Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

I 'm nervous, but I want to do this. The alternative—staying in Luke's big house alone—is less appealing than getting on Aliyah's family jet and flying to Las Vegas to watch the Knights play. I've also never been to Vegas. I haven't really traveled anywhere before.

When I mentioned to Luke that I didn't have my passport, he grabbed a box from his garage and handed it to me. He explained how he went to my apartment the last time he was away and retrieved a few of my things. At first, I freaked out, until he said that there was no sign of Andrew and that the place had been ransacked.

I glanced inside the box and saw the few possessions I actually treasure, along with my passport and birth certificate. But most importantly, Luke found my brother's jersey and the one framed picture I kept of Sean, Luke, and me. It was taken when I was thirteen and I had to hide it in the same box with Sean's jersey. I don't have a lot of things I'm attached to. I left most of my belongings at my father's house.

Thoughts of my dad bring back all the hurtful things I said to him. I know I pushed him away, but he also gave up on me. A parent isn't supposed to give up on their child, or at least that's what I thought. In my experience, that's all parents do though. First my mother, then my father.

"We are going to have the absolute best time," Aliyah says in the loudest voice possible as she takes hold of my hand and leads me up the stairs of her very own private jet. These people really do live a different life from the one I'm used to.

"We are." I smile while trying to mimic her level of enthusiasm.

I can tell by the look on her face that I don't succeed. The best thing about Aliyah, though, is the fact she doesn't pry. Instead, she steps into the jet and starts showing me around, pointing out everything and anything she can think of.

We get settled in the oversized luxury recliners and a stewardess brings us each a glass of champagne. "Here's to making great new memories to replace the shitty old ones," Aliyah says before tapping her glass against mine.

"Here's to new friends and new adventures." I smile, because this time, I really mean my words. "We are going to have the best time."

Liliana steps onto the plane, followed by a man. No, not just a man, a huge, six-foot-something man. I stiffen. I don't know why I get nervous around males I don't know. Okay, I do know why. Andrew fucked me up. His abuse wasn't just physical; it was also mental and long-lasting.

"Hey, sorry we're late. This one had to stare in the mirror for an hour before he'd leave the bathroom." Liliana points to the hulking shadow behind her.

"That, I believe. But damn, Enzo, if I wasn't already married, I'd tell you that, that hour was well spent." Aliyah laughs. She's not wrong. I might not want to be anywhere near the guy, but even I can admit he's hot. I mean, not Luke kind of hot, but hot all the same.

"And if I had a death wish, I'd let you see more. You know, so you could truly appreciate the art of all this ." The guy motions a hand up and down his suit-clad body. "But I don't, so eyes off the candy, Mrs. King."

"Gross. I'm sorry, Montana. This moron is my cousin, Enzo. He's tagging along with us. But don't worry, you'll barely notice he's here." Liliana plops down on the seat in front of Aliyah and me.

Enzo leans down and kisses Aliyah on the cheek. My body tenses at his sudden proximity. Aliyah takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. And then the guy sits next to Liliana.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," he says while making no attempt to reach out and touch me. No handshake or anything, which I'm grateful for. His eyes are assessing me, though. I can tell he knows something isn't right.

"You too," I reply, keeping my voice light.

"She's a nervous flier," Aliyah chimes in. I'm not, but I appreciate the little white lie.

"I don't love it either, but I pulled the short straw and got stuck following Lil and her boyfriend around the world this week." Enzo shrugs.

"I didn't make the stupid rule of traveling in pairs," Liliana says. "You should talk to the oldies about that."

"And deny you the pleasure of my company? Never." He laughs, and the more I watch the two interact, the more my body relaxes. "So, Jameson, huh? You do know you're way too good for him?"

I realize the question is directed at me. "I am?" I'm not, but this guy doesn't know me.

"Fuck yeah, you are. If he doesn't treat you right, call me. I know people who know people." Enzo winks.

Liliana shoves an elbow into his arm. "Shut up. Don't scare her," she hisses under her breath.

"No, I'm interested. What kind of people are we talking about? The ones who can, you know, make someone disappear?" I lift my eyebrows up and down.

"If that's what you want." Enzo nods. "It'd be harder with a public figure like Jameson, but not impossible," he adds.

"What if it wasn't him? Like, let's say, hypothetically , I wanted to get rid of someone else?" Truth is I would love nothing more than to be rid of Andrew. I have no idea where he is or when he's going to pop up. I just know that he will.

"I could make it happen."

"How much does something like that cost a person?" I press.

"Okay, first of all, you're my friend. If you want someone offed, I'd get my brother to do it and you wouldn't pay a single dime. And second, she's joking, Enzo. So stop encouraging her," Aliyah says.

"I'd do it for free too. Just saying. Give me a name and I'll make it look like the fucker never existed," Enzo tells me, and I force a small smile.

"She's right. I was joking." Mostly.

As much as I'd love to give him Andrew's name, I'm not sure I could actually live with that on my conscience for the rest of my life. He doesn't deserve anything less than a cruel death, but it won't be at my hands, or at my instruction. It'll be karma that gets him in the end. I have to believe that.

"Offer's always there," Enzo says before plugging in a pair of earbuds as if he didn't just agree to murder someone for me.

The rest of the flight is spent drinking champagne. By the time the jet lands and we're walking down the steps, I'm more than just a little tipsy. It's been a long time since I've had this. Friends. I do, however, manage to make it off the plane in one piece without tripping.

I smile proudly at myself when my feet hit the tarmac. "I did it."

"You did." Aliyah wraps an arm around mine. "Now, can we make it to that car?" She points at the big black SUV ahead of us while Liliana grabs on to my other side.

"I think we can," she says, her words slurring slightly.

"You three are going to put me in an early grave. We've only just touched down and you're all wasted already." Enzo waves a hand in our direction.

"Not wasted. Just… a little more than tipsy," I correct him.

"What she said. Stop pouting, Enzo. It's not hot." Aliyah laughs as we all stumble towards the car before practically falling inside.

"It's so bright, so pretty. Who knew Vegas had so many lights?" I say while staring out the window.

"Everyone." Liliana laughs.

"Probably," I say, then press a finger to the glass. "Aw, look! There's one of those Elvis wedding chapels. You could get married."

"No, she fucking can't. Not on my watch. Don't do any such thing, Liliana. Your father will kill me," Enzo growls.

"No, he won't." Liliana rolls her eyes. "Besides, your parents got married here."

" You are not my parents. And Zio Theo is not as forgiving as Nonno."

"Don't worry, I'm not doing the whole Vegas wedding thing. But it would be fun," Liliana tells me.

"It would," I agree.

We pull up to the front of a hotel and the car door is opened. I have no idea where we are. All I know is that Luke said the team booked out a few floors and had a lot of security hanging around. Aliyah, who seems to have sobered up more than the rest of us, checks everyone in. She holds up two keys, handing one to me and then one to Liliana.

"I've had a dress put in each of your rooms. You have an hour to get changed, glam up, and meet me at that bar over there." She gestures behind us.

"An hour?" Liliana parrots.

" An hour. Don't be late. I've planned a night of fun. We're in Vegas, bitches. It's time to party!" Aliyah screams.

"Okay. Let's do this." I nod. "I can do this," I say quietly to myself as we all pile into the elevator.