Page 82 of Endless Love

Bradley is quiet again, and I can tell he’s mulling it over, looking for a hole in the plan. Looking for a reason to distrust me. “I’ll be there,” he says finally, and the line goes dead.

I drop the burner phone into my lap, letting out a heavy breath. If Dari doesn’t screw me over, this plan just might work.

If he does, then I’m looking at a life behind bars, or worse. But if there’s one man from my former life that I trust, it’s him.

And if it all falls apart, I’ve decided that doesn’t matter. I look up, hearing footsteps, and see Charlotte through the window, messy-haired and sleepy-eyed, walking in one of my t-shirts into the kitchen. I know all over again, as I see her, that I’d do anything to keep her safe.

I’ve always feared prison over death. The end is preferable to a life in a cage. But all that matters now is that she gets to go home.

I’ve taken enough from her. And now, I’ll do whatever I need to in order to give it back.

35

CHARLOTTE

Iget two blissful days with Ivan before he tells me that we’re taking a trip. He’s rented a car with cash this time, he says—not stolen—and we’re going to take a drive up to California.

“Is that such a good idea?” I bite my lip as I look at him, slipping into a pair of shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “We just left the States to lay low. Should we be going back?”

He looks at me, hesitant, and I know I’m not going to like what he has to say. “Just tell me,” I say finally, and Ivan lets out a heavy breath, sinking onto the edge of the bed.

“I called Bradley,” he says slowly. “I made a deal.”

“What? You didwhat?” For a minute, I think I’m not hearing him correctly. “What do you mean?—”

“Just listen.” Ivan stands up, grabbing my hands and holding them in his. “I need you to trust me. You want your life back, right? Your home, your friends—you want to be free to see them again, right? I took all that away from you.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I forgave you for that,” I say slowly. “We’ve talked about it. I understand. And yes, I want those things—but I wantyou, too, Ivan. And those things?—”

“Might not be mutually exclusive.” He rubs his thumbs over my knuckles, his expression pleading with me to listen to him. “Trust me, Charlotte, just like you have up to this point. I made a deal with Bradley, but if all goes well, then it’ll turn out in my favor, not his. And we’ll both be free to do as we please.”

I look at him suspiciously. “And if it doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll go to prison. But you’ll still be free. You’ll get your life back. It’s a gamble, but—” Ivan grins, that mischievous look in his eyes. “We went all the way to Vegas, right? We’ve gotta place at least one bet.”

I shake my head, chewing on my lip. “I don’t like it.”

“I knew you wouldn’t,” Ivan says softly. “But please. Trust me.”

He’s right that I have. And it’s gotten us this far. I nod slowly, even though I still feel uncertain. But Ivan has been playing this game much longer than I have. I have to trust that he can see it through to the end.

“Okay,” I whisper, and he pulls me in for a kiss.

I lean into it, savoring the feeling of his lips on mine, knowing that this could be the last day we spend together. The thought feels like it claws at something in my chest, and I want to change my mind, to tell Ivan no. To tell him that it’s too dangerous, that we should stay here, in Mexico, in this little sunny bubble that we created for ourselves over the last couple of days.

It’s been like a dream. Like heaven. With the anger and resentment gone, there’s just been the two of us, in our own little haven.

But I know what Ivan’s afraid of. That eventually, the shine will wear off. That I’ll start to miss my friends again. My life. That I’ll resent him.

I don’t think I will. But I can understand why he would fear that. And while I would never ask him to risk his freedom to giveme back my life—if hecouldget us all of that back…I can admit that it’s tempting.

Ivan’s fingers stay laced through mine for the entirety of the drive to the Tijuana River Valley. I try to soak it all in: the sunlight, the hours with him, the fact that whatever happens now, everything between us has been figured out. He loves me and I love him. And if for some reason this plan goes awry, I tell myself, I won’t let Bradley win. I’ll get a lawyer, a good one. I’ll find a way to get him out.

We meet Bradley in a parking lot just as we get into the Valley, just over the border. It’s an empty lot across from an old, closed-down furniture store, across from an In-and-Out. Bradley is standing just outside of his car, sunglasses on, seemingly alone. I feel Ivan tense as we pull into the lot, and he lets out a slow breath.

“If this goes wrong,” he says softly, “I love you, Charlotte.”

“I love you, too,” I whisper.

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