Stolen from the Hitman: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance Read Online Free

the fact that an intimidating stranger has cornered me alone.
    “My name is Maksim Pavlenko, but my colleagues often call me Max. I have come on behalf of an elite gymnastics company with a close affiliation to the Sorbonne in Paris. After reviewing your progress as an athlete and sending me out to review your last performance live, the company has chosen to offer you a place in their highly competitive program. You would study at the Université de Paris and train under the tutelage of world-renowned instructors, such as myself,” he explains, his expression never lightening up for even a second.
    I am stunned and overwhelmed by this barrage of information, and apparently it shows, because he then gives me an even colder, impatient look.
    “This is an opportunity to die for, and it is not offered lightly. If you wish to accept, it is imperative that you tell me now,” he commands. My mind is racing, my heart pounding. How am I even supposed to respond to something like this? I had no expectation of anything so serious happening tonight — especially not to me !
    But I quickly stammer, “Yes, I-I would love to. I just —”
    “Very well,” he interrupts, guiding me back into the restaurant and toward my waiting parents, who both looked utterly bewildered. Without another word to me, Pavlenko describes the details of the arrangement to my parents, leaving me standing stock-still and silent the whole time. Holly and Ashley shoot me concerned, questioning looks, but all I can do is give them a strained smile and shrug. I know they’ll be happy for me, but it also means that I’ve bested them. We’re all friends, but we’re competitors, too. Besides, if I go away to Paris — which still seems like an impossible pipe dream — who knows if I’ll even ever see them again?
    Still, I tell myself as Pavlenko arranges my travel and schooling plans with my parents, he is right. This is an opportunity I cannot pass up. On the ride home from the banquet, I don’t say a word even as my parents chatter excitedly about Pavlenko’s offer. It’s all happening so fast, but it’s definitely for the better, isn’t it? Gymnastics is my passion, and I will never fulfill my ambitions if I just languish away here in Toast.
    Paris is the place to be. Even if it means leaving behind everything I’ve ever known or loved.
    Right?
    But then I remember what happened the last time I flew anywhere...

2
    Liv
    I ’ve only been on a plane once in my life, when I was ten and we flew to Orlando for a family vacation at Disney World. I was so scared that my parents had to give me a special medicine from the doctor to chill me out and calm me down for the flight. Every slight turbulence felt like instant death to me. I just knew we were going to drop out of the sky and plummet to our doom at any moment. My mom spent the entire flight stroking my hair and reminding me that it’s more likely to get in a car accident than a plane crash.
    Which only had the effect of also making me terrified to get in the taxi waiting for us when we landed in Orlando.
    I’d like to think that I’ve matured a little bit since then. Mellowed out, even. But when the day of the flight arrives, I’m trembling yet again. It looks like my old phobia is still going strong, unfortunately. And this is a scarier flight than just hopping on a plane to Florida: this time I’m flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
    And I’m doing it all by myself.
    “You’ll be just fine, sweetheart,” my mother assures me, her voice wavering. Both of my parents have been excessively hovering over me for the past few weeks, fussing over every little thing and wanting to spend all their time with me. I understand why. This will be the first time I’ve ever lived away from home, and Paris is a long, long way away from North Carolina. I’m an only child and my parents have always been like my best friends, so this is going to be very difficult on all of us. I can’t imagine what it will be