Jenna
My mother wanted to come with me. My father wanted to send Alex as a bodyguard, but I refused. Being sent to visit my fiancé accompanied by the only man who’s ever made my heart beat faster would make a difficult situation impossible.
I have a plan and after what I just saw down in the lobby, I think it just might work.
The trouble is, I don’t know Nico Tacone at all. I’ve seen him at family parties, weddings and funerals, but I avoided him like the plague.
And he seemed to avoid me right back.
At least that’s what I’m banking on.
So I sit in a plush chair outside his office with his pitbull Tony standing bodyguard at the door and try to get my heart out of my throat.
He doesn’t make me wait long. Tacone arrives and holds the door open for me, the picture of gentlemanly manners.
I wipe my hands on my black jean skirt and enter.
“I heard you graduated,” Tacone says politely. “Congratulations.” He waves me into a chair across from his desk and takes a seat.
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Thank you.” My hands tangle in my lap. My lips feel too dry. “My father says it’s time for us to marry,” I blurt.
Tacone’s face remains blank, but I swear I see a muscle jump in his cheek.
“Are you-” I suck in a breath. “Are you prepared to marry me?”
Shoot. That was the wrong thing to say. Now I put him on the spot. He can’t say no without offending my family.
He blinks at me. “Jenna-”
“Wait,” I cut in. “I don’t want to know the answer to that question. What I want to say, is…”
He’s staring at me with polite brown eyes. There’s really nothing wrong with this man. He seems quite nice. He’s beyond rich. Definitely good-looking.
I should want to marry him. Especially considering how much it means to my father.
But I’m a bad daughter.
I want what I can’t have-Alex.
“Would you consider releasing me from the contract?”
Tacone’s brows shoot up to his hairline. “Yes.” The word bursts out of him. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I imagine I hear the relief of twenty years of the same anxiety I’ve felt.
“I-I don’t want to marry you. No offense.”
His lips quirk. “None taken. Does your father know you’re here?”
My shoulders sag. “Yes, but he sent me to pin you down on dates. He still wants us to go through with it.”
Tacone drags a hand through his thick hair. “I haven’t spoken to mine, either. I probably need to fly out and have a face to face with him. Make sure I can smooth it over. Giuseppe won’t budge?”
I gnaw on my lip. “No, but maybe if he knew your family was canceling-”
Tacone sighs, defeat creeping into his expression. Yeah. We’re right back to where we were as children, with our parents’ contract firm, and our opinions inconsequential.
I suck in a breath, my heart hammering at what I’m about to say. “I could disappear for a while. I mean, I want to disappear. I’ll send a letter saying I’m not going through with it. Send it to both our fathers and you. And then disappear. No one is to blame but me.”
He rubs his jaw, his gaze astute. “Ah. And you’re here running this plan by me because you need money to disappear?”
My stomach knots. I know mafia men. Better to come clean. Own it all. Put the cards on the table and let them decide what to do with you. “Yes. And I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be angry. I don’t want to start a war.”
He’s quiet a long moment, simply regarding me. My father would be doing something with his hands-lighting a cigar or smoking it. Not Nico Tacone. It’s hard not to squirm under his direct regard. Finally, he says, “Nor do I.” He stands up and walks to a safe. “Yeah, I’ll bankroll your disappearance. I got no problem with that. Bring me the letters first, and I’ll set you up with whatever you need.”
The sensation of wings taking flight in my chest is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s more than relief. It’s freedom.
My life will be mine to live.
Mine, alone.
I dig in my purse and pull out three envelopes, already addressed and stamped but not sealed. I push them across the desk.
Tacone’s lips quirk when he takes them and reads them one by one. They’re identical, typed up but hand-signed.
“You need a new ID? Passport? Credit cards?”
I’m soaring. This is all too easy.
“Yes, please.”
He nods and rises from the desk. “Okay. I’ll have Tony set you up. He’ll give you enough cash to get started, too. Whatever you need. But, Jenna?”
I look up at him. His expression goes stern. “Don’t come back here. Don’t contact me. You need something, you get in touch with Tony. He’ll help you out. Capiche? And make sure he can get word to you, too. I’ll let you know when the contract is dissolved.”
I stand. I seriously want to kiss the guy’s ring right now and swear my undying fealty. I just don’t want to swear my life over to his marriage bed.
“Thank you, Mr. Tacone-Nico. Thanks for being so understanding and generous.”
“Same.” We give each other cheek-kisses and he opens the door and speaks in an undertone to Tony who nods and motions for me to come forward.
I step forward, into my future. My freedom.
The mafia princess sheds the crown.