Page 51 of The Irish Redemption

20

EVELYN

“You’re not serious!”

The words are barely out of my mouth when Cormac opens the car door and offers me his hand. As I reach for my small suitcase that sits at my feet, Dale is one step ahead of me and has already taken it out from the other side. I take Cormac’s hands and let him guide me out of the car. The second I step onto the tarmac, my heart begins to flutter.

A few feet away sits a gorgeous black jet with gold ink swirled across the wings, making it look like some kind of golden butterfly. As the sun beats down from above, creating a slight shimmering hue across the tarmac, I tighten my grip on Cormac’s hand. When Dale told me Cormac was taking me somewhere safe, I thought he meant a hotel.

“What?” Cormac asks innocently. “Never been on a jet before?”

I shove at him slightly as we walk toward the jet. “You know I haven’t. I don’t even have a passport!”

“Don’t need one,” Cormac replies. “We’re not going international.”

“Are we going somewhere that’s within driving distance? Because this feels like a huge effort if we’re just going to the other end of the city.”

Cormac snorts softly, amused when we reach the bottom of the steps leading into the jet. “No, Evie. I promise we’re not going to the other side of the city. So can you please get inside?”

My mouth twists as I debate the risk of climbing onto this jet with Cormac and his team—family? It can’t be any more dangerous than the last few weeks and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited. A private jet suddenly makes all the drama worth it.

“Fine, but know that the environmentalist in me is protesting.”

“Protest away.” Cormac sweeps an arm to the side and steps back, allowing me to climb the stairs at my own pace. I remain slow, forever conscious of how even the simplest of movements can pull at the muscles of my abdomen and thus, my stitches. You never realize just how everything is connected until something hurts.

The pain fades the instant I step into the jet and the beauty takes my breath away. Large cream seats offer the highest level of comfort regardless of the length of flight. Each comes with its own table where glasses rest and are secured with rubber bands. The sparkling black curtains wink at me as I walk cautiously over the plush gold carpet. Dark wooden paneling runs parallel to my eyes as I walk, and I glimpse my suitcase disappearing behind one of the slats as Dale tucks it away.

“Wow,” I breathe, turning to face Cormac. He’s watching me intently. “This belongs to you?”

“Yup.”

I shake my head. “I can’t even fathom having this amount of money.”

“This isn’t even the expensive jet.”

“How many do you have?”

Cormac lightly grasps my shoulders and slides my jacket from my shoulders. “Four.”

“Four?” My eyes widen. “Care to donate to a girl in need?”

Cormac snorts softly, draping my jacket over one of the chairs then indicating for me to sit. “You want a private jet?”

“If I had the money, I’d definitely have four,” I say, sinking down into one of the chairs. It’s like resting my ass on a cloud and I sink into it until it feels like every inch of me is perfectly supported. “Y’know, it’s a huge risk for me to get on a plane with someone I barely know.”

“Is that a complaint I hear?” Cormac asks, taking the chair next to mine.

“Maybe,” I say, closing my eyes in bliss. “I can be persuaded to just… roll with it.”

“Rolling with it is good,” Cormac replies. “Besides, isn’t this more exciting? You have nothing to tie you down, so why not enjoy some reckless luxury?”

I crack open one eye and watch as Dale passes and sets a glass of scotch down on Cormac’s table. He places sparkling water on mine and winks—it’s bubbly, so drinking it from the fancy glass will give me the same experience without messing with my medication.

“I have stuff to tie me down.” I crack open the seal on the water and pour it into the fancy champagne glass as the steps are retracted and the door closes with a soft hiss.

“Like what?” Cormac prompts.

“My mom. And my job.”

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