carlos has his sights set on the prize and has staged an intervention.”
I take a gulp of the whiskey because Francesco is a cruel motherfucker who wouldn’t hesitate in cutting us all down and taking the prize and to hell with the consequences. He’s always been a loose cannon, and I should have guessed he would take his shot at this.
“What are you thinking?”
Eddie always has a plan, and he leans forward.
“We land somewhere else first.”
“Where?”
“There’s an airfield not many know about in France. The plan is to land there, rent a car and head toward London.”
“To Joseph.” I shake my head. “He is otherwise occupied, and it would be the first place our enemies would search for us.”
I think hard.
“We’ll head through Europe as American tourists while you clear the way.”
Eddie nods, his mind obviously working hard as he grips the crystal glass in his huge hands.
“You’ll need new identities.”
“You can arrange that.”
Everything is on board required to make that happen, and I’m confident that as soon as we land, Eddie will have our entire trip mapped out for us.
“I will arrange for Giorgio and Connor to shadow you.”
“Shadow being the operative word.” I remind him of that, and he sighs heavily.
“It’s dangerous. I don’t like it.”
“Life is dangerous, and with a prize like Rose on offer, I would be disappointed if it was easy.”
He rolls his eyes. “I forgot you thrive on danger.”
We share a grin because we’ve worked so closely together we are almost of the same mind and thought process. Eddie is my right-hand man, who I’ve shared many dark moments with.
“We’ll make our way to Spain, where we’ll take a commercial flight to Denver.”
“Good plan.”
We own a ranch in Denver in the mountains, and it will be easy to take a helicopter from the airport to the ranch, where we are assured of protection. Once we are there, it would be virtually impossible for our enemies to reach us.
“We’ll communicate through a burner phone.”
Eddie nods, but his expression is one of unhappiness. “I don’t like it.”
Eddie likes to plan every detail with military precision, and hasn’t left my side for the duration of our time together.
I’m not surprised he doesn’t like it, but when I contemplate the new person who will be by my side, I am more than happy about it.
If anything, it couldn’t have worked out better if I had planned it because now I get to honor my promise of freedom to Rose, but I will be the man beside her while she experiences it.
It’s all worked out perfectly, and I can’t disguise my grin, causing Eddie to roll his eyes again. “I’ll never understand you, Julius.”
“Not many do.”
He sighs as I stand.
“I’ll leave you to work out the finer details. No offense but there is a more attractive companion waiting who is way better looking than you.”
His middle finger is my answer, causing me to chuckle as I leave him to work shit out and as I return to my latest project, I couldn’t be any happier about how this is working out.
She is sitting where I left her, stirring what appears to be a mug of hot tea.
As I take the seat opposite, she says with a small smile, “Is everything okay?”
“Of course.”
I reach for the coffee that Amanda left, and as I take a large gulp, she stares at me with expectation.
“Change of plan.”
I slam the mug on the table and note the anxiety in her eyes.
“We must land in France and take a road trip home.”
“France!”
Her soft gasp is sweet, and I smile. “Experiences, remember, Rose. This way you get the full package.”
“I don’t understand. Why?”
I consider my reply and once again surprise her by leaning across and taking her hand in mine, as if that will help soften what I’m about to say. I decided that Rose needs to understand the position she is in because she must be on her guard at all times.
“Do you remember what happened back at the original airfield?”
Her skin pales, and her eyes fill with tears, and for some weird reason that excites me. I can’t tear my gaze away as she chews on her lip nervously.
“Of course I remember. That man, well–”
“Was going to make your life a living hell.”
I take a deep breath and say softly, “His intention was to marry you on board that plane whether you agreed or not. Then he would have taken your virginity almost immediately against your wishes.”
I hate how her world shatters as she faces the reality of her life, and she shakes, tears falling down her ashen face as she whispers, “Why would he do that?”
“Because you are worth billions, baby girl, and every criminal out there is intent on stealing that from you. You see–”
I hate seeing her like this and with a sigh, I stand, pulling her up with me, and I jerk my head toward the more comfortable chairs. “You need to hear this, but at no time must you fear me, Rose.”
I attempt to reassure her, and I’m surprised when her small hand grips mine and she takes a deep breath.
“I don’t fear you, Julius.”
She smiles, and it’s a blow to my heart because this is the moment I understand that I would kill anyone who attempts to take what’s mine, and not because of her inheritance. It’s because this woman is mine to protect, and if anyone is going to ruin her life, it’s me.