Chapter 5
HAVEN
After I read Kristen’s text, I try to call Mom, but her phone keeps going to voicemail.
When the beep comes over the line, I ramble, “Mom! Answer your phone! Oh my God,” I gasp and shove my hand through my hair.
“Let me know if you’re okay. I’m at Leo’s mansion, and I have no idea what to do.
His place is situated on a hillside, and it has a private beach.
I don’t know the directions, because I was too rattled to focus on where we were driving.
Call me the second you get this message. ”
This isn’t happening!
Feeling claustrophobic, I rush to the glass doors, and for a few seconds, I struggle with the lock.
When I finally get the doors open, I rush out onto the balcony and grab hold of the railing.
I suck in frantic breaths of the salty air, my gaze darting over the waves crashing against the rocks beneath me.
I turn my head to the right and stare at the private beach that’s nestled between rocks and the mansion. I also have a partial view of the veranda and pool.
The sound and smell of the ocean and beach calm me down until I’m able to think straight again.
Just take it one step at a time.
I have to survive the next twenty-four hours.
Maybe Leo’s anger will lessen, and I’ll be able to have a reasonable conversation with him.
I begin to feel claustrophobic again and pace into the bedroom.
This is not some dark romance book. It’s real life, and Leo can’t just take me and force me to marry him. There’s law and order. Mom will get the embassy involved.
Lifting a trembling hand to my face, I press my palm to my forehead, one thought after the other rushing through my mind.
I can’t believe everything that’s happened today.
Leo shot Luciano. Twice!
And all the blood on Leo’s arms and neck? I don’t think it was his. It didn’t look like he was injured, so it had to be someone else’s blood.
God.
Another chill creeps down my spine, and feeling cold like a block of ice, I walk to my luggage and dig out a cardigan. After putting it on, I glance around the big room that will be my prison cell for the unforeseeable future.
Crap.
The events of the day replay in my mind, and I slump down on the side of the bed. Staring blankly ahead of me, I try to make sense of everything.
“Come to the kitchen,” Leo suddenly says from the open doorway, scaring the everloving crap out of me.
A shriek bursts over my lips as I dart to my feet, my hands curling into fists.
Jesus. My heart.
Then my eyes lock on him, and even though I’m terrified of the man, I can’t ignore how attractive he looks right now. It’s unsettling as hell.
His damp hair is sleeked back, and there’s no trace of the blood left on his skin. The black dress shirt he’s wearing with the sleeves rolled up and matching suit pants complement his powerful body way too much.
When I just stare at him with my heart beating in my throat, he asks, “Did you hear me?”
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I give him a shaky nod.
Leo disappears from the open doorway, and I have no choice but to reluctantly follow him.
The mansion is so big that our footsteps echo, and Leo’s iciness makes the air feel colder than it is. I rub my palms up and down my arms, my eyes glued to the gun tucked into the back of his pants.
When we enter the kitchen, my gaze instantly falls on a block of knives. The second I think about grabbing one, I let go of the idea because I don’t have the guts to kill someone. Besides, God only knows what Leo will do to my family if I attack him.
Feeling utterly out of place, I watch as he gathers ingredients. He starts to prepare dinner, the sight of him doing something so mundane making him look less threatening.
Then he grabs a knife, and he looks dangerous again.
Without sparing me a glance, he orders, “Tell me about yourself.”
My heartbeat speeds up again, and I say the only thing I can think of. “I’m in Italy for vacation. I have a life back home. Let my mom and me go.” My chin quivers. “We won’t tell anyone about today.”
He cuts up a bunch of mushrooms before his eyes flick to me. Using the knife, he points at a stool by the island, indicating for me to sit down while he asks, “What do you think happened today?”
A frown forms on my forehead as I cautiously move to the other side of the island so the slab of marble is between us.
Leo proceeds to chop ham into little squares, and I swallow hard on the lump in my throat. “Something happened between you, my uncle, and Luciano.”
Only once he’s done with all the chopping does he set down the knife and brace his hands on the marble top. It causes the muscles in his forearms to tighten and his veins to appear beneath his skin.
Stop noticing how hot the man is! He’s dangerous.
I glance around the large kitchen to keep from staring at him. The cupboards are white with glass panels, allowing me to see where the cups, glasses, and plates are stored. All the appliances look state-of-the-art.
My father sold cars for a living, and my mother was a stay-at-home Mom. We weren’t well off, but we always had food, and the bills were paid.
It’s clear Leo is filthy rich, and it only makes him even more intimidating.
“Do you know who I am?” he asks.
Shaking my head, I look at him again.
“Leo Toscano,” he murmurs, his tone cool and deep like the depths of the dark ocean. “I’m the head of the mafia.”
My lips part on a shocked gasp, and as his words sink in, the fear I’ve been feeling spirals into something unrecognizable.
Oh. My. Fucking. God.
When I just blink at him, my mouth hanging open like a gaping fish, he tilts his head. “By the look of surprise on your face, I’m going to assume you weren’t lying when you said you didn’t know who I am.”
The only thing I know about the mafia is that it’s similar to cartels, drug dealers, and gangs. They’re all criminals and on the wrong side of the law.
I’m trembling severely, unable to form a coherent word to reply.
Leo continues preparing the meal by pulling a pot out of the drawer next to the stove. He pours water into it and adds a bit of olive oil before setting it down on the stove.
He glances at me as he opens a packet of fettuccine. “I’m thirty-three, and I actually never intended to get married.”
I press my hand to my churning stomach, my tongue darting out to wet my dry lips. “Then why force me to marry you?”
His gaze locks on me again, and he stares at me for so long I’m a complete nervous wreck by the time he answers, “There’s just something about you I can’t ignore.”
My voice quivers. “What?”
A frown line appears between his eyebrows. “I don’t know yet.” Turning around, he pulls a pan out of the drawer and places it on the stove as well.
I watch as he prepares a creamy cheese sauce, and I jerk with fright when he asks, “What kind of person are you?”
“I-I don’t know.” My arms wrap tightly around my middle, and I hunch my shoulders.
Leo lets out a chuckle. “You don’t know what kind of person you are?”
“I don’t know how to answer it.” Honestly, I can’t focus enough to have this conversation with the violent man.
“What are your hobbies?”
“Reading.”
“What work do you do?” He lets out another chuckle, then corrects himself. “Used to do.”
“I haven’t started working yet,” I admit, not comfortable telling him about myself.
Leo glances at me again as he adds the fettuccine to the boiling water. “Did you study?”
“Yes,” I mutter. “Business management.”
He lifts an eyebrow at me. “Is that what you want to do?”
I just shrug, curling more into myself.
“As my wife, you won’t have to work.”
Jesus. His wife.
It feels like his words form shackles around my wrists, and I close my eyes as hopelessness wells in my chest.
“Please,” I whisper before opening my eyes to give him a pleading look. “I won’t tell anyone.”
Leo adds the mushrooms and ham to the sauce, then he turns around and leans back against the counter. Crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes take mine captive again.
I can’t stop a tear from escaping and rolling down my cheek. Wiping it away with the tips of my fingers, I add, “I just want to go home with my mom.”
He tilts his head, his expression growing grim. “Does it look like I give a shit about what you want?”
No. Which is confusing me even more. Nothing makes sense.
“I don’t understand why you want to marry me,” I say, my tone hoarse.
“That makes two of us, principessa .” An annoyed look flashes over his handsome features. “There’s just something about you I can’t put my finger on.”
“Seriously?” I exclaim. “This is madness. You’re willing to ruin my life because of something you can’t put your finger on? Are you insane?”
His eyes narrow on me, and it sends a wave of fear rippling over me. “Careful, principessa . I don’t take kindly to people raising their voices at me.”
Shaking my head, my shoulders slump.
Leo begins to move, and it has my spine stiffening. When he slowly comes around the side of the island, I inch off the stool. Every muscle in my body tightens, and the urge to run overwhelms me.
With him a few feet from me, I dart away, but I don’t even take three steps before his arm comes around my front. I let out a cry as he yanks me toward him, my back slamming into his chest.
His other hand grips my throat, and I quickly grab hold of his wrist.
“Shh…” The sound so close to my ear sends chills rushing over my skin.
I hear him take a deep breath of me, then his voice rumbles against the side of my neck as he says, “Maybe I am insane.” His lips ghost over my skin, causing intense tingles to spread over the area.
“Maybe that something I can’t place my finger on makes me insane. ”
God.
I let out a whimper as I cling to his wrist, trying my best to ignore how good his woodsy cologne smells and the warmth of his body behind me.
Leo’s grip around my throat lessens, and for a moment, his touch turns tender before he suddenly lets go of me. I dart a safe distance away before I turn to look at him. I place my hand on my throat where I can still feel his touch, my chest heaving from how fast I’m breathing.
His eyes are dark and as cold as dry ice. “At the very least, I’ll have a beautiful woman on my arm. People like me have married for far less.”
With the air unbearably tense between us, I realize no amount of begging is going to change his mind. He’s dead set on marrying me.
He pats the stool. “Come sit. The food is almost ready.”
My voice is still hoarse when I mumble, “I’m not hungry.”
Leo returns to the stove, and as he picks up the pot to drain the water from it, he says, “Out of all the ways you can die, starving yourself won’t be what kills you.” His eyes flick to me. “Sit, Haven!”
I flinch from the danger lurking in his words and cautiously move back to the island. I take a seat and wrap my arms around my middle again.
My eyes drift shut as the realization of how much trouble I’m in settles like heavy stones in my gut.
Leo is going to force me to marry him.
He’ll probably force me to have sex with him.
A sob threatens to burst from me.
He’ll force me to bend to his will, and my life will never be my own again.
After a few very tense minutes, he places a plate down in front of me and pushes a knife and fork my way while he sits down across from me.
“Eat,” he mutters before he shovels a bite of the Alfredo into his mouth.
My hand trembles so badly, I can’t do anything to hide it from Leo as I pick up my fork.
He watches as I take a bite, and after I swallow, he says, “Let’s continue to get to know each other.”
That’s the last thing I want. The less I know about him, the better for me.
“Are you breaking some guy’s heart back in America?”
His question has me staring at the food, which is actually delicious. “What do you mean?”
“Did you have a boyfriend?”
I let out a cynical chuckle, shaking my head. “So, if I had a boyfriend, you would just expect me to break things off?”
“Naturally,” he mutters, his tone unbothered again.
I can’t believe this man!
Even though I’m terrified, anger still rises in my chest, and I mutter with a scornful tone, “No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Leo’s eyes drift over my face, the look of warning he’s giving me telling me to watch my tone.
“Are you a virgin?”
His inappropriate question has my eyebrows flying up and my lips parting on a gasp. I stare at him for a few seconds before I set the fork down and stand up.
“Sit!” he orders with a threateningly calm tone that makes the tiny hairs on the back of my neck rise.
I clench my jaw and keep my eyes trained on the light brown and beige marble top while I do as I’m told.
“Answer me,” he demands.
“No, I’m not,” I bite the words out. My anger wins, and I grumble, “I ended my relationship of four years, seven months ago, and I’d much rather go back to my cheating ex than spend another second with you.”
Leo tilts his head, a frown forming on his face. “Your ex cheated on you?”
I roll my eyes while letting out a heavy breath, and picking up my fork, I gather food on it before taking a bite.
“The idiot’s loss is my gain.”
I swallow the creamy pasta, then level Leo with a glare. “He might be an idiot, but at least he’s not threatening to kill me and my family.”
“Your family didn’t cost him the life of one of his men,” Leo replies, his tone dark again. When my gaze flits to his, he continues, “Finish your food. I have to go to pay my respects to his widow and have two other men in the hospital to check on.”
My heart squeezes in my chest, and my first instinct is to offer my condolences, but instead, I keep my mouth shut and focus on eating so I can return to my bedroom.
With a bit of luck, I won’t have to interact with Leo for the rest of the day.