Chapter 39
Sophie
Whatever Kian and I had was working well, and after our last talk, we fell into a new routine. Mornings started with the smell of coffee he’d bring to bed and the sound of waves and birds overlapping through the open windows.
We’d have breakfast together, and he’d help me practice my Albanian for my daily lessons with the local teacher we found. Kian turned it into a game, pointing at things like I was a kid again.
Door. Sky. Coffee. Lips. Breasts. Thighs. Those last few were very important if I was to practice medicine in this country, but more often than not, they’d lead us back to bed where I’d be given a new set of words to memorize.
By the end of the second week of lessons, the language no longer scared me. It felt clumsy to speak certain words, their vowels stretching and consonants biting back, but slowly—very slowly—I felt more confident.
But of course, I should have known these moments of bliss wouldn’t last forever.
“How about you skip your lesson today and hang out with me?” he asked as I got out of bed and stretched.
“No way.” I yawned. “You’re bound to have some important business happen and then I’ll be left doing nothing. These lessons are important.”
He chuckled and sat up on the side of the bed. “I love your dedication, my little geek.”
“I’m… not a geek,” I sputtered a little too defensively.
He walked toward me and trailed a thumb across my cheek. “It’s not a bad thing.”
I bit my lip. “Sorry, that just brought back memories. I used to be teased relentlessly about my bookishness.”
His eyes hardened. “By whom? I’ll find them and—”
“It was ages ago.”
I couldn’t stop the smile, which made me shake my head and let out a frustrated groan. I was growing too fond of his protectiveness.
He turned my face and kissed me possessively, somehow getting me back in bed and screwing me till I lost all sense of schedules and to-do lists.
When we both came back to earth, our breathing still heavy, I breathed, “I’m still going to my lesson.”
He chuckled, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I know, but I’m having two men watch over you and I’ll pick you up when it’s finished.”
My brow furrowed.
“Did something happen?” He shook his head, but I couldn’t miss the way his jaw tightened. I chewed my cheek, unsure if I wanted to ruin this perfect morning, but sense prevailed. “Is it Jacqueline?” I asked.
“She may or may not be on a yacht that’s roaming between Greece and Albania.”
“Why would she be on a yacht?” I whispered. “You think she knows I’m here?”
“She might. It’s not like you changed your identity.”
I swallowed. “It honestly never occurred to me.”
“We’ll get her, I promise. The extra men are just a precaution.” He cupped my face. “Promise me you’ll remain vigilant about your surroundings whenever you’re not on the property. It will make me feel better.”
“I promise.” I pursed my lips. “Maybe I shouldn’t have Dina drive me.”
He chuckled. “Good luck trying to stop her.”
“But if we tell her—”
“I’m sure her husband already informed her, and he tried stopping her from driving you to your lessons many times over. How many days over the last few weeks have you gone without her?”
My shoulders slumped. “None.”
“There you go.”
I rolled my eyes. “She’s stubborn. It’s probably why I like her so much.”
An amused half-smile appeared on his lips.
“And she loves you.” He studied me intently, eyes roaming my face. “But nobody likes you more than me.”
A shiver trailed down my spine. “I like you too.”
The words paled in comparison to what I actually felt, but I wasn’t sure he—or maybe it was me—was ready for a bigger word.
Dina drove through the city while I clutched the door handle, murmuring prayers to whoever might listen.
“We’re not in a rush,” I hissed, my knuckles turning white. Kian’s guards, who were tailing us, were long gone, although Dina assured me that by the time we parked, they’d catch up.
“I should have driven myself,” I muttered under my breath.
She came to a stoplight with screeching tires and glanced at me, slipping her sunglasses down her nose.
“I love you, Sophie, but you’re a terrible driver.”
“Me? You just violated every traffic law and probably caused a few accidents!” I glanced around us as if looking for witnesses. “What happened? You usually drive better than this.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I feel comfortable showing you my wild side.”
I let out a dry, non-humorous laugh. “I love you, but I would kind of rather you didn’t. I’m pretty sure I’m going to puke.”
She threw her head back and laughed just as the light turned green, and I regretted not jumping out.
We drove through the old part of town, past white walls scorched by years of summer and bougainvillea spilling pink and purple over balconies.
My Albanian teacher’s building sat just ahead in a narrow street, and the moment Dina pulled over to the side, I reached for the door handle and jumped out of the car.
“You park,” I said. “You know where I’ll be.”
Before she could answer, I slammed the door and rushed away, my sandals slapping softly against the warm stone. I cut through oblivious-looking tourists, Kian’s warning at the forefront of my mind.
I was reaching for the buzzer on the door when a shadow cut across the ground. I didn’t even have time to turn around when someone grabbed my wrist.
Fingernails pressed in and I froze at the shrill voice that followed. “Sophie.”
Jacqueline came into view, sunlight catching in her blonde hair, her black linen dress making her appear like a widow among the colorful old town. Her smile was stiff and her eyes were unfocused, something about it unsettling.
I took a step back, but suddenly a broad man stepped forward, sunglasses hiding most of his face. The commotion of the street faded, like cotton had been stuffed into my ears. All I could smell was Jacqueline’s rotten perfume, clinging to the air.
I glanced around me, but there was nobody familiar in sight.
My stomach dropped.
One stupid, impulsive move and I’d found myself cornered.
“What do you want, Jacqueline?” I hissed.
She laughed, the shrillness of it grating on my nerves and spiking my fear. “You.”
“You’re making a big mistake. You won’t get away with—”
I never got to finish the sentence as pain exploded in the back of my head and the ground swayed. A van door slid open and my body hit the hard floor just as I heard Dina shouting my name once—sharp, terrified—before gunfire erupted. The door to the van slammed and the sound dulled.
“Get us out of here,” Jacqueline said, her voice eerily calm.
The van lurched forward immediately, turning too fast, the engine growling. My pulse hammered in my ears.
And all the while, Jacqueline’s eyes—filled with crazed hate—stared me down.