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The cool night air teased my lips. I’d pulled my hair into a loose ponytail to keep it from my eyes.
The sun had set an hour ago. I hoped the long shadows from the outdoor lighting would hide my escape. I wasn’t running away, even though I’d threatened my mother just this morning with the idea.
The second floor, east wing was our domain. Deidre’s room was across from mine. The mansion was huge and well-guarded. My fingers curled around the rough cement baluster. Wearing skinny jeans, I lifted my leg over the stone balcony railing.
As a teenager, I’d been able to scale the trellis to the second floor like a spider, but I didn’t have the figure of a twelve-year-old boy anymore. My breasts crushed against the old wood as I clung to the lattice.
Sweat beaded on my brow. The rungs creaked and snapped as I carefully placed the toe of my sneakers in the small holes of the trellis. Ivy prickled my hands, scratching my cheeks and my fingers.
“Oomph.” My foot slipped.
“Shh,” Deidre scolded from above me. She kept watch, glancing left and right, as I descended. “Still clear,” she whispered.
I checked the ground. Oh god. This was crazy. I could say there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Knox, but that would be a lie. We understood each other, made pacts, and shared secrets. With the exception of the night we met, when our worlds had collided in a way that changed us both, I’d never betrayed my family.
After tonight, I sealed my future.
I hated hurting him, but Marco was coming, and everything was different. To marry Marco, I had to give up Knox. To do otherwise could get us both killed.
Another few feet and I’d be able to drop without breaking my neck. A jagged piece of wood tore a gash in my palm. “Ouch.”
Blood smeared against the white paint. I sucked my skin, biting a thick sliver and pulling it from my flesh with my teeth. Then I continued to take steps down to the ground.
Once I cleared the first-floor window, I leaned back, gauged the distance to the soft mulch of the flowerbed, and jumped. The freefall lasted a split second, and then I was on my ass in the dirt.
I scrambled to my hands and knees, quickly squatted, camouflaged by the bushes, and listened for my father’s soldiers.
With a final glance at the balcony, I blew Deidre a kiss, then sprinted across the manicured lawn to the shelter of the trees. My heart pounded with the impact of my feet on the ground. Ducking into the darkness, I continued to run toward the lake, weaving between trees and avoiding the pathways and low branches.
Twigs snapped beneath my feet, and wind whistled through the leaves. My breath gusted past the rim of my lips. At the edge of the tree break, I waited and listened. My steps slowed as I followed the worn path to the boathouse.
I peered inside, but the room was dark and empty. The small dock creaked and groaned in the quiet night. The rubber soles of my shoes were quiet on the wood planks.
A red ember winked as Knox took a long drag off his cigarette. He leaned against the building, a wrist dangled over his bent knee, and he stared out at the dark water. I sat next to him and took the cigarette from his tattooed fingers.
The smoke heated my throat as I inhaled. After I handed it back, I rested my head on his shoulder.
“Is he here?” His voice was low and thick with emotion.
“Not yet. I don’t have long.”
He squeezed my hand. “There has to be a way. You can’t be married to him. They call him The Enforcer. Two years, Ally. Why is he here now? He doesn’t want the marriage.”
“Clearly, he does.” Otherwise, he’d still be in his sanctuary in Italy, probably sleeping with a harem of Italian beauties.
“He’s taking you away from me.” His fingers tightened on mine.
“My family needs the alliance as much as the Bruno’s. I don’t have a choice.”
“There’re always choices.” He pulled his hand from mine. “You taught me that.”
He spoke about the night we met. He’d made a choice he couldn’t live with, and I’d convinced him one bad decision wasn’t worth killing himself over.
I pivoted. “This time, the choice was made for me.”
His smoky gray eyes darkened like a thick fog rolling in. I hurt because he hurt. I knew the life he lived was no less toxic than mine. Like me, he had no choice but to follow orders. And like me, even if he had a choice, he’d still be a soldier for the Irish, and I’d still choose Marco.
I swallowed the fear climbing into my throat. “Promise you won’t do anything stupid.”
