Page 138 of Fix You

And then I started telling him the plan.

As soon as Brian let me know he and his men were downstairs, I walked into the living room. Both Aldo and Pauly were seated on the sofa watching TV. At the sight of me, Aldo rose up. “Can I get you something Ms. Kavanaugh?”

“No, but I thank you for offering and for taking such good care of me today.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m also going to thank you for not putting up a fight when I walk out of here in a few minutes.”

Pauly’s brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“My cousin and his men are coming to pick me up. I’m leaving Rafe.”

At my declaration, Pauly shot off the couch. “But you can’t. We have an order to keep you here until he returns.”

With a shake of my head, I replied, “I can’t allow anyone else to get hurt. Caruso is not going to stop unless Rafe marries Andrea. If I leave him, we can have peace.”

“But you can stay and fight. Rafe can take out Caruso,” Aldo argued.

“If Rafe assassinates Edoardo, it will only start a full-out war. Not only could I lose Rafe, but I could lose my brothers. I can’tlet that happen.” Drawing my shoulders back, I replied, “Iwon’tlet that happen.”

Pauly took a tentative step towards me. “Please be reasonable. If you leave here today, Rafe is just going to search for you.”

“I can disappear to where he won’t find me.”

At the knock on the suite door, I gave them a pleading look. “Just let me walk away. I’ll explain it all to Rafe. I would say we could make it look like a gun battle, but this is too nice of a hotel to have a shootout in.”

With a grimace, Aldo flopped back down on the couch. Pauly followed me with his eyes as I went over to the door to open it for Brian. At the sight of the eight men striding into the suite, Pauly’s eyes bulged.

“Take their phones,” Brian instructed.

“What the fuck for?” Aldo demanded.

With his fire engine red hair and blue eyes, Brian was everything you imagined when you thought of an Irishman. He pointed his gun at Aldo. “We don’t need you phoning your boss until we have time to get away.”

Reluctantly, the two of them handed over their phones. As we started to the door, I threw a last glance at them over my shoulder. “I’m really sorry.”

Pauly grunted. “So the fuck am I.”

“There’s a letter for Rafe in the bedroom that explains everything.”

“Jesus, that’s cold,” Aldo muttered.

Wincing, I turned away and crept out the door. Brian’s men then led me down the back staircase and out the door I’d come through just an hour earlier. Once we got into the van, I called Kellan.

“Did you find me somewhere to go?” I asked when he answered. I’d called him shortly after I’d hung up with Brian.Eighteen months ago, he’d concocted the perfect plan for me to escape from Father and Oisin. I knew he would be able to do it again.

“Until we get the green light for your final destination, you’ll be staying in a safe house in Catania.”

“Where’s that?”

“Sicily.”

I gasped. “You’re sending me to the country where Rafe’s family is from?”

“It’ll be the last place he’ll think to look.”

“That’s pretty genius.”

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