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  Smack.

  I feel the sting of her hand across my face, and though I know I deserve it, it doesn’t make it any easier.

  Reaching into the console, I pull out the insurance I had Sal drop in here for me.

  “Just relax, little fox. I’ll explain everything soon enough.”

  I see the shock hit her eyes when she realizes what I’ve just done, and she looks down to see the needle in her arm.

  “It will be easier this way, Tessa. I promise. I love you, baby. Just sleep.”

  Chapter 19

  Sean

  “You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” I say, looking up at Dimitri, who’s standing in the doorway to his private plane. “I didn’t think you’d make the trip. I was sure I’d be having a layover somewhere to meet you.”

  Dimitri just shoots me a cocky grin. “It’s my little ‘fuck you’ to the FBI, even if they never even know it. Also, I’m a little anxious to get my hands on the package.”

  He steps back from the doorway, revealing a tall thin man behind him. “Get their bags. We need to get out of here.” The thin man, who looks to be in his late forties and is dressed in a relaxed suit, darts down the stairs, going straight for my vehicle.

  “Bring her up already.” Dimitri waves at me and disappears into the plane.

  I look down at Tessa in my arms, her head against my shoulder, her auburn hair partially covering her face, and I feel my heart clench. What if she never forgives me? I was taken aback by the smack. Not that I didn’t have it coming, but it just didn’t feel like her. Tessa doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, and I drove her to that kind of anger.

  Not only that. God knows the fucking nightmares she might have because of that piece of shit Nick. Maybe his death will help ease that for her. Or maybe it will just make me more of a monster in her eyes.

  There was no choice in ending his life. Nick was like a dog with a fucking bone, and once he knew I’d taken something from the safety deposit box, he would have stopped at nothing until he got his hands on whatever it was.

  I didn’t want him coming after us, not that he would’ve been able to find us, but it’s better this way. I hope that Heavy thinks I got scared after popping Nick and that’s why I took off. Not coming in for my share of the take. I don’t see him searching me out to give me my cut, so I’m certain our business is finished.

  I take the stairs two at a time, entering the extravagant plane. I’ve been on nice planes before, even a few private ones, but none as big as this. I knew Dimitri had money, but for fuck’s sake, this is beyond that.

  “There’s a bedroom.” He points to the back of the plane. “First door on your left.”

  I nod, thanking him. “I’m going to lie with her until we take off so I don’t have to buckle her in.”

  Dimitri just nods in response and takes a seat in one of the comfortable-looking chairs. I make my way to the back of the plane and open the bedroom door. It’s a pretty good size, and there’s a bed right in the middle of the room

  I lay her down in the center of the bed, taking off her shoes, then joining her as I start to feel the plane move.

  I pull her to me, burying my face in her hair, something that I find myself always doing with her now. Just the smell of her seems to calm me. I breathe her in, telling myself she’s okay. Seeing that gun to her head, even knowing it wasn’t loaded, ripped me apart inside. I’d never felt such blind rage before in my life.

  Kissing the spot under her ear, I try to enjoy this moment for a little while. I know when she finally comes to, things won’t be like this anymore. I’m going to have to fight to make her want to stay with me. I can only pray that one day she will want to stay.

  “Choose me,” I whisper, knowing she can’t hear me.

  And I will fight to keep her until I take my last breath. I wish I could say I was unselfish enough to let her go, but I just can’t. I don’t think I could breathe without her.

  I spent so many years just drifting through life, one job after another, thinking I had things figured out. Then there she was, sitting right in the middle of my exit strategy. Plans had already been made. I’d already gotten Heavy’s attention on the bank, and before I could even try to pull out, he already had his sights set on her. My little fox.

  If I’d known she was out there, maybe I could’ve built a better life. Done things a little differently. Not gotten mixed up in the things I did when I was living on the streets as a kid. But back then it was mostly just about eating. I might not have been as dirty as some of the other criminals, but I still broke the law. Played by my own rules.

  I hold her for a little longer before I pull myself from the bed, knowing Dimitri is probably waiting for me. I lean down and press a kiss to her lips.

  “Love you, baby,” I tell her, as she rolls to her side and reaches out for something. A little furrow appears between her brows when she comes up with nothing. It makes my breath catch. That’s gotta be something. In her sleep she’s still looking for me, reaching out to grab a hold of me.

  I take one last look at her before heading out of the room to find Dimitri, who’s still sitting in the same chair I left him in. I take the one across from him as he takes a sip of some brown liquor from his glass.

  A tall blonde flight attendant appears. “Can I get you something to drink?” She bends over a little, trying to give me a shot of her cleavage, but I just turn my head and shaking it, dismissing her.

  She tries again, making her voice drop a little, like I didn't understand what she was offering me. I want her to step back. I can smell her perfume, and it's eating away at the sweet smell of my little fox that I still have in my nose. “Are you sure I can’t get you—”

  “He’s not interested,” Dimitri pauses for a second, “Cindy.” He’d clearly forgotten her name.

  She huffs a little as she walks away.

  “I don’t know where the agency gets some of these women, but next time I’m requesting a man. My Laura would be raising hell right now if she was here.” He says it with a smile on his face. Yeah, I think I’d get off on the idea of my woman being jealous over me, too, because right now I think she probably just wants to smack me again.

  “You got it?” he finally asks.

  I reach into my back pocket, retrieving the small package and my phone, and toss them on the table.

  Curiosity gets the best of me. “What comes in such a small package that a man will willing to pay over a hundred million for?”

  Dimitri opens the envelope and pulls out a small box. He opens it gingerly.

  A simple ring sits inside. I raise my eyebrows. The ring is nothing to write home about, just a gold band with an emerald. Only a carat by the looks of it, if that—nowhere near the price he paid for it.

  I look at Dimitri with a question in my eyes.

  “It was my mother’s. I want to ask Laura to marry me.” He pulls the ring out of the box, admiring it, the smile stretching across his face as he looks at it with such love.

  “The first time I asked Laura to marry me, I gave her a giant ring. The thing almost cost more than this plane. She told me to drop dead.”

  A burst of laughter escapes my mouth.

  “She said I was trying to buy her. Maybe I was in a way. I wanted to impress her.” His eyes lock on mine. “I just wanted her to be mine.”

  “You think that will do it?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.

  “God, I hope so, or I’ll have to take a page from your book and do a little kidnapping.”

  I shake my head at the reminder. “Wasn’t there an easier way to get into that safety deposit box? Or a cheaper one?”

  “Maybe. But I didn’t want to risk falling into one of the FBI’s traps, and I wanted to make sure I got it safely to me. If someone knew how much it meant to me, they could use it against me. I’ve got more money than I’ll ever need, and I would have paid ten times what I paid you for it.”

  His hand locks around the ring, gripping it in a fierce ho
ld.

  “I hope she says yes,” I tell him. Meaning it.

  “Me, too.” He puts the ring back in the box, then stores it inside his suit jacket. He picks up a folder sitting on the seat next to him and tosses it on the table between us. I look down at it.

  “You are now Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal. I thought an ornithological last name still seemed appropriate.”

  I flip open the folder and thumb through the new passports. “And I didn’t even have to ask her,” I joke, thinking about our now-married status.

  “Everything you need is in there. All your documents and bank codes. I also moved your old bank accounts to your new name and a new bank.”

  I raise my eyebrows at that because I never asked him to do that.

  “You’re welcome,” he says cockily, before shooting back the rest of his drink. No wonder the FBI wants their hands on him.

  “It’s a long flight to the South Pacific. Get some sleep and kill that phone.” He nods to the cellphone sitting in front of me.

  “I hope you win your girl over, too. It hurts when they push away.”

  “We’re criminals,” I remind him. No wonder our women are pushing us away.

  “Then do what you do best, Sparrow. You’re a thief, after all. Steal her heart.” With that little bit of wisdom, he stands and leaves.

  I pick up the phone, ready to smash it, when I see all the missed text messages. They must have come before we got in the air. I skip all of them and go straight to Tessa’s.

  Tessa: I love you.

  Maybe there’s more hope than I thought.

  Chapter 20

  Tessa

  It’s all in pieces.

  I remember everything from the bank robbery. The panic at first seeing the men with guns, then my training kicked in, and I did what they asked. I remember lying on the floor, my heartbeat in my throat as the men walked around like they knew exactly what was where. This was planned. That was the only thought that kept running through my mind.

  Harper’s crying was making me nervous, and I wanted her to be quiet. I just closed my eyes tightly and prayed for it to be over soon.

  I remember my hair being pulled so hard I thought it had been ripped out. The gun pressed to my temple, and then thoughts of dying flashed through my mind.

  Words were exchanged, but all I could do was wish I could see Sean one last time. One final time to say goodbye and tell him I love him.

  Right before the gun went off, my wish came true. He was there. Only betrayal was the only thing I could see.

  Once the gun went off, I thought I was dead. My ears were ringing so loud, I couldn’t think. I may have blacked out, but I remember Sean’s eyes. I remember him coming to catch me.

  Even with his treachery, I felt safe in his arms.

  But seeing the dead body of Nick beside me would be burned into my brain for the rest of my life. And after that sight, things went fuzzy.

  I was in the car with Sean, and my hand was stinging. I hit him with more anger than I’d ever felt before. Then there was a pinch on my arm, and it all went black.

  There was a glimpse of a plane, and the feeling of Sean picking me up. There was a flash of someone else—a man named Dimitri? I don’t know if that’s real or a dream.

  There was a bed that moved, and Sean was holding me.

  But then he was gone.

  I remember crying and kicking my legs, then another pinch on my arm. Sean was holding me down while I screamed, and then it all went black again.

  * * *

  My body aches. I feel like I’ve been in the same position too long, and I roll over to stretch. I can’t remember what day it is, but it’s warm all around me, so I must be with Sean.

  I reach for him, but there’s nothing beside me.

  Sitting up, I see that I’m in a big, white fluffy bed surrounded by tons of pillows. There’s a canopy over the top of it with pretty gauzy material hanging from it, which rustles in the breeze.

  I look down and see I’m completely naked, but I smell Sean all over me. I don’t feel like I had sex, so he must have just slept on top of me.

  Looking beyond the bed, I see the room is white and bathed in light, courtesy of giant windows and two huge glass doors that lead out onto a balcony.

  I wrap the bedsheet around myself and get out of bed.

  The cool tile feels nice against my feet, and my legs wobble a little as I take a few steps.

  When I’m at the balcony, I can finally see everything clearly. There’s sand and palm trees and an ocean that stretches out as far as the eye can see. It’s utterly beautiful and looks like something out of one of my fantasies.

  Standing there looking at paradise, everything comes crashing back to me. This isn’t the place of my dreams, it’s a lie from a thief.

  Chapter 21

  Sean

  “She refuses to eat. She won’t talk to me. Hell, she won’t even fucking look at me. But I don’t want to push her. Not yet.”

  “She’ll get there. It won’t happen overnight, Sean. You’ll have to earn it from her.”

  Sal’s words offer me comfort and remind me that I’ll have to fight for what I want. I reach out and hug him, needing his support.

  When Dimitri first offered me the job, I set my plan into place. I knew that I would need a location that was isolated, and I knew Sal would have to come with me. Until Tessa, I’d never had any family besides him.

  I bought the island in the South Pacific through a private sale.

  Laura's father, a reclusive billionaire, had owned it. When he died, she didn't want the place, but she knew it could be of use. I’d never met her, but if Dimitri said she could be trusted, then I knew she could. Now that I know just how much he cares for her, I understand that she’s probably the most trustworthy person in the world. Especially after all he’s done.

  The name of the island is Veilig. It means ‘safe’ in Dutch.

  The island is only accessible by boat, but luckily it’s only a short ride to the mainland. Sal hired a couple of people willing to work and live here full time—a few who keep the grounds and a couple who maintain the inside of the home.

  Two of the women he hired are certified midwives, so when the time comes, they can monitor Tessa while she’s pregnant. Seems you can get anything set up if you have the money.

  When I told Sal my plan to live on Veilig and cut all ties, he was more than willing to agree. He’d spent his whole life digging snow in Chicago and trying to keep safe from street thugs. An isolated paradise was just what he was looking for.

  My original plan didn’t include Tessa, but as soon as I saw her, things changed. My idea of a home changed. My modified plan didn’t include drugging her and bringing her here, but after what happened with Nick, I couldn’t risk it.

  There won’t be any blowback from Nick—he’s not someone Heavy will miss—but I knew after Tessa recognized me she wouldn’t come with me here willingly, and I couldn’t risk it. I had Sal go by her place the morning of the robbery and pack up a few things, leaving a note and some cash for Harper. The note just said she was safe and wouldn't be coming back. I think the money I left for Harper will keep her quiet. At least for a little while.

  Sal hopped on a plane to South America right after and took care of business, meeting us here later. We needed to travel separately, just in case. Neither of us is worried about the police. I’m not sure they’re working too hard on tracking down the killer of a local criminal with a rap sheet a mile long. And my hitting the alarm in the vault on the way out was my ace in the hole.

  The cops arrived just in time to catch some of Heavy’s men, but the money still got away. So while Heavy has his money right now, I don’t think it will be for long. The two guys they picked up will sing like birds once they know what kind of sentence awaits them, and they’ll be the ones to blame when the cops come knocking on Heavy’s door.

  The bank gets its money back, Heavy and his team go to jail, and I’m long gone. Not necessarily a free m
an, but I plan on spending the rest of my life living here with Tessa, so I’m not worried about what I am in the eyes of the law.

  It’s been three days since she woke up, and it’s not getting any better. I thought maybe once she got some distance, she would start to change her mind. Start to see what happened and realize that it was for the best. That all that mattered was that we were together.

  I tried explaining it to her while she sat on the balcony and looked out at the ocean, but she wouldn’t acknowledge anything I said. I’ve tried to give her space. Not having her touch is eating me up inside.

  Feeling the ache deep in my soul, I long to hold her to me and make it all okay. I don’t want to force her, but I just can’t see any other way. She has to snap out of this fog she’s in, or I’m afraid she’ll be lost to me forever.

  “I’m going to do some fishing today. Good luck, Sean.” With that, Sal is gone, leaving me alone.

  I walk to the lower patio that looks over the sandy beach. It’s so beautiful here, but I feel like a part of me is dead inside. I need Tessa to come back to me. I need her light to make my darkness go away.

  I didn’t think it was possible for someone to get inside you, and imprint themselves into your skin so quickly, but it happened.

  There is no me without her, and I know that there is no her without me. These feelings I have aren’t one sided, and as much as she’s upset with me, I know it’s still in there.

  I know that even if she never forgives me, I can love enough for the both of us. And while I’m strong, I’m still weak without her. I’m not even half a man without her in my arms.

  Making up my mind, I turn from the patio and walk towards our bedroom. She may fight me, and she may even hate me after, but I’ll make her see. I’ll make her remember what we had and that I only did what I did because I love her.

  I’m going to remind her of our connection and how truly special it is. I’m going to remind her that my touch is the only touch she craves and that forgiving me is her only option. I’m sick to my stomach at not having her touch, and even if all she does is slap me, I’ll take it.