Page 214 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Anna smiled at Tyler, who turned to look at her. He bore a striking resemblance to his dad, but his eyes weren’t as hard.

Within a few hours, they’d arrived at the airport, made their way through security, and boarded the plane. After the fright of takeoff, Anna was able to relax and enjoy the flight in first-class.

Devin’s hand up her skirt made the time pass quickly. Thankfully, his anger seemed to have been satisfied the previous night, and he’d given her several orgasms on the flight. During the stopover in Chicago, he took her into one of the first-class bathrooms and fucked her hard against the vanity, all the while telling her what a good girl she was and how much he adored her.

As they settled into their seats for their flight from Chicago to D.C., Devin glanced behind him and suddenly stood, a broad smile on his face. “Well, well, well,” he said in a strange voice Anna had never heard from him.

Anna turned to see a handsome man with medium blond hair and broad shoulders walking up the aisle, a grin on his face. “Devin!”

Anna’s mouth dropped open as they hugged, patting each other’s backs hard. Who was this man Devin was so excited to see?

“I didn’t expect to see you until tomorrow.” Devin laughed as he leaned against the back of his seat. “What are you doing in Chicago?”

“Last-minute business trip.” The man shrugged.

Tyler stood from his seat across the aisle. “Is Tommy in D.C. already?”

The man laughed. “Hey, Tyler,” he said, hugging the younger man. “Yeah. They’re all waiting at the hotel. They arrived this morning. Poor Kelsey. I hated to leave her to manage everything, but I made sure the older ones helped.”

Devin rolled his eyes. “I never understood why you had such a big family.”

“I love my family.” The other man smiled, a sparkle of happiness in his eyes. “I happen to love my wife as well.” He looked at Anna and gave her a friendly smile. “You must be Anna.”

Anna studied the man whom Devin and Tyler seem to know so well. His face was kind, with blue eyes and handsome features. How did he know who she was? She glanced down at his hand and noticed a diamond ring on his right pinky. An Elder? She looked back at him. But he looked so... nice. And normal.

“Yes. This is my Anna.” Devin hugged Anna to his side. “Anna, this is my best friend, Tom Pendleton.”

Devin has a best friend? “Hello, Mr. Pendleton.” She gave a small bow of her head.

“Call me Tom.” He grinned at Devin. “She’s adorable. Bet it was hard to wait.”

Devin groaned. “You have no idea.”

“Ian, how are you?” Tom leaned across the aisle where Ian stood. They shook hands.

“Good, sir. And you?”

“Good, good. Thanks. Glad to see you.”

The men engaged in conversation while Anna stood by silently, clasping her hands in front of her. She couldn’t help but wonder what else she would discover about Devin this week. Having a best friend made him seem more human, more ordinary. The notion of Devin being a regular person didn’t quite sit right with her, though.

The cabin slowly filled with people and soon the fasten seatbelt sign lit up. Tom moved to a seat across the aisle and two rows back.

“Tom is the Elder of New York,” Devin said as Anna buckled her seatbelt. “We’ve known each other since we were boys. We went to college together. Much like Tyler and his son, Tommy, will be doing this fall.” A soft expression appeared on Devin’s face, making Anna wonder if Devin had always been as hard as he was now.

“I noticed his ring,” she said.

“Good girl. It’s a good idea to keep a lookout for rings while we’re here. Make sure you treat the Brothers with respect. Unless they’re wearing a diamond, they shouldn’t touch you. But if they do, do as they want and then come and tell me, and I will deal with them.”

“Yes, Devin.”

Chapter 100

The plane landed as the sun was setting. Tom rode with them in the limo to the luxurious hotel in the center of Washington, D.C.

Anna heard the New York Elder call his family as they walked into the hotel and, as Devin was checking in, a pregnant woman with short brown hair and sparkling blue eyes arrived in the lobby a few minutes later. “Hello, darling.” Tom greeted the woman with an affectionate kiss. “How was the trip down?”

The woman gave a tired smile. “Tiring, but Tommy and Denise were a huge help.”

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