Page 40 of Elusive Surrender

We’ve just finished breakfast and decided to leave late this afternoon and go together to visit Jan when my phone buzzes. My eyes freeze on the text, and my jaw locks tight as my responsibilities and my need to keep Alexis secure come to a set of ball-busting crossroads.

Nick: All hell is about to break loose. We just got a lock on communications. We’re going to need all hands on deck.

Well, fuck! I watch while Alexis finishes her espresso, unaware of the shitstorm that’s about to blow up here in Italy. I have two choices, and neither is good. I can either keep Alexis in Italy, right in the middle of a full-blown mafia war, which according to our intel dept is about to get real fucking intense, or I can send her back to New York without me to protect her, knowing some psycho murdering chameleon who kidnaps women to sell into a world of trafficking and sex slavery would love nothing better than to get his clutches onto Alexis. A man so elusive that no one, including our own men, can find him. But if she doesn’t go now, she may never see the person she cares about again. Fuck!

Alexis can tell something’s wrong. I can see the concern written all over her lovely, alabaster face. “Tell me,” Lexie whispers softly.

“That was Nick. He got a message from intel, and while I can’t go into details, I’m not going to be able to leave, Lex. I don’t want you to go without me, but I know it’s something you need to do.”

She nods, slips out of her chair, and climbs right into my lap. I wrap my arms around her tightly, wishing to hell I could keep her right where she is forever.

“I have to go, Sheldon. Maybe in a few days’ time things will have blown over here and you can fly back to New York,” she suggests.

We have a great security team watching her home. I personally reviewed each and every one of the entire group’s credentials and skill sets myself, but that doesn’t make letting Lexie go back to the States without me one bit easier. I already know she’s made her decision, and it would have been the one I made if someone I loved were lying in that very same hospital bed.

“I’ll make the arrangements.”

Chapter Fourteen

Alexis

I can still feelSheldon’s kiss, and although we’ve been in the air for hours, his scent is still on my skin. I don’t know how it happened so soon, but there’s this unique magnetism that won’t let go, constantly drawing me to him even when we’re apart. I could console myself with the fact it will only be a few days, but that’s far from likely. Sheldon will try to break loose and get to New York as things settle down, and if he can’t, then he’ll have me flown back to Italy. That’s what he said. That’s what I wish could happen.

I didn’t tell Sheldon that if Jan’s condition is as bad as they say, I won’t be able to return to Italy. I’ll need to keep the salon running and pay the bills until she can work, no matter how long that takes.

The security guards assigned to get me back to New York safely are relatively new to the team. The one named Mason introduces me to the flight crew and shows me around the main cabin before joining his partner in the security cabin. These guys are intense and strong looking, and I’m sure they would be a big help to Sheldon and the teams in Italy, which only makes me feel worse that he absolutely would not take no for an answer and let me at least travel back to the States alone.

I kick off my shoes, snuggle into the plush leather of the sectional couch, and pull the jacket Sheldon placed over my shoulders at the airport over me. I’m immediately inundated with the feeling of missing him. This attraction, this palpable magnetism is both comforting and more than a bit overwhelming.

My cell rings, and I can’t stop the face-splitting grin that spreads across my face. “Hello.”

“Mason told me you’re all curled up on the couch and looked like you were tired.”

“Stalker much?”

“Uh-huh. If he didn’t tell you, the master suite of the Prestian Gulfstream is available for your use. Chase and Katarina won’t mind.”

“He told me, but the fireplace is in the main cabin, and it’s really nice and toasty.”

“Then I’ll have Bianca bring you a blanket and pillow, and the couch folds out if you feel more comfortable sleeping there.”

“Thank you.”

“Things are heating up on this side of the world, so I can’t talk long. I just wanted to check in and say goodnight. I’ll talk to you later,” he says, disconnecting without giving me a chance to reply.

Sheldon couldn’t be more perfect. The man I’ve always dreamed of. He’s someone completely comfortable in his role as protector, a take charge kind of guy who wants to care for his lady in every way, not just enjoy a little kink in the bedroom once in a while and call it a day. But that doesn’t stop my ex’s words from pounding in my ears.“You need someone to tell you what to do, what to think, and how to act. And that’s why you need me and will do as I say!”

Isn’t the desire to prove I don’t need someone running my life and making decisions for me one of the exact reasons I’ve worked so hard to show both myself and everyone else around me that I can do things on my own, and I don’t need someone else taking care of me?

I should be like all the women in the corporate world. The ones who are self-assured, know what they want, and don’t need nor want a dominating man. Someone like Katarina Meilers Larussio Prestian. That woman is the epitome of strength. I’ve seen her splashed all over the news. If she’s not busy working with foster children, she’s busy running campaigns for the city’s underprivileged, and even has a full-time job with everything else she does. I’ve even seen her prepare for high-powered meetings with people I’m fairly sure are the fricking Italian Mafia. What would a woman like that think of me letting a man take the reins in all aspects of my life?

I wake from a restless sleep,and the sun is shining in through the cabin windows. I scurry to get freshened up and ready to deplane in less than twenty minutes. Mason and the others escort me down the ramp to a sleek-looking black limousine where two more hunky tall men stand talking as they watch us approach. The men are both in black suits. They shake hands with Mason, who introduces me to both Trent and Liam. Trent has sandy brown hair, while Liam looks a tad younger and has long, dark, wavy hair, and they’re both sporting sunglasses that make them intimidating as hell.

I straighten to my full height, extending a hand in greeting, first to one, then to the other. “Pleased to meet you both. I really appreciate you guys looking out for me while I’m here. I hope there’s nothing to worry about, but Sheldon thinks the guy who was harassing me is still a threat to me, my family, and my friends.”

“It’s no problem. Sheldon and Nick have had security teams assigned to Jan, your mother, and Allie, and we all work together,” Trent greets, grabbing my bag from Mason and hefting it into the back seat of the limo before I get in. “I just received a text from Sheldon. He mentioned you slept most of the way over and may want to stop by your apartment to freshen up before we head to the hospital,” he adds, sliding into the front seat and closing the door.

Liam jumps in the driver’s seat while I contemplate my stalkerish but well-meaning boyfriend, or whatever the hell he is to me. Friend with benefits? I feel my cheeks heat recalling our conversation about my dildo as we leave the airport. “I’ll take you up on the stop to my apartment.”

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