10
Jason
Rye Hart
“You ready?” I asked after the announcement that our flight was boarding had been made.
Jessica looked at the boarding pass in her hand, that look of shock crossing her gorgeous face all over again.
“No, not really,” she said. “I - I just can’t believe we’re doing this. That I’m doing this. This just isn’t like me.”
“Well, unfortunately, this has to be you,” I said. “Because I can’t leave you here. It’s not safe.”
“But, I’m giving up my entire life,” she said.
“At least you’re not giving up your literal life,” I replied. “Don Lorenzo isn’t a forgiving man. And for whatever reason, he’s got a special little hard-on for you. After what happened the other night, it’s not safe for either of us to stay here anymore.”
I saw by the look on her face that she knew I was right. Knew that her life had effectively ended the other night and that if she wanted to stay alive, she was going to have to come with me. New names, new ID’s, new lives, in a new land.
If we wanted to keep breathing, that was unfortunately, the way it had to be. Don Lorenzo wasn’t the type of man to simply accept being beaten like that. He was going to keep coming and keep coming until one of us was dead.
They called for our flight to start boarding at the gate a second time. Jessica drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. She was on edge and I couldn’t really blame her. We barely knew each other, but there we were, leaving the country together and starting a life abroad. Together.
Having spent as much time with the SEALs as I did, I learned to live in the moment. But, I had to admit, this was nuts even by my standards.
And yet, somehow it felt right. When I looked at her, it felt right all the way down into my bones. It certainly felt more right than any other woman I’d ever been with.
It wasn’t much, but it was something. It was enough to start building something together.
But, I could see that she was debating with herself. Struggling with all of this in her own mind. But when she looked into my eyes, I saw a sense of peace descend over her. An expression of calm tranquility. And it was in that moment, I knew she was ready.
“Let’s do this,” she said. “I’m ready.”
Leaning forward, I kissed the top of her head and took her by the hand and led her to the gate. It was crazy. It was nuts. But it was also exciting as hell.
And the best part of it all was that walking to the plane hand-in-hand with Jessica, I knew there was no other place I wanted to be.
11
Jason
Tara Wylde
They say pride always comes before a fall. Well, I don’t know shit about that. But I do know one thing – all my life, any moment I’ve been truly happy, that moment has been about four hot seconds from a tumble.
And this one was no different.
“Jason,” Don Lorenzo’s lugubrious voice growled, no more than a couple of inches from my ear. “So kind of you to join us on such short notice…”
I spun, adrenaline pumping into my veins like gasoline from a pump. I felt just like I did on God knows how many battlefields in God knows how many countries over the course of God knows how many years.
&nb
sp; “Jason!” Jessica squealed as she was roughly tugged away from me, held tight no fewer than three of the Don’s biggest, hardest men.
My vision narrowed, until it was little more than a tunnel of fear and anger – anger that this prick and his half wit goons thought that they could fight me and get away with it; fear that right now they had my woman in their arms.
And there was nothing I could do about it without risking her life.