Page 141 of The Obsession
I arch an eyebrow. “Is it though?”
“Not every job I do ends in death. Sometimes I just break an arm or a leg … you know, knock out a few teeth.”
“That’s comforting to know,” I say as a small smile tugs at my lips.
“I talked to Dante earlier.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, I asked him for some time off.”
“Is that even doable? Lucia gave me a rundown on how this lifestyle works. Aren’t you bound to them for life?”
“I am,” he admits, “but things can be arranged. Dante has the final say. If I need time away, I don’t ask for permission; I ask for a favour. And if it’s granted, I’m off the grid for a while. No questions, no calls, no work.”
“Has it been granted?”
He lifts me off his lap and stands. “Come,” he says, reaching for my hand and lacing his fingers through mine. “I’ve got something to show you.”
He leads me back into the house and down the hallway toward the bedrooms. I narrow my eyes, half suspecting he’s about to show me the ‘anaconda in his pants’, but when he walks straight past each room and heads for the front door, I frown in confusion.
He stops before we exit the house and places a hand over my eyes.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I have a surprise for you.”
He pushes open the front door and carefully guides me forward.
“I’m nervous,” I admit. “I don’t like surprises.”
“I think you’ll like this one,mia tortina,” he says softly, his hand falling away from my eyes.
I blink them open, and the moment I see what’s parked in the driveway, a gasp slips from my lips. “Whose RV is that?”
“Ours,” he answers, as his arms slide around my waist from behind. “Lil’ Peach has one more year at home before she starts school. I was thinking the three of us could take some time and travel. See this big, beautiful country of ours. How does that sound?”
I turn in his arms. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
The first genuine smile I’ve had in days breaks across my face. “When do we leave?”
Chapter 47
Dominic
Four months later …
Ipull the RV over when we reach the Great Australian Bight, it’s a huge 1,160 km stretch of open bay along the southern coast. It’s known for its wild, sheer limestone cliffs—some over one hundred metres high—where the Nullarbor Plain drops into the Southern Ocean.
I’ve seen images of this place in books and online, but nothing can prepare you for the way it hits you; the space, noise and distance all at once. It makes you feel like you’ve stepped into something bigger than yourself.
Travelling around Australia has never been something that appealed to me, but fuck if I haven’t enjoyed this time away with my girls.
Before this trip, I’d never set foot outside New South Wales, and was completely ignorant of how much Australia has to offer.
When we loaded up the van and hit the road, we travelled north, stopping at Dubbo, Tamworth, and Coffs Harbour, before spending a few days in Byron Bay.
