Page 41 of Born into Mayhem
“Don’t worry, Dad,” Sasha says, “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Or to you,” our mom says. “I know you’re the most dangerous thing out there, but you still have to keep yourself safe.”
Sasha laughs and takes a step back as we break up our group hug. “I will. I’m always careful.” He looks at our dad. “Looks like I’m going to get to check Italy off my map.”
Before I can ask what he’s talking about, Dominic walks over with Nat. He smacks my brother on the back and then pulls me in for a quick hug. “You both ready?”
“Yep,” I tell him, already feeling the excitement start to course through me. It’s my first time going anywhere without my parents, and I’m more than ready to prove to everyone that I can do this. I also want to convince myself I’m capable of it after the way I hesitated with Greg.
“Okay,” he says, wrapping an arm back around my sister. “We’re ready when you are then.” My brother-in-law grins down at me and says, “Dario and Sandro will go over things with you during the flight.”
Dominic looks over at our dad when he asks, “Any changes?”
“Relax, Lev,” Dominic says. “Everything looks great. This will be over before you know it. Just think of it as your kids taking a nice vacation to my home country.”
“I’ll relax when they’re both back home and standing in front of me in one piece,” our dad says.
Dominic nods, knowing he’d feel the same way if it were Isabella and Enzo who were about to leave, and then he wheels our luggage over to the plane while our parents say goodbye to us. After several more hugs and even more promises to text them often, they finally step back so we can board the plane. My mom’s arms are wrapped around my dad’s waist, and I can’t tell if it’s to keep her from running onto the plane or to keep him from doing it. Either way, they keep each other rooted in place as Sasha and I board the plane.
Before we disappear inside, I ask him, “What map are you marking Italy off of?”
He grins down at me. “My kill map.”
I nod my approval and say a quick, “Nice,” before we enter the plane and I forget about everything else as I get my first look atit.
“Wow,” I whisper, looking around at the luxurious plane. Gone are the notoriously cramped and uncomfortable airplane seats, and in their place are spacious, leather chairs, separated so there’s plenty of leg room, and they look comfortable enough to sleep in. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also a long leather couch with a large flat-screen TV and when I peek my head around to look at the back, I catch a glimpse of a private bedroom.
“Perks of being a bad guy,” my brother says as he walks past and sinks into one of the leather chairs near Alessandro.
Several Alessi men are seated up front, and when I try to find a place to sit, I can’t say I’m horribly surprised to find there’s only one spot open. Dario’s dark eyes follow me as I make my way over to the last available seat, the one that just happens to be right next to his. Unlike me in my comfortable yoga pants and hoodie, he’s chosen to travel in an Armani suit that looks like it was tailor-made for his perfect body.
He’s silent as I toss my backpack on the floor and sink into the leather seat. I slide the cover on the window up so I can see the lights of the airport and runway, and then I fidget with my seat, trying to get comfortable.
He gives a heavy sigh from beside me before saying, “How’s your arm?”
“Fine,” I mutter, keeping my eyes off him as I push a button to get my seat to recline.
“You’ve been ignoring my texts,” he says.
“And yet you still keep texting.” I close my eyes and try to pretend he’s not right next to me, but he’s impossible to ignore. I can feel his presence, and I know there’s no escaping it. There’s no denying that he hurt my feelings the other day in the closet, but it was the reality check I needed. This is just for fun, and I need to remember that. This means nothing to him, and I need to make sure it means nothing to me, too.
“Mia,” he starts to say, but he’s cut off by a very cheery, very feminine voice.
“Miss, I’m going to need you to put your chair in the upright position and buckle in. We’re going to be taking offsoon.”
I look over at the bubbly flight attendant and suppress the groan I want to give. “Does it matter?” I ask. “It’s a private plane. I really doubt Dominic will care if I sleep through the take off.”
“It’s the rules.” She keeps the huge smile plastered across her face when she says it, revealing a set of perfect teeth, bleached in a way that almost makes them glow, and when I take in the full picture, I can’t help but notice that she’s perfect, like the kind of woman you only see on social media after she’s used a bunch of filters. The flight attendant in front of me is proof that some women do actually look this good in person, and when she turns her eyes to Dario and gives him a smile that looks downright predatory, my chest feels a little tighter than it did a second ago.
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Alessi. Can I get you anything before we take off?” She asks the question, clearly already having forgotten about me, and I swear she leans in a little closer, showing off the huge tits that are threatening to pop the buttons of her crisp, white shirt.
“Thanks, Marissa, but I’m fine for now,” he tells her. His tone isn’t flirty, but it’s also not as sharp as I’d like it to be.
With one last smile to him, she turns and saunters off, letting us all get a view of her ass if we want to look. I dart my eyes to Dario’s, and the ache in my chest loosens the tiniest bit when I see his dark eyes on me instead of Marissa’s perfect backside.
“You heard her,streghetta mia. Put your seat up and buckle yourself in.”
Not wanting to hold the entire plane up, I do as he says and when I’m safely in an upright position and the lap belt is securely around my waist, I rest my elbow on the padded arm of the chair and look outside. It isn’t too much longer before I feel the plane start to move, slowly turning so we’re facing the long runway. My fingers grip the arm rests. Several tense moments pass where I keep my eyes glued to the window, and when we finally start to accelerate, my fingers dig in even harder as we pick up speed and race down the runway. When I feel us start to rise, a smile splits my face before I can get it under control and play it cool.
