“Where do you think we’re going, Aslin?” I ask her the question gently.
“I don’t know? Somewhere with a pool.”
“No, sweetheart. We’re going to another remote location, and you’re going to get the treatment we promised you. Ninety days of meditation, relaxation, and obedience.”
“No!” She lets out a gasped moan. “Anything but that. A thousand lashings rather than sitting still. I think I hate that more than anything. I think I might even go back and wake Luca up rather than do that.”
“Such a fuckin’ brat,” Jason laughs.
We’ve arrived at the private airport, where our plane is humming happily on the tarmac. It starts spinning its rotors as we approach, looking almost excited to sweep us away to fresh adventure.
We are not quite outside the law — there’s nothing that says two gentlemen cannot accompany a technically married woman on her travels, but we are definitely outside the moral code employed by the mafia, of that I am certain. The law may not be coming for us, but I am certain Luca will. Some might say we were stupid for not killing him, but we know all too well that killing someone has wider consequences than the immediate death. It might seem like a convenience, but it usually leads to endless bloodshed. Best case scenario, Luca gives up and moves on. Worst case, well. We’ll get to that when the time comes.
I sweep Aslin up into my arms and carry her up the stairs to the plane. It’s romantic, but it’s also my way of making sure she gets where I want her to go. I wouldn’t say I trust Aslin. Not as far as I can throw her. But I do love her. And she is mine.
EPILOGUE
Aslin
Another day, another jungle, another early start. I sit quietly, Jason to my left, and Soren to my right. We are meditating. Well, they are. I’m thinking about the expression on Luca’s face when Soren was choking him out. He was looking me dead in the eye, and he’d never looked so surprised. I’ve been replaying that over and over since we left. It’s the most satisfying thing I have ever seen. It might be the most satisfying thing I ever see.
“Quit giggling, brat,” Jason nudges me.
“Stop trying to make me be all peaceful and calm,” I nudge back. “You know I don’t go for this shit.”
“And you know we told you we’d give you what you signed up for. A strict meditation retreat.”
“We’re still pretending to do that?”
“We were never pretending,” Soren says, without opening his eyes. “Quiet.”
He’s sterner than he was before. He thinks if he doesn’t let me get away with anything now, I’ll somehow be less of a liability. I think it’s cute, and if it makes him feel any better I’ll let him keep his illusion of control. That’s half the reason I’m sitting here now, to throw these poor guys a bone. To let them think they’re making some headway with me. Everybody needs a little hope in their lives.
“Cut that out,” Jason growls at me.
“What?”
“I can feel you smirking.”
“You cannot.”
He opens one eye at me. I’m not smirking. I’m grinning.
“Brat,” he declares, reaching for me to try to pull me over his knee. I’m quicker than him. I scramble away just as his hand closes around my wrist. Or maybe he lets me go at the last moment. Either way, I dash up toward the tents we’re living in, and he gives chase. Jason could easily catch me if he wanted. He’s playing with me. Letting me win, or at least feel like I might win. Kind of like what we did to Luca, except I’m not waking up like a chump.
“The two of you get back here now,” Soren says. He’s still sitting there cross-legged. Nobody is getting any meditation here. There’s no inner peace. There’s chaos, and fun. And freedom. Yes, I’m free, maybe for the first time, if freedom means being known for what you are, or at least, a part of what you are.
“Alright,” Jason says, catching me again and dragging me back. “Take this seriously.”
I have lived my life as a refugee, hiding from the powerful mafia family that has always been at war with mine. I’m the very last of our blood, and their last chance to dominate our bloodline completely. I’m just trying to make my way in the world, all the while knowing that will never be allowed. Luca saw me as the final piece in the puzzle, one last conquest to forever humiliate my family. Fucking me, making me have his baby, that would have given him everything his ancestors dreamed of. I’ve denied him that triumph, and I’ve bloodied his nose, twice. It doesn’t go anywhere toward truly making up for everything my family lost, but it’s a small strike back. If he’s not smart enough to leave me alone, it won’t be the last strike.