Page 137 of Bride By Initiation

She adds, "I saw how upset our parents were, so there's more to the story. And if my father was involved, I want to know. So tell me."

I decide to stop lying to her, mostly. I close my eyes, admitting, "Fiona, I want to tell you everything. I do. But I can't."

"Get out, Zara."

I open my eyes. "Please listen to me?—"

"No,youlisten tome. I'm tired of the lies. I'm tired of the secrecy. Just get out. Now!" She points at the door.

"Please. You're my best friend."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing that," she says. "Now, leave."

I decide it's best to let her cool off some more. "Fine, but I hope we can talk soon."

"Don't hold your breath," she warns.

I sigh and leave. I get in the elevator, but instead of stopping on the ground floor, it stops on floor three. The doors open.

Valentina beams at me from the other side. "Surprise!"

Confused, I question, "What are you doing here?"

She grins. "I'd like to tell you that. But you know how things are. Come on." She motions for me to get out of the elevator.

I obey.

She leads me down the hall to another part of the building. There's a service elevator. She pulls out a key card and scans it.

The elevator doors open.

We step inside, and she pushes the R button. The elevator ascends and then opens on the roof.

A helicopter is parked on the pad, its blades turning.

She yells, "I hope you like flying."

"Seriously?" I shout back.

She laughs and pulls me over to the helicopter.

The wind blows my hair everywhere. We climb inside, and the pilot helps us get situated. He hands us headsets, and I put mine on. Then he moves back to the front, prepares for takeoff, and lifts the chopper off the roof.

We're only in the air a few minutes before he lands at a private airport. We get off the helicopter and onto a private plane.

Within minutes, we're back in the air.

I question, "Where are we going?"

Valentina sighs. "Zara. I never know. You'll get used to it."

"I will?"

"Yeah. You'll get used to many things you never thought you would."

"Really?"

"Promise."

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