London

Crewe had his own jet.

I was surprised even though I shouldn’t be.

Crewe and his crew packed everything under the plane, but they filed inside and took their seats. The men sat in the back of the plane, guns concealed under their jackets even though we were at an international airport.

Ariel was the only member of the group who sat in the front with Crewe—besides me.

She sat in a leather armchair next to the window and opened up her tablet. She pulled out her stencil and got to work, obviously knowing all the Wi-Fi information already. Crewe sat on the other side of the aisle and directed me to the chair beside the window.

I sat down and locked my safety belt.

The flight attendant came around and handed out the drinks just when the engines roared to life. The jet wasn’t as big as a commercial airliner, but it was definitely bigger than those small planes that dusted crops. It was on the medium side—and clearly very expensive.

Crewe ordered scotch, Ariel ordered wine, and I ordered a water. I couldn’t keep up with them in the alcohol department. After a few glasses of wine, my skin flushed and my inhibitions were lowered.

Crewe peered at me from his seat, watching me without making it obvious. “Doing okay?”

The plane slowly began to move and head for the runway. We were on a different strip from the commercial airliners since that schedule was heavily regulated. The stress weighed heavily on my stomach like a brick. “I’m fine.”

Crewe kept watching me like he didn’t believe me. “What is it?”

I didn’t want to admit this out loud because it made me weak, but Crewe was always adamant until he got what he wanted. “I’m a little nervous about flying…”

Instead of making fun of me, he tried to console me. “The pilot is excellent, as well as the rest of the crew. This jet is only a few years old. Everything is in perfect condition. Have a glass of wine and relax.”

“Okay.” I opened the shade and looked out the window, feeling my stomach do somersaults. We hadn’t even taken off yet, and I felt woozy.

The plane lined up on the runway then took off. The powerful jets sent us high into the sky at a drastic angle. Higher and higher we climbed until we broke the cloud bank and reached an immense altitude.

Crewe read emails on his phone like nothing was happening. Ariel did the same.

I forced myself to remain calm and lean back against the seat. I hated showing weakness to anyone, even people I considered close friends. It was one of my stipulations.

We finally leveled out, and the plane cruised at a fixed speed. The constant hum of the air outside the plane filled the cabin, as well as the sound of the motors on either side of the plane.

If it stayed like this until we reached Italy, I could keep my cool. After everything I’d been through, it was a little ridiculous that I was afraid of flying. If we crashed right now, I wouldn’t be a prisoner anymore.

That was the bright side of it.

With a sudden jolt, the plane dipped drastically. We dropped dozens of feet downward, my stomach suddenly feeling weightless.

“Oh god.” I gripped the armrests and stifled the scream that naturally wanted to come out of my mouth. Adrenaline spiked in my blood, and I felt both sick and terrified at the exact same time.

Crewe looked at me, unaffected by the sudden jerk of the plane.

I tried to cover up my terror by looking out the window, not wanting him to know just how uncomfortable I was. He wouldn’t give me any pity, especially for something he would deem stupid.

To my surprise, he grabbed my hand on the armrest and held it. “Turbulence is only caused by the mixing of hot and cold air. So when the plane shakes, that doesn’t mean we’re about to crash. It’s normal, Lovely.” He placed his phone in his pocket and directed his stare on me. “Alright?”

“I know…”

He grabbed my chin and tilted my face toward him. He just shaved that morning, so his face was smooth and hairless. It showed off his rugged mouth better than usual. “Eyes on me.”

I did as he asked, mainly because I didn’t know what else to do.

“I love Scotland. It’s always been my home. But there are a few places in the world that feel like home too. Italy is one of them. I love the Tuscan heat, the ripe tomatoes, the wine even though I hardly drink any, and the ancient beauty of it all. You know the Colosseum is two thousand years old?”

Crewe was a man of few words, so sharing this story with me was out of character. “Are you trying to distract me?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “Is it working?”

It was a kind gesture, especially from a man who possessed very little kindness. “Yeah.”

“The first time I went to Rome was when I was eighteen. I took off with some of my friends to blow off some steam. We partied a lot, met beautiful women, and drank more wine than our stomachs could handle. Ever since then, I’ve always loved to visit. But I admit my visits are a lot more low-key now.”

I wondered what he looked like when he was eighteen. That was almost half the age he was now. “Sounds like fun. Finley must have been worried.”

“I drove him crazy when I was growing up. He definitely prefers me as an adult.”

The plane kept shaking, and Ariel sipped her wine like she didn’t even notice.

Crewe carried on the conversation. “We’re staying at one of my villas in Tuscany. It’s quiet and remote. You’ll like it.”

“It’ll be a big change from Scotland.”

“It’ll take some time to get used to the heat.” He kept his fingers around me, his courage seeping into my veins from the contact of our skin. Seeing him so relaxed made me feel better, made me think we weren’t in any imminent danger. There was no way a powerful man like Crewe would allow a plane crash to claim his life. “You can enjoy the sunshine and the pool while I take care of business.”

“How long will we be there?”

“A week at the most. Business with the Barsetti brothers is pretty easy. I usually stick around for a few extra days because it’s a long flight.”

The plane began to shake less and less. Eventually, it felt smooth. The jet glided through the sky, the sound of the air outside the plane the only indicator we were tens of thousands of feet in the air.

My hand loosened around his, and my body finally relaxed. Despite my background in science, the concept of flying across the world had always troubled me. I was always afraid something in the engine would go wrong, or the pilot would make an honest mistake that would send us all to our deaths. I rested my head against the leather cushion and let out a deep breath.

Crewe watched me. “Feeling better?”

“I’m just glad the plane stopped shaking.”

He pulled his hand away, making me feel lonely without his touch. I didn’t need him to hold my hand to make me feel better, but the second it was gone, I missed it. It was nice to have someone comfort me. “Nothing to be scared of. Planes fly all over the world, and there are rarely any crashes. And my planes definitely won’t crash.”

“Stop saying the word crash.”

He smiled. “Sorry, that was a bit insensitive.”

“It’s okay… I know you’re trying to help.”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket again and checked his email.

I shut the window shade because I didn’t want to see the endless blue. It would only remind me how high up we were. “How long is the flight?”

“Pretty long. Try to get some sleep.”

I automatically leaned against his shoulder to get comfortable even though I could easily recline back. Something about the fabric of his shirt and the warmth of his skin made me feel better. Now I was used to sleeping with him every night. He was the silent lullaby that sent me to my dreams.

He positioned me upward then put the armrests away, so there was nothing separating us. “Lie in my lap. It’ll be more comfortable that way.”

This was the nicest he’d ever been to me. He defended me against Dunbar and Ariel, but he never went out of his way to put my comfort before his own. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You know how much I like having my lap near your mouth anyway.” He wore that cocky grin I’d become accustomed to.

I rolled my eyes then lowered myself onto his lap. I caught Ariel staring at us from her seat across the row, probably wondering why Crewe was letting me lie across his lap. I ignored her and got comfortable.

When I was across his lap, Crewe rested his arm over my waist. “Need a blanket?”

“I’m okay.” I pulled my knees to my chest because I was a little cold.

Crewe must have caught my lie because he turned to Ariel. “Grab me a blanket, please.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” she countered.

I couldn’t see Crewe’s expression, but I imagined he was giving her an intimidating look. “You wanna keep your job, right?”

Now Crewe was just going to make Ariel hate me more. I wasn’t sure why she disliked me so much. It wasn’t a big deal that I was lying across his lap. He fucked me every night, so this was pretty tame.

Ariel stood up and opened the overhead compartment. She tossed the blanket at us, the fabric landing right on top of my head. “There you are, Your Highness.”

I felt the tension rise like heat from a fire.

Crewe didn’t say anything, but I knew his silence was threatening enough. He wouldn’t let anyone get away with that kind of back talk. There would be repercussions later. He probably just didn’t want to go to war with her in a concealed vehicle with his men in the back of the plane.

Crewe returned his attention to his phone like nothing just happened. His jaw was clenched in irritation, but he swallowed his anger. His arm rested around my waist, his touch warm and preferable to the ice-cold air coming out of the vents.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep when I was so nervous, but within minutes, my eyes grew heavy and closed. I drifted off to sleep with Crewe’s lap acting as a pillow, feeling unusually comfortable despite all the calamity surrounding the ride.