Preston’s lips twitch as he brings his cell to his ear. “Yeah, I’d like to book a private bungalow for four nights. I’d also like to have a bottle of your most expensive champagne delivered every hour, around the clock.”
“Nice touch,” I tell him after he hangs up.
His mouth is a hot caress along the shell of my ear as we enter the airport. “The way I plan on touching you later won’t be.”
His dirty promises make my heart race…but then I realize.
“Lola.”
Visibly confused, he plops down in an empty chair while we wait. “What about Lola?”
“I have to call Breslin and tell her we’re staying longer.”
Walking over to the large glass window, I take out my cell phone and dial her number.
She picks up after the second ring. “Hey. Are you home?”
I cradle the phone between my neck and shoulder. “Not exactly.”
“Why? What happened? Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. But I was hoping you could watch Lola for a few more days.” Glancing out the window, I watch the crew unload my luggage. “Preston and I aren’t ready to leave yet. We’re…you know…”
“Still screwing like rabbits?” she offers.
No lies detected. “Yep. Pretty much.”
She laughs and I’m so happy my bestie and my husband aren’t at each other’s throats anymore. “Have fun on your honeymoon. I’ll take care of Lola.”
“Thanks, B. You’re the best. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
My stomach grumbles as I hang up my phone and I realize I skipped breakfast. Although I did have some coffee and a whole lot of Preston, but that doesn’t count as sustenance.
“Do you want to grab a bite to eat—”
A loud, deafening boom assaults my ears and the entire building shakes as a kaleidoscope of bright colors eclipse my vision…
Because our plane just exploded.
Chapter 45
Kit
Hugging my knees to my chest, I rock myself back and forth on the airport floor. I wish I could wipe the horrific images of fire and smoke from my mind, but it’s all I see when I close my eyes now.
A lump fills my throat and tears run down my face. None of the flight crew survived.
I overhear Preston arguing with some airport workers, trying to get some more information about what happened, but they don’t know any more than we do.
Which is nothing.
I want to scream, but it’s stuck in my throat. I want to wake up from this terrible nightmare…but it’s reality.
Brawny arms wrap around my frame, holding me so tight it’s almost suffocating. “Deep breaths, Kit. In and out.”
It’s not working.
“The plane we were supposed to be on blew up,” I choke out through sobs. “People died.”
Just like my parents.
“I know,” he whispers into my hair.
Acid burns up my esophagus and terror cloaks around me before my guts twist with an inundation of awareness.
The airport personnel might not know what happened…but I do.
I feel it in my bones.
Tilting my head, I peer up at Preston. “It was him.”
I thought it was Jared and Jess who were responsible for my attacks…but I was wrong.
There’s only one person who would do this.
One person cold-blooded and heartless enough to try to kill me the same way he killed my parents.
Preston doesn’t argue with me. Instead, he clutches me tighter, like he’s been thinking the same thing.
“Angry girl.” He cups the back of my neck, pressing his forehead against mine. “We have to go back home.”
He’s out of his damn mind. “What? Why?”
Going home will just make us sitting ducks while my uncle plots his next attack.
His features sharpen and the murderous look in his eye sends a shiver down my spine. “Because I’m going to end this.”
Chapter 46
Preston
Trying to convince Kit to get on a plane after she watched the last one we were supposed to be on blow up wasn’t easy. Even after I stressed that commercial flights had a lot more security measures than private jets and were therefore safer.
Eventually, she caved, but she trembled in my arms the entire flight home.
While I thought about how to protect the girl I love so I can keep her safe.
I bang my fist on the front door, debating if I should kick it in instead. “Open up.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Kit says behind me. They already know we’re here.”
As if on cue, it opens.
Reggie clears his throat. “Please come in. Madam has been expecting you.”
“No shit.” Brushing past him, I make my way through the house with Kit in tow.
I find the old bag of bones in the dining room waving around a cigarette. It takes everything in me not to shove it down her throat and make her choke on it.
White-hot anger races over my skin as I grip the handles of her wheelchair and spin her around.
Behind me, Reggie gasps. “Sir.”
The look I give him makes his mouth clamp shut. Smart man.
Baring my teeth, I grab the armrests of the chair. The decrepit bitch better have the right fucking response…because the wrong one will result in me slitting her goddamn throat and watching her bleed out all over this Persian rug with a smile on my face.
“Did you know?”
She reaches for her notebook, but I throw it across the room.
I don’t need her bullshit scribbles to know whether or not she’s lying. I can tell when people are bluffing by what they don’t say.
I grab a fistful of her thin white hair, causing Reggie to take a step forward and Kit to hiss, “Preston.”
I’m not backing down. Fuck that.
I need to know how deep Nanna Lucifer’s abhorrence for her granddaughter is and where her loyalties truly lie.
And God fucking help her if it’s not with Kit. I’ll use methods of torture they haven’t even invented yet.
“Are you aware that your son has been trying to kill your granddaughter?”
A skilled liar has no problem looking someone in the eyes while they do it. Sometimes it’s to intimidate you…other times it’s to subliminally manipulate you into thinking they’re being honest.
Nanna doesn’t do that, though. The bitch straight-up shrugs.
Like her granddaughter’s life is of no importance to her.
I’m about to strangle the living shit out of her, but Reggie squawks, “You’re not asking the right questions, sir.” He swallows hard. “Madam had her reservations about her son, but…”
“But what?” I seethe.
Frowning, he gives her a look of disapproval. “She didn’t want to believe he was capable of doing something so evil.”
Kit’s snort is indignant. “Wow.”
There might be some validity to that, but her refusal to acknowledge the truth still doesn’t let the cunt off the hook.
“Did you have anything to do with that plane blowing up?”