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Chapter Two- Sarah
IwasterrifiedasI followed Warwick to the door of his mansion. The front door lock was equally as complex as the one on the gate, and I realized someone would have to cut his head and his hand off to break into this place. This was some serious money and security. I grew up with money, but not like this. Life in the world of organized crime was dirty and raw. It wasn’t a royal lifestyle. This was.
“Bathroom is on the right,” Warwick pointed once we were inside. I nodded and hurried into the lavish room. Once I was sitting and relief filled me, only then did I dare to look around. The room was large, much larger than your average powder room. It was tastefully decorated in greys and whites, nothing like I would have expected from someone like Warwick.
Warwick was as handsome as he was fierce. Unlike his half-brother, he was tall and muscular—a brick shithouse of a man. Yet there was something tender and kind about him. The way he looked at me when he offered me a ride away from my fate seared into my brain. His green-grey eyes were dark and deep, soul-searching. It felt like he was reading me when he stared at me. And his face. Chiseled and strong, complemented perfectly by his styled rock star hair.
I stood and straightened my dirty and torn wedding dress. What was I going to do now? I knew I’d be a hunted woman for running out on the wedding. This was supposed to be the deal that made both families the strongest in the Mafia families. This was the one that might finally allow my dad to retire, at least on paper. I tugged at my hidden cell phone, tucked carefully into the bosom of my padded dress. At least I had that. It would need a charger soon, but in the meantime, it would work if I needed it. I’d had it inspected two days ago to make sure it was free from tracking and bugging devices. It was clean. In my world, you could never be too certain.
I sighed and stared at my crystal blue eyes in the mirror. My dad would forgive me. I knew that, but Pauly? It was unlikely he’d forgive me or my father. In fact, he’d probably spend the rest of his life hunting me down. I sighed again and choked as a sob escaped me.
“You okay in there?” Warwick asked as he rapped on the door.
“Yeah,” I said a little too loudly.
I washed my face and hands, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Warwick stood in the hallway. He looked at me intently, and I felt shame as it rose up my throat and into my face.
“I have to get out of here,” I said. “I’ve put you in danger.”
Warwick nodded silently. I squared my shoulders and looked at him hard. My eyes watered when I thought about my options. “Tell me which way to go to get out of here. I made this choice. I’ll figure it out. Thank you so much for helping me get through the gate at your stepdad’s. And I’m so sorry to put you in this position. You seem like a good person.”
I turned and strode towards the door, my tattered dress dragging behind me like a parade of shame. Warwick calmly walked to the door and turned to look at me.
“Where exactly do you think you’ll go?” he asked gently.
I shook my head, unsure of what to say. I had no idea where I could go or how I’d escape my fate. I just knew that the idea of being stuck in a life of crime with Warwick’s half-brother Alex Portano and his stepfather Pauly was not one I could handle. It was bad enough that I grew up in a family fueled by organized crime. I didn’t want to continue it.
“I don’t know,” I said dejectedly. “It’s not like I have a lot of friends. Not with my parents.” My parents were not totally the reason I was a loner, but it was easier to blame them to admit that I didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere. My parents were always supportive of me when I was growing up. That was until the wedding was proposed.
My mind flashed back to my poor mother when she first approached me about marrying Alex.
“Sarah, Pauly has made your father an offer he can’t refuse. Except he is refusing. In exchange for you marrying Alex, the families and businesses will merge. Your dad can semi-retire and focus on his health. You know he’s working himself to death. Maybe now he’ll have the chance to put his energy into the legal business… You like Alex, don’t you? Please, will you consider this? Your dad won’t do it without it being your idea or without your blessing.”
I didn’t like Alex. Or any of the kids I met who were connected to crime. The truth was, I was soft compared to them. The drugs, guns, and violence all scared me, but the idea of letting my dad down when he might finally have the chance to do something he wanted to do was more than I could handle. He didn’t ask to be in this life any more than I did. He was born into it as well, and it was all he knew. That was until he started investing in small IT companies. He’d had some minor success at it, nothing major, not compared to the drug trade anyway. He sold his first two companies for a modest amount, nothing like what Warwick had done with his investments.
I forced myself back to the present. Warwick looked at me and waited for me to respond. I had no plan, and he knew it.
“Come,” he said gently and extended his hand to me. I took it and followed him into the exquisite mansion like a lost puppy. I lowered my head when he glanced back at me and gestured for me to sit on the plush sofa.
“I’m all dirty,” My voice cracked.
Get it together, Sarah.You’re a strong, independent person. You graduated at the top of your class. You can figure this out. Get on a plane. Go to Italy. Start a new life.
Italy was the first place they’d look for me, I mused. Everyone knew I had an Italian passport. We all did. No, I was safer right here in the USA. I’d just have to change my appearance and move somewhere far, far away.
“You can take a shower if you want,” Warwick said. I forced myself to pay attention to this Adonis of a man who seemed to genuinely care.
“I have nothing, no clothes—literally just what I’m wearing,” I said. The tears welled in my eyes again, and I wondered if Warwick thought I was the most pathetic woman on the planet. Much to my mortification, I couldn’t stop the assault as the fat tears slid down my cheeks. I lowered my head in shame again.
“Take a shower. Tell Maria your sizes, and I’ll send her to get some items for you,” Warwick said. He picked up his phone and dialed. “Maria, can you come to the living room?”
A second later, a plump, kind-looking woman stood before me. Her hair was dark and short, and her eyes matched her hair in color. She was a stout woman, the sort of lady you could hug for hours on a bad day—a bad day like the day I was having today.
“Yes, sir?’ she asked.
“This is Sarah. She’s going to be staying for a couple of days. She needs clothes. Everything. Can you take the afternoon off and get her everything she’ll need? She will be here for a few days but needs clothes for longer than that. She has nothing right now.” Warwick explained. “And show her the way to her room.” He added as an afterthought. “Bedroom two is fine. And give her your number in case you two need to reach each other. She can use the burner phone in the closet.”
My insides flip-flopped at the kindness of his gesture. He was the best-looking man I’d ever seen, and this kind of streak made him much more attractive. The fact that he was a badass Mafia son turned rogue just tipped the scale. I felt a slight pang of regret that he didn’t want me in bedroom number one, his bedroom.
