Chapter 8

Angela

“Hey Mom, just wanted to give you a heads up that I’ll be crashing at Clio’s place for a few weeks. She mentioned that one of her coworkers has been getting some creepy threats, and you know how much I hate it when innocent people are in danger.”

Honestly, I wish Clio was the one calling you guys. She’s way better at spinning a story than I am. I can make things sound believable, but she’s on another level.

But no, Clio and Jessy is getting a little too cozy in the bathroom on this private jet. I mean, really? There’s a whole bedroom they could use, but I guess it’s reserved for Nikolai. He said I could use it too since I’m his ‘wife’ now.

“I understand, Angela! Just be careful when you come back from your missions and head into Clio’s building.”

“And you and Dad should remember to wear your disguises when you go grocery shopping.”

“We know, sweetheart. Just keep you and Clio safe. Talk soon. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. Bye.”

I hang up and step out of the private bedroom, passing the bathroom where I can still hear Clio trying to keep it down.

I plop down in front of Nikolai, who’s busy on his laptop. I pull out a new journal and open it to the first page.

Clio teases me about it, calling it a diary.

But honestly, it’s kind of like a diary for me since I jot down everything that happens in my life.

And if something were to go wrong, like if I got caught and something bad happened, I wouldn’t want my family to be sad. I’d rather they celebrate that I lived such a wild life.

I feel super cringey right now.

I managed to fill up about a quarter of the page when I noticed Clio and Jessy stepping out of the hallway together. They shared a quick glance before heading off in different directions.

Clio plops down next to me and rests her head on my shoulder. "Did you have fun?" I whisper.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she whispers back, which makes me grin.

"Right... like I didn't hear you trying to keep it down in the bathroom." I catch a glimpse of her cheeks turning pink. "I’ll take that as a yes. Hope you used a-"

"Yes, we did," Clio interrupts me quickly. "By the way, since I got back from the bathroom, Nikolai hasn’t taken his eyes off you."

I turn my head slightly to look at her, then glance up to meet Nikolai's gaze.

He smirks while checking me out before returning to his laptop.

After a bit, I close my journal and tuck it back into my purse. I grab the blanket next to Clio and spread it over both of us.

"Hey, Nikolai, how long until we land?" I ask, adjusting myself carefully so Clio doesn’t slide off my shoulder.

"In two hours, love," he replies, and I nod.

I cross my arms and lean back against the pillow, closing my eyes for a quick nap. I hope to dream of ways to sneak in and out of the Vasilios mansion for my fights.

"Hey Cora... Cora!"

"Hmm?"

"Come on, we’ve landed in Anthes."

"Just give me a minute."

A minute turned into ten because I had to wake Clio up. It took all my willpower not to drag her out and down the stairs of the jet. I’ve done that before, but last time it was down a hallway to wake her up. That was a year ago.

After a twenty-minute drive, we pulled up to a huge house. "Wow, this place is huge," I said as I stepped out of the car.

“Welcome to your new home, love." Nikolai said, pulling me in closer with his arm around my waist. "Get ready to put on a show. Remember, we’ve been keeping this long-term relationship under wraps for—"

"Hold on a second, Nikolai. How are you going to explain all those girls you’ve been with? I mean, your mom would totally freak if she found out you were in a serious relationship while cheating on me. So, when did this whole sleeping around thing start?” I asked, trying to think of a way to spin a story. I would have asked Clio for help, but she had to meet a client in the city.

"About two years ago," Elijah chimed in.

"Alright, so you basically started seeing other people because you couldn’t get over me after we were together for two years before... you ended things because...?" I trailed off, hoping he’d help me finish the tale.

"You moved to America for school, and we couldn’t handle the long distance?"

He added.

"And then I went to Las Vegas for a girls' trip with Clio. We ran into each other outside the hotel and decided to grab dinner. We realized we still had feelings for each other, maybe even stronger than before, and that’s how we ended up getting married at the wedding chapel."

"Fuck, it sounds crazy even in my ears," he interjected.

"Yep, tell me about it." I replied. "But what happens when your parents find out we’re lying about marrying for love? Your mom will definitely see through that, you know how moms are."

"Well, we’ll just deal with that when it comes, love." Nikolai said, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Shall we, wife?"

"Call me that again, and you might wake up tomorrow with a little surprise." I pointed down towards his dick. I swear I will cut it off. He laughed at my threat.

I’m not sure if he realizes I might actually go through with it, but let’s not dive into that right now.

As soon as the front doors swing open, a mouthwatering aroma of food fills the air. The guys dash straight to the kitchen. A moment later, I hear a girl shout, "What the hell, Louis?! That's my food!"

"I'm starving, and there was so much food on the plane because someone decided to chow down."

When Nikolai and I step into the kitchen, Louis is staring at Jessy. "What? I got hungry on the plane and needed to fuel up!"

"Don’t think we didn’t see you and Clio sneaking off to the bathroom on the jet," Louis says, taking another bite.

I’m surprised they haven’t noticed Nikolai and me standing here. I get it for me since they don’t know me, but Nikolai is their boss.

"I don’t know why you haven’t asked Clio to be your girlfriend yet. It’s clear you have feelings for her, and from what I see, she feels the same way when you’re not busy hooking up. You two have been at it for over a year," the girl chimes in.

Nikolai clears his throat. "You should take Anna’s advice, Jessy."

They all turn to him. "Anyway, since you three," he gestures to the guys, "know who and why Cora is here, Anna, this is Cora, the girl I accidentally and drunkenly married in Vegas two days ago. I’m sure you already heard about it because Louis can’t keep a secret. Cora, meet Anna, our main sniper and weapons expert, plus she’s Louis’s sister."

"Wait, you told—" Before I can finish, an knife comes flying at me, and I catch it just in time. "What the heck?" I raise an eyebrow at Anna.

"Nice reflexes. That’ll come in handy if enemies ever try to kidnap you. Do you know the basics of self-defense or fighting?"

A grin spreads across my face as I toss the knife back, and she catches it effortlessly. "You bet I do," I reply.

“Awesome! Let’s go.” Anna throws her arm around my shoulder and guides me down a couple of hallways. I notice the guys, including Nikolai, trailing right behind us.

She hands me a hair tie before pulling her hair up in the middle of the room where the mats are laid out. I follow suit.

"Ready, Cora?" Anna asks as she gets into position.

"Ready when you are."

As soon as I say that, she lunges at me, catching me off guard, but I manage to dodge it quickly. This isn’t my first rodeo, and it definitely won’t be the last.

In just a few minutes, I manage to take Anna down, and she taps out. I laugh as I get off her and offer my hand to help her up. "Wow, that’s a first. No one but Nomiki has ever taken me down, and I was really going for it. Next up should be Nomiki, right, Nikolai?" Anna glances at the guys, her eyes widening, which makes me turn to see what’s got her attention. "Capo—"

The guys all turn and step aside.

"Papa—" Nikolai starts, but his dad interrupts with slow claps.