Page 91 of Forging Caine

“Where are we going?” Antonio sat across from me, the bodyguards in the middle, while Fiori and his son sat opposite each other by the other door.

“To work.” Fiori stared out the window, nudging Baptiste’s foot and pointing at something.

“How long will we be in the air?” A fully fueled helicopter of this size could fly three hundred miles in any direction. If we were near Buffalo and the canal system, he could even circle back and fly us to Detroit, let alone into Ontario, Quebec, or any half dozen states. “Sometimes I get airsick.”

“You were fine on the last trip. And the one before that, when Jason flew you two to Sorrento.” Fiori waved vaguely in our direction. “It will only be a couple of hours.”

That didn’t narrow down the options at all. One of the bodyguards reached under his seat and tossed wadded up black fabric at Antonio and me. Hoods.

Antonio’s lip curled. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve already given you our word.”

“Trust is earned, my friend, not simply promised. As I said, Ms. Caine tipped your scales in the wrong direction, and you need to balance them out again.”

He will not throw you out of the helicopter, Sam. Just put it on.I stretched my legs and Antonio did the same, so we were in contact before placing the hoods over our headsets. The fabric was thick enough that barely any light penetrated. Pins and needles shot up my fingers and through my hands as the helicopter lifted off, going to who knew where.

The only positive was that the headset microphone held the hood several inches from my face.

Deep breaths. Calm. Find your center.I mentally flipped through the paintings in Elliot’s box. I’d memorized fifty of them but had barely made a dent. Colors swirled through my brain while I rubbed my panicky fingers together. Two hours of darkness and random airborne movement was just the opportunity I needed to review theGrainfieldpainting and let my mind figure out whatStolen 13 Fellon the onionskins meant.

In that moment, working for Dom sounded like a good idea. My need to be with Antonio every passing second was still strong. How long until that faded and I craved solitude? How much of that solitude would he tolerate without frustration? Or what if he felt stifled by my presence?

His foot flexed and straightened, rubbing my ankle. It kept me centered, so I could focus on the paintings in my head, rather than the panic of where we were headed, whether anyone would ever see us again, and what would happen to my family.

A few minutes after takeoff, Antonio hummed a quiet song which carried over the headset. It cut off with two grunts and his feet jostled against mine. One of the bodyguards must have shoved him.

“Shut off their communications now,” said Fiori.

My headset switched from noise reduction to active noise canceling, and I popped my ears, searching for a comfortable pressure. This was going to be a long flight.

Chapter 30

Samantha

Itcouldhavebeenan hour or it could have been five. However long it took before the helicopter descended was too fucking long. My muscles ached. Brain was wired. And the pins and needles had come and gone the entire flight.

We touched down, and my headset switched back to receiving.

“You can take the hoods off now,” said Fiori.

I shaded my eyes with a hand, the sunshine far too bright after hours of darkness.

Antonio’s hood was still on, his arms crossed and feet stretched out next to mine. Head lolled to the side. He was asleep. I’d spent the entire trip worrying, researching photos in my head, and imagining the joy of throwing Fiori out of the helicopter door.

I nudged his leg at the same time the guard next to him nudged him.

He shot awake, hands going to rip the hood off his head, but he stopped. Even coming out of his nap, he was aware of our situation.

“We’ve arrived,” said Fiori. “Take it off.”

Antonio pulled the hood off, smoothed his hands over the sides of his hair, and winked at me. “How do I look?”

Always trying to make me laugh. I loved that about him.

“Do I have to listen to them?” Baptiste stretched and pulled off his headset when Fiori removed his own.

The door on their side opened, and I surveyed the scene beyond them. No clues about where we’d gone. A vast green lawn stretched all around us, framed by trees. A two-story mansion covered in gray and pink brick, with white windows, three chimney stacks, and several gardens dominated the yard. Pockets of trees and bushes dotted the lawn, but it was mostly open, not providing many hiding places.

I twisted to look out my window. A long dock ending with a gazebo, running into either a lake or a river. Whatever body of water it was, it was wide enough I could barely make out a sliver of land in the distance.

---