Page 41 of A Man of Prestige

He runs a hand over his face. “No, you aren’t. Fine. We leave now.”

I shrug and walk into my closet, changing into dark jeans and a black sweater. I walk out to Elena’s room and open the door.

She rolls over. “Ella?”

“Hey, we both have to be up early, so any chance we can drop you at the train station. We leave in like five minutes.”

I know Aiden is giving me the look that says we leave in five seconds, but he can deal with it.

“Oh, uh, sure. That’d be great. I packed up last night, so just let me rinse off.” Elena is many things, but vain she is not. As to her word, she’s ready in three minutes.

“Damn, I stand corrected,” Aiden mutters as we walk into the elevator with a bubbly Elena who is clearly ecstatic that Aiden spent the night.

Elena manages to talk the entire time, completely oblivious to the situation. She hugs us both at the train station, assuring us that by being two hours early, she’ll get plenty of time to get some schoolwork done. Thank God she’s a morning person.

It’s still only four in the morning and I’m wondering if we’ll make it in time to see or hear whatever is happening at this marina.

I watch the road as Aiden drives us. It doesn’t dawn on me until we are nearing Annapolis that he has no security with him.

“Uh…how exactly did you ditch your security?” I ask.

He smirks. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You hired them, right?”

“I did.”

“And now you don’t want to use them for the exact purpose you hired them for?”

“It’s not like that.”

“OK, riddle me that?”

He turns his head toward me and I know he’s on edge the second I see the fire in his eyes. He’s preparing for battle.

“This…what we might see and hear tonight…we still took a vow. Our security will be there, just not at the marina,” he explains.

“But you let me come with you.”

He reaches over and takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips. “Someday, I’m going to give you the ultimate vow, Estella Maria Garcia. And that vow will be more important. If I can’t show you all of me, then I don’t deserve you. So yes, you can be here. But promise me one thing.”

“What?” I ask, trying not to swoon at his words or yell that that’s what I want too because I’m honestly nervous that he’ll change his mind and everything we’ve fought for will dissolve as fast as it formed back together.

“You do as I say. If I say run, you run. If I say hide, you hide.”

“You do know that I have military training, right? Don’t underestimate me, Aid,” I say as I squeeze his hand.

“Never,” he whispers, pressing another kiss to the back of my hand.

“Is Conner’s yacht still parked at the same place?” I ask, trying to remember the marina. He got it when Aiden and I were in med school.

“Yes.”

I turn slightly in my seat and look at him. “Are you sure that Conner and Sebastian don’t hate me?”

Aiden’s head whips in my direction. “We’ve been over this. Why do you still think they do?”

I bite my lower lip and then release it. “Because…I left you.”

---