myself suddenly irritated by the fact that even though I was a step higher, the
motherfucker was still taller than I was. He smiled, knowing what I was thinking,
and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me toward him.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I guess,” I said with a shrug. Not like I had a choice in where I was going
anyway.
“You’re going to love it. I promise,” he gleamed.
“I’ll decide that,” I said with a smirk, but Darren just smiled in his usual
“challenge accepted” sort of way.
“Come on,” he said, taking my hand and tugging me out the door and into the
car, another sleek BMW. Clive and Owen stood off to the side, watching closely.
Were they not going with us? I couldn’t help but notice the exact same car idled in
front of ours and another was behind it. I didn’t know if I should feel better
knowing we had backup in case of some kind of attack, or worse, that we needed it
in the first place.
Scott was already behind the wheel while Darren ushered me into the backseat.
Strapping myself in, I stared out the window. Waiting only a few seconds before the
car took off, I watched as we left my shadows and pretty cage behind. I wondered
what the newest temporary one would look like.
Darren was mostly silent as he studied his tablet, his eyes focused and
determined as he read whatever he was reviewing. At one point, he even pulled out
the stylus, made notes, and sent it off. I was such a snoop, but I couldn’t help it. I
just hoped he didn’t catch me doing it.
The car was luxurious and comfortable with all its soft black leather and dark
tinted windows. The glass windows seemed much thicker than usual, and my heart
skipped a beat when I suddenly realized they were bulletproof. I sat back in my seat,
suddenly feeling all the blood drain from my face, and I came to remember that
being with Darren automatically put me danger. He wasn’t the only threat to my
safety—his enemies were. And the moment I married him, the target on my back
would suddenly triple in size. Fuck.
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the tarmac where Darren’s private
plane was waiting. I groaned aloud, remembering the last and first time I had ever
been on a plane and the lack of joy I experienced during my travel.
“Everything will be fine, Jaden,” Darren said, his eyes still transfixed on his
work as he typed away in an email.
“As long as you don’t have any ties to terrorist groups who could shoot us out of
the sky,” I retorted.
Darren shrugged. “They’re not that stupid,” he said plainly.
I felt my jaw drop.
The car pulled over to stop, and Scott quickly exited to open my door, which was
under child lock, of course. The men from the other cars loaded our baggage on the
plane, the same plane I suddenly had no interest in boarding, no matter where it
was going.
Darren walked up the steps to the plane first, Scott behind me as I stood at the
bottom, suddenly frozen in place. Why was I so terrified of flying? I had a better
chance of dying in a car accident … or did I? Now that I drove around in bulletproof
vehicles.
“Jaden, let’s go,” Darren said, turning back to look at me, but I couldn’t ignore
the slight tremor of the growl in his voice.
“Okay, okay,” I said, shaking my head and putting on my big bitch panties to
walk up those goddamn steps.
I sucked in a breath as I sat down in my seat within the cabin across from Darren
who now looked a little irritated. He patted the seat next to him by the window
while giving me a no-nonsense glare. I quickly switched seats while Scott took my
place and sat down, opening a laptop on his lap.
Within ten minutes, we were in the air, and my knuckles were ready to burst
from my skin from clutching the seat.
“Do you want some water?” Darren asked me, concern in his voice.
“So you can drug me again? Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
When the plane leveled, Darren got up and pulled a bottle of water out of the
mini fridge connected to the bar, handing it to me.
“It’s not drugged. I promise,” he assured me.
“Fine,” I said, taking the bottle and nearly downing it. I hated appearing this
nervous, but I had no clue where we were going, what direction, and how long the
flight was. Maybe I could get some hints. Darren was still typing on his tablet when
I finally got the courage to ask him.
“Gonna tell me where we’re going yet?”
“Nope,” he replied casually, his
