18
Milly
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go home.” I pet Scarab’s fluffy head.
I know we can’t stay in Paris forever, but I want more time. The reality of what’s waiting back home for me is already starting to flood back. I fiddle with the ring on my finger that was a part of our cover when Mateo and I first came here. I love and hate this ring. I don’t ever want to take it off.
I have no doubt it’s a real diamond. The married part is the only fake part of this. I know it’s silly to want that already or that I’m getting upset thinking about taking the ring off, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to be a Rutherford anymore. I want to be Mrs. Klein now. Though that might not be his real last name for all I know. I don’t really care what it is. Whatever it might be, I want it to be mine. I want Mateo to be my family.
He hadn’t said a peep about who my family was when I told him. I was sure it might change something. But he didn’t blink an eye about it. Did he already know and truly didn’t give a crap? Was he only waiting for me to be open with him? I suppose it doesn’t matter either way. He doesn’t care, and it changes nothing for him, and that’s what matters at the end of the day.
“Your daddy is a good man.” I kiss Scarab’s head. “He might be a thief, but who cares about that?” Scarab meows loudly, clearly agreeing with me.
The only downside to his thievery is the possibility of him getting caught. My stomach cramps thinking about the cops getting him and tossing him into jail. Why is that only popping into my head now? I stand, rushing over to one of the small plane windows to peek out. Scarab and I did exactly as he asked us to. We’ve been sitting on the runway waiting for Mateo to arrive.
Suddenly the flight attendant Tommy who offered me a drink earlier when I’d boarded goes rushing by. He comes to a halt at the open plane door. He grabs a vest, and I don’t mean a life preserver either. I watch as he straps on a bulletproof one.
To my surprise, the plane starts to move slowly with the door still open and the stairs out, but I notice they aren’t fully extended.
“Going to need you to buckle up, ma’am,” he calls to me.
I pull the belt and clip it into place before I grab Scarab and hold him close to my chest. I continue to peer out the window, my heart racing a mile a minute with worry. Has something happened to Mateo?
“What’s…” The words die on my lips when I see what’s going on.
A couple of SUVs are chasing after a small black car. My heart sinks when I see men hanging out the windows and firing guns at the black sports car zipping way ahead of it.
I know my Mateo is in that vehicle. I feel a sense of relief knowing he’s alive, but the worry creeps back in instantly. “Why are we moving?” I shout when the plane picks up a bit of speed, not much but still.
“No worries, ma’am. Please stay in your seat with your seatbelt fastened,” Tommy says calmly, not missing a beat. I want to ask if he’s insane, but I keep my mouth shut. I need him to concentrate on whatever the heck it is that he and Mateo are doing.
I do as he asks, keeping my booty planted in my seat. It’s best I stay out of the way. They clearly know what they’re doing and have some kind of plan. I clutch Scarab to my chest a little tighter. He’s the only thing that’s keeping me grounded right now.
Mateo's car speeds past the plane before coming to a screeching halt. The door swings open, and he leaps out with the vase in his hands.
I scream at the sound of gunfire. Bullets spray into his car as he bolts toward the plane. More trail after him as chunks of concrete fly up behind him.
He jumps onto the stairs, grasping the vase in one arm and hanging on to the railing with the other. I hold my breath until he finally leaps onto the plane. He rolls inside. I can hear the bullets hitting the metal stairs before Tommy unlatches them. They fall to the ground a second before he seals the door shut. The plane is now picking up speed.
Mateo springs to his feet gracefully with the vase in his hands.
“Allow me, sir.” Tommy takes the vase from Mateo. “Can I get you something to drink?”
I gape at them as I feel the plane lift off the ground.