Page 9 of Kiss of Ruin (Brutal Empire)

The guard attempts to move the chair to face the couch, but I stop him. “Leave it forward.” I snap just as I hear the others enter the plane.

He nods and steps back, leaving me alone for the first time since they arrived at the hospital. I push the button on the remote, reclining the seat back and lifting my feet. The relief from the pain is practically instantaneous. It seems that my legs dangling pulls on the incision, which only frustrates me more. If I’m going to be pain free, I’ll need to be bedbound when not in therapy.

“Scarlett…” I can hear the tears in Sofia’s voice and for the first time in my life, I don’t care. Right now, I’m pissed and hurt. I feel like I deserve the time to have some space and time to decide how I want to handle the entire situation.

I turn my head away from her, completely ignoring her presence. A small sob leaves her lips at the same time I hear her footsteps moving farther away. Neither Camila or Rosa approach me and that’s fine with me. It’s been a long day and I don’t have the energy to deal with them or how I’ve been treated.

“Mrs. Romero?” I look up and see the pilot standing in front of me.

“Yes?”

“We’re preparing for takeoff now. It should be a smooth flight to Miami. There’s no concerning weather that I can see.”

I nod, because I’m not thankful to being taken to Miami. I want to stay here and to defendmyfamily. To not be told what to do, but I know that I created this war. It’s my fault for pushing to get to know Frankie.

How could I not?

That sweet boy will be forced to take over an empire. An empire he wants nothing to do with. Maybe I even see a little bit of myself in him. I was once the child that had hopes and dreams, until the reality of what my parents did, of who they worked for came knocking at my doorstep when they were killed.

The pilot’s voice shakes me from my thoughts. “We should be there in three hours.”

“Thank you.”

He walks to the office door, presumably through to the cockpit. Another man comes up next to me. “Can I get you a drink before takeoff, Mrs. Romero?”

I remember the painkillers the nurse gave me with my discharge papers. My other prescriptions were sent to a pharmacy in Miami, so they could be filled and ready when I arrive.

“Water, please.”

The pain pills will make it easier to sleep on the ride there. He leaves and returns a few seconds later. There’s a murmur of conversation behind me. I ignore it all and focus on finding a way to be comfortable for the next few hours. The steward comes back with a bottle of water. After he hands it to me, he disappears behind me again.

I know I should probably take the pills on a full stomach, but the sooner they knock me out the better. It’s a least a few hours of not having to think about everything I lost. I pull the small package of pills out of my bag and open the bottle of water, swallowing them in one try.

The plane slowly starts to back up as I put the cap on the bottle of water and set it in the holder on the table on my left. I rest my head back and close my eyes, waiting for the pills to take effect.

Rushing forward, I feel the plane begin to lift into the sky. The murmuring behind me grows softer and for the first time since I woke this morning, I sense my body begin to relax. The weight lifts from my chest and my eyelids grow heavy. The last thing I remember hearing is an announcement from the pilot that will be arriving in a few hours.

* * *

Pain shooting up my back, yanks me from dreams I don’t quite understand. Dreams of a little girl with long black hair. My eyes snap open and I realize the plane jolting as it hit the tarmac is what jostled my back. Things come back into focus. I realize I’m warm and look down. At some point during the flight, someone placed a blanket over my legs.

I don’t bother looking back to see who might have done it. Does it really matter? I move the blanket and put my finger on the button to lower the chair and think better of it. There’s likely a bit of time before we reach the hanger and can deplane. I wait back and let myself rest against the chair once more.

The plane moves forward and I can see us turn away from the main terminal in the direction of the hangers. The hustle and bustle behind me begins. I continue to wait. There’s no where I can go on my own at this point. I’m stuck waiting for help. Something I hate doing.

When we finally come to a stop. I hear Sofia say to Rosa. “I’m going to wait and help Scarlett.”

“Give her time, Sofia. There will be plenty to talk about, but right now she’s obviously hurt, We can’t force her to accept that we weren’t given an option. She’ll talk to us when she’s ready,” Rosa says.

A moment later, their voices disappear and I sense I’m alone. I lower the recliner, bracing myself for the ache that comes with sitting upright. It’s there, but dulled by the painkillers. I’m not sure how much longer they’ll last. I’ll take the reprieve as long as I can get it.

I slowly swivel the chair around, looking at the empty plane. Even the steward had disappeared into the kitchen. For some reason, being alone on this plane felt less lonely then when it was actually full of people.

I wondered what Rosa meant when she said there was plenty to talk about for a brief moment until I realized she was right. There will be plenty of time to talk and right now, I’m not in the right frame of mind. I see someone entering the cabin.

I’ve never seen the man before, but the way the muscles bulge in his shoulders and chest, I figure it’s one of the guards sent by Nico’s parents.

Suddenly, butterflies take flight in my stomach. Here I am about to be roommates with the parents of the man I was sleeping with up until yesterday. The parents of the man that I love but doesn’t love me.

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