When She Falls (The Fallen, #3)(86)

I should be fucking terrified.

But I’m not.

The only thing I’m scared of is hearing Gemma say no.

She’s quiet for a few long seconds, during which I tell myself I’ll carry her onto that plane against her will if I have to.

But then she takes my hand and presses a light kiss against my lips. “Okay.” Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “Let’s do it. Let’s go.”





CHAPTER 28





GEMMA


I’m running away and breaking off my engagement.

In the past, whenever I had dared to imagine doing something like this, the decision came with immediate, catastrophic consequences. I’d never considered the possibility that those consequences might be delayed, and that for a while, all I’d feel is pure bliss.

It’s disorienting. Papà’s not flying off the handle, my body isn’t being pummeled, and Mamma’s not telling me what a disappointment I am.

Instead, I’m tucked against Ras’s side, his arm warm and heavy around my shoulders, while the engine of the cargo plane makes a steady hum.

This plane isn’t like any I’ve been on before. It’s completely utilitarian, devoid of any windows or seats. Stacked crates of God knows what are securely attached to the locks built directly into the floor.

Ras and I are nestled on a pile of blankets between two such stacks, our backs pressed against the wall of the plane. It should be uncomfortable, but somehow, it’s not. In fact, everything feels softer than it should.

The earlier pain I felt in my side has completely faded away. There’s no tension in my muscles, and a comfortable warmth has spread through my body. A smile pulls at my lips. The pallets are painted such pretty colors.

“Ras?” I lace my fingers through his. “I feel kind of weird.”

He pulls me into his chest and presses a kiss to my temple. “It’s the oxy. It’ll go away before we land.”

Oh. I giggle. How did I not realize I was high? “I should have taken just one. You told me to take two.”

“I didn’t want you to feel any pain. The pills the doctor prescribed aren’t a high dose.”

My eyelids drift closed as I snuggle up to him. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how warm he is. A human radiator with the exact perfect temperature.

I slide my fingers under the bottom on his T-shirt and splay my hand over his abs. “I like these,” I mumble, feeling very content.

He chuckles, pulling me closer. “Cazzo, you’re cute like this.”

My nails start tracing circles over his taut stomach, and Ras sucks in a low breath. I’m trying to remember what tattoos he has there. I wish I’d looked at him more the night we slept together.

That was last night.

My brows rise with surprise. It feels like a week has passed given how much has happened since. I think I should be scared right about now, but I’m not. The gravity of what we’re doing hasn’t hit yet.

It’s probably the oxy.

I sigh. When Papà realizes I’m gone, he’ll send his men after me and Ras. I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Although it might be tricker for him to organize all that from jail. I wonder if Rafaele will help him. He might prefer to walk away from this entire mess, but there’s a chance he’ll try to find me. No one knows I left with Ras of my own will, and it’s possible they’ll think he forced me.

But Ras has Damiano to try to smooth things over. They must have worked out some kind of plan when Ras talked to him at the hospital.

What will happen with Rafaele’s succession? Without us getting married, the Garzolos won’t accept him as their don, so the deal must be off.

Unless Rafaele tries to marry Cleo instead of me.

I sit up straighter, a burst of panic flashing through my mind. No, Cleo isn’t a virgin, and everybody knows it. She made sure of that. Papà tried to get her to keep her mouth shut, but she told everyone about the pizza-boy fiasco. That cat is out of the bag, so there’s no way Rafaele would even consider her as an option.

I settle back down against Ras. Rafaele will just have to walk away from the deal and leave Papà to fend for himself.

“You okay?” Ras asks, peering down at me.

“Hmm?”

Ras brushes a strand of hair off my face. “You got all tense for a second.”

Should I tell him? We haven’t even landed in Greece, and I’m already worried. “I was just thinking about what’s going to happen back in New York.”

His expression turns pensive, and he drags his fingers over my face, as if trying to commit the angle of my jaw and the swell of my cheeks to memory.

“Do you remember what you wanted that night after I took you to the diner?” he asks.

I nod, the memory of us in the car fresh in my mind. “I wanted to be with you.”

“You wanted to pretend you were someone else.”

A normal twenty-year-old. “Yeah.”

“Let’s pretend again.” He drags his thumb over my bottom lip. “We’re a couple about to go on a vacation to Greece. No one’s going to contact us because we’re going to turn off our phones so that we can enjoy our time away.”

Another fantasy. I smile. I like how this one sounds.

“So we’re dating?” I ask.