Surrender (Careless Whispers #3)(81)

“Yes. It is.” He unbuckles his seat belt and goes down on a knee in front of me to unbuckle me as well. “Ella. What you did today was nothing shy of incredible. You are the most amazing person. You’re brave. Passionate. Caring. I am so lucky to have found you. You are a Lady Hawk like no other could ever be.”

“And the same is true of you, my Hawk.”

“I can’t give you complete safety. Today proved that, and you proved you can handle that.”

“I can. I just hate that we can’t trust everyone around us.”

“We’ll find a way to never have another Matteo. Together.”

“I was afraid you’d—”

“Shut you out? I can’t. You’re in my heart and soul, Ella.” He reaches to his seat and produces a velvet box. “Will you marry me?”

I smile. “I already said yes.”

“Not with a ring.” He opens the lid and I gasp at the perfect circle of a pale pink diamond.

“Pink,” I whisper, smiling at him. “Like my ballet slippers?”

“Yes. Because that Hawk on your arm is the warrior in you, and the ballet slippers are the woman. I want you to be both. I want you to feel you can be both with me, and as much as I want to protect you, I vow to let you be both.”

I start crying. “I think this warrior has shut down for the day.”

“She deserves a break,” he says, taking the ring out of the case and slipping it on my finger. And it’s a perfect fit, like the man, The Hawk. My future husband.



Kayden and I talk the entire flight, and it’s early morning when we approach the Rome airport. We’ve just hit the runway when his phone rings, and he quickly pulls up the news on his iPad, playing a video story:

In a scandalous and shocking breaking story, French and British officials are at the home of Garner Neuville, long known to be the head of the French mob. He and two of his highest-ranking members were found dead, along with a man name Alessandro Abate, an Italian national who is known to run a notorious treasure-hunting operation. At the center of the dispute is a necklace worth three hundred million dollars, stolen more than a decade ago from the British government.

“And now,” Kayden says, “it’s over.”

“What about Niccolo?”

“He’ll hyper-focus on trying to take over the French mob until he dies. But Neuville’s fourth won’t let that happen.”

A few minutes later the doors of the plane are open, and Kayden pulls a leather jacket on to cover his shoulder holster and weapon, then reaches into the overhead bin and offers me my purse. “Annie is still intact.”

“Oh, Annie,” I say, opening the purse to stroke my gun. “How I missed you.”

He laughs and so do I as we head up front to chat with Chris and Sara, who seem much more relaxed now. We exit the plane before them for safety reasons, heading down the stairs inside a private hangar.

Sasha is waiting on us at the bottom of the steps and she wastes no time throwing her arms around me. “You did it. You brave bitch, you! Damn, you scared me.” She fights tears, and my chest tightens because I know what Neuville put her through. I know what I put her through with that phone call.

Seconds tick by and she gives me a nod, the emotion scrubbed from her face moments later. “I’m going to play shotgun to the driver escorting Sara to the castle.” She glances over my shoulder as Sara and Chris exit, whistling, and proving she’s officially pushed aside Neuville, at least for now, as she adds, “And apparently her really hot husband. Holy hell, she has good taste. I like her already.” She hands Kayden the keys to one of the F-TYPEs. “Sweet ride, boss,” she says, motioning to the ice-blue Jag waiting a short distance away.

Kayden and I laugh, and then get Chris and Sara introduced to Sasha and into the car. We follow them, and they’ve just entered the gates of the castle, with us about to as well, eager to lock up the necklace, when a limo pulls up right next to us.

“Niccolo,” Kayden says, shutting the gate with us and him on the outside, and placing the car in park. “At least we’ll get this over with right away.” He glances over at me. “Ready?”

I nod and we both open our doors, finding him standing only a few feet from us. “You lost the necklace?” he snaps. “How did you lose the necklace?”

“We didn’t know what happened until we landed here,” Kayden says. “We watched it on the news.”

“That necklace was worth three hundred million dollars,” he bites out. “How does a Hawk and his Lady Hawk lose it?”

“Your brother’s dead,” I say. “There’s your prize.”

Kayden adds, “And maybe you’ll even live to enjoy his death. You do have that new cancer therapy.”

Niccolo locks eyes with Kayden. “I am going to live, Hawk. There will be many more years for you to hate me. You’d be advised not to forget that.” He walks away, pausing at the door of his limo to add, “And I hear his fourth is now in charge.” His lips quirk and he climbs into the vehicle.

“Why did that make him smile?” I ask.

“Never let the enemy see you blink,” Kayden says. “And make no mistake, we’re still the enemy. Win at all costs or die forgotten.”