Forever & Always

Chapter 30: Virago✔️

(n) - a strong, brave, or warlike woman; a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities

Pronounced: vur-ah-go

•Winter's pov•

The 3-hour and 10-minute drive from Samālūţ back to Cairo is mostly silent except for Sophia asking questions every once in a while. I've noticed that since we saved her, she's either sticking to me or Cairo. She sat next to me when we ate dinner last night, she chose the room closest to mine, and she chose to drive with me instead of with Cairo.

"Why do you stick with me?"

"Pardon?"

"Ever since we saved you, you've stuck with me. I would've expected you to be more attached to Cairo."

"I don't know... I guess, in some way, your presence is comforting. It's strange... how a 16-year-old girl can make you feel safe. I'm sorry if it bothers you, I'll stop."

"It doesn't bother me. I've just... people are usually scared of me, they run away just by the look on my face. I've heard people say that my presence is dark and depressing. So hearing that my presence makes someone feel safe is a little... strange to me."

The more I talk with Sophia, the more I understand why Esio went to such lengths to get her back. She's understanding, kind, and comfortable to be around. I don't usually make adult friends, but I have a few exceptions. Perhaps she's one of them.

When we get to the runway in Cairo, we waste no time in getting out of the cars and assisting the guards in putting our bags in the back of the plane. As soon as we're in our seats and our seat belts are buckled, the pilot begins steering the plane. I had made sure that the jet would be ready before we even got here so that we could take off as soon as possible. We're in the air no more than 10 minutes later.

"So now that we're completely out of earshot of the Egyptians, where are we going?" Lio asks. I haven't told any of them, except Mamá, Bampás, Enzo, and Vinny of my plan for Esio, Cairo, and their families.

"Marignane."

"And where's that?"

"France."

"Why are we going to France?" Wonder asks. This time, Lorenzo answers.

"The French are one of our best allies. They agreed to watch over our parents, Esio, and Cairo's family. We also asked a favor of them which you will find out about once we get there. Now get some rest. It's a 4-hour and 20-minute flight."

Once all the questions stop and the pilot deems it safe enough to walk around the jet, I unbuckle my seat belt and walk over to one of the tables with my backpack. I take my laptop out and start updating Havoc's security systems. After what we just did, there's no doubt that Osiris and our other enemies will retaliate. The first thing they'll do is try hacking into our systems.

I want to make sure that our cybersecurity is impenetrable. I already finished updating the Greek Mafia's cybersecurity before we left for the mission, so now I'm working on Havoc's. I don't doubt that the Americans and Egyptians have figured out that Havoc and the Greeks are allies. If they're smart enough, the thought of coming after Havoc and her allies won't even pass through their heads. Fortunately and unfortunately, neither of the two mafia dons are that smart.

I spend the first 2 hours of the flight working on my task. I also messaged Mamá that we are on our way to Marignane. For the rest of the 2 hours, I catch up on some much-needed sleep. Traveling from place to place for a mission in less than a week is exhausting. We've been to different time zones and I've been jet-lagged more times than I can remember. I had to push all of my exhaustion, soreness, and hunger to the back of my mind until this mission was finished.