Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
AURORA
A m I ready to be married?
The answer is—not even a little bit.
But I grab Nico’s hand and let him lead me outside. This is my destiny. Nico chose me, and it wasn’t even hard. I’m still not sure why he chose me, but I’m not going to let this opportunity pass me by. Beatrice wants me to kill Nico, and this will allow me to do that.
First things first though: I need to marry him, so I can’t do anything to ruin that.
Nico opens the passenger door of a black and orange sports car. “Get in.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the church. I’m still catholic after all. We have to make this official.”
“There’s no planning? We’re just getting married? Right now?” I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but I guess I figured if Nico chose me, I’d still have some time before we were actually married.
That’s not the case.
“Why wait? I want a wife. I like you. You’re suitable. And you came here knowing I would chose a wife. So, why the hesitation?”
Shoot. I can’t ruin this. “I just didn’t realize it would be today.”
Nico’s eyes soften slightly. “I understand, but I’m not a man for sentimentality. I’m a man who does. Who takes. There’s no point in waiting. We can get to know one another better after the wedding.”
Which is good. I don’t want Nico digging too deep into my life. Beatrice did a good job of hiding my real self and giving me a new identity, but Nico’s smart. If he, or anyone, looked hard enough, they could probably find out the truth.
Andrew stands in the doorway, staring at me. He’s going to be trouble. Andrew will try to find my real past—I know it.
Nico’s right. Why wait? I’m not marrying Nico for love. I’m marrying him to kill him. The sooner we’re marred, and the sooner he starts to trust me, the better.
“All right,” I say. “Let’s get married.”
Once I’m in the car and Nico shuts the door, I know I’m trapped. Once I legally marry Nico, I will be his forever. The reality of that is terrifying. He’s a stranger to me. The man who killed my father. Supposedly. We never got proof about that, but Beatrice is insistent it’s Nico, and I have to believe her. Someone murdered my father. If I can find out the truth that it really was Nico, I won’t hesitate to kill him.
Nico drives us to the end of the driveway, which is blocked by a large, metal gate that opens with a code. I don’t know the code. These are things I need to learn if I’m going to kill Nico and escape.
Even though we don’t have a guard with us, a car follows us. Looking behind me, I recognize Enzo in the driver’s seat.
“You’re always with a guard?” I ask.
“Yes. In my line of work, you can never be too careful.”
“And what exactly is your line of work?”
Nico slants his eyes at me as a slow smile spreads across his face. “I think you know. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”
“My father was a business man. Not … not the Mafia,” I whisper. Might as well put it out in the open.
“Well, once you marry me, you’ll be a part of the Mafia, too.”
I was always a part of the Mafia, just without realizing it. My father kept me sheltered, but since his death, I’ve been squarely planted in the world of the Mafia, even though it wasn’t my choice.
“Are you always guarded?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It just seems tiring. Having people around you all the time.” Sweat begins to build in my armpits. I can’t ask too many questions, but I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut.
“We’ll have privacy once we’re married. Don’t worry. But there’ll always be a guard stationed outside our bedroom. I never want to be taken by surprise.”
Like marrying me—a stranger who wants to kill you.
“You trust me?” I ask.
He chuckles. “No. I don’t trust anyone. But I’m not afraid of a tiny woman. Besides, if you tried anything, my guards would kill you in a heartbeat. No one is that stupid.”
My panic spikes. Is he on to me? “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Glad to hear it.”
I settle in my seat and force my mouth closed, lest I spill the beans on my entire mission.
It’s strange to be driving to my wedding. Everything with Nico is … clinical. There’s no love between us. This is a marriage of practicality. He wants a wife, and he wants me. Simple as that.
“Why did you choose me?”
Nico doesn’t look at me as he answers. “Because you remind me of myself. You have a fighting spirit, I can tell. It’s attractive.”
“You didn’t even speak to all the women. Maybe one of them could have been your wife.”
“No. I know what I want, and I don’t waste time in getting it. I liked what I saw in you, Aurora. There was no point in talking to the other women.”
A man as brutally honest as Nico is terrifying. The reason? There’s no hiding with him, which is a problem because I have to hide who I really am.
Nico pulls up to a church—it’s grand and very catholic.
“I don’t have a wedding dress.” I’m in a simple blue summer dress. Nothing flashy but still feminine.
“That doesn’t matter. I’m not big on spectacle. It will just be me and you and my guard, Enzo, as a witness.”
“You don’t have family you want at your wedding?”
Nico shuts the car off. “No.” He doesn’t elaborate as he gets out of the car.
As for me, the only family I have left is Beatrice, and I’m honestly happy she isn’t here. She kind of scares me.
But Beatrice will expect me to meet up with her soon to report my progress back to her. I’ll have to find a way to see her again without rousing Nico’s suspicions of me.
Nico takes my hand, and together, we walk into the church. The feeling of his hand over mine is like a vise, entrapping me.
The church is empty except for a priest standing at the altar. I hear Enzo behind us as we walk down the aisle, but I don’t dare look back at him. I can’t give anyone a reason to suspect my ulterior motives.
“Father,” Nico greets the priest.
“Is this her?” the priest asks, looking at me.
“Yes. Let’s begin.”
Clearly, the priest knew Nico’s plan because he begins the ceremony. Nico knew he would choose one of us women today. As he said, he wanted a wife, and he was going to get a wife.
I just happened to be the unlucky chosen one.
Nico’s expression is unreadable. His hands are around mine, but even those don’t give me any clue to how he’s feeling. He’s somehow both relaxed and rigid.
I wonder what I look like. Terrified? Guilty? The one emotion I know I’m not feeling is happiness. This is not how I imagined my wedding going. I dreamed of a wedding dress and my parents there and being in love.
Not one of those things is true for me today.
That’s not my mission, I remind myself. The point of this marriage is to find out the truth. Did Nico kill my father, and if he did, can I kill him? I have hate in my heart for this man.
But am I actually capable of murder?
Only time will truly tell.
“I, Nico Mancini, take this woman, Aurora Keller, to be my lawfully wedded wife,” he says, drawing me back to the present. Not even my real last name is being used. I’m no longer Aurora Costa, and I don’t think I ever will be again.
The priest tells me to repeat the same vow.
I try not to let my voice shake as I say, “I, Aurora … Keller, take this man, Nico Mancini, to be my lawfully wedded husband.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Nico cups my face and gives me a simple, gentle kiss on the lips. My body lights on fire from that little touch. Why, though? I hate this man.
But I can’t deny he’s handsome, and it’s doing strange things to me.
No. He murdered my father. I can’t find him handsome.
“Let’s go home,” Nico says, walking me down the aisle. Once again, Enzo follows behind, ever watching.
“No party?” I ask.
“No. Too many people.”
“Are you not a people person?”
“I am. But right now isn’t a good time.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you when we get home.”
The drive is quiet. I’m desperate to ask Nico what he meant, but I know I have to be patient. I’m playing the long game.
The gate closes behind us as Nico drives up to the house, locking us inside. Well, locking me inside.
Andrew is nowhere to be seen once we’re in the house, for which I’m grateful. The way he was looking at me unsettled me.
Nico leads me to the master bedroom. It’s then I realize I’ll have to share the bed with this man. I’ve never shared a bed with any man before.
“Don’t worry,” he says. “I won’t fuck you right now.”
“What?”
“I can see the fear on your face. I just want to talk.”
“Oh. Ok.”
“You’re my wife now, Aurora, but again, that doesn’t mean I trust you. You’ll have to earn my trust.”
“How?”
“That will take time. But there’s something I’ll tell you. The reason I’m extra heavily guarded right now is because the police are looking at me.”
I stand up straighter. “The police?”
“Yes. A man has gone missing recently, and the police thought it might be connected to me.”
“Is it?”
He doesn’t answer my question. “So, that’s why I have the extra guards. I need to be careful right now.”
“So, then, why marry me, a stranger?”
“Because I’m not going to let the police stop me from living my life. I wanted a wife, so I got a wife. Now, I’m trusting you with this information. This is one way to prove I can trust you going forward. If anyone asks you any question, don’t answer.”
He means the police. If I’m ever approached by the police.
Is the missing man my father? I was never questioned by the police back in LA, but then, neither I nor Beatrice told the police my father went missing.
I know I won’t get all the answers I’m looking for right now. Those will have to come with in time.
“I’ll do as you say,” I tell him, knowing that’s what he wants to hear.
“Thank you. I told you I liked you for a reason. Now, I’ll leave you be. I have more work to get done.”
“Shouldn’t we … spend time together?”
“This isn’t a marriage of love, Aurora. I’ll see you later tonight. Maybe then you’ll be ready to fuck.” He leaves the room.
Dazed, I sit down on the bed and take in the room. There’s nothing I can use in here as a weapon. Sure, there’s the light on the nightstand, but I don’t have the strength to bash Nico’s head in. At least not in time before one of the guards was upon me.
No, I’ll have to wait and bide my time.
I just don’t think I can give Nico what he truly wants. How can I sleep with a man like him? A man who doesn’t believe in love? A man who marries for practicality and not emotion. A man like Nico is dangerous. If he never learns to care for me, he’ll never trust me.
And the only way I can kill him is by gaining his trust.
Because Nico is busy with work, I decide to take the opportunity to explore the mansion. It really is a mansion. I keep getting lost down hallways, and it takes me a good few seconds to reorient myself whenever I step into a new room.
I finally find the kitchen, which is empty. My eyes land on the knives sticking out of the butcher block. I could just take one. In fact, I’d only need a small knife. I could stab Nico in the throat at night.
After looking around, I find the silverware drawer and grab a tiny knife. It would be easy to slip under my pillow.
But can I actually stab a man in the neck? And what if Nico didn’t actually kill my father? What then? I won’t be any better than the person who did kill my father.
“What are you doing?”
I gasp and drop the knife back in the drawer and spin around to face … Enzo. He’s in the doorway, his eyes intense on me. “I …”
“Yes?”
“I was just getting the lay of the land.”
“By picking up a knife?”
I shrug. “I wanted to make myself a sandwich.”
Enzo is quiet for a moment before he points at one of the cabinets. “Bread is in there.”
“Thank you.” I rush to it and grab out the bread, taking two slices. “Plates?”
He points to another one. We soon enter into an awkward dance with me asking where everything is, and Enzo pointing it out for me. He doesn’t take his eyes off me once, not even after I’ve made myself a simple veggie sandwich.
I take a bite of it. “It’s good.”
“You can sit at the table if you want. You are Nico’s wife now.”
“I’m still getting used to everything. I mean, just a few hours ago, I came here for the first time, and now, I’m married. It’s all … crazy.”
“You could say that.” He doesn’t say anything more. I wait for Enzo to leave, but he doesn’t.
“I wouldn’t mind eating in peace.”
“I’m your guard now. Where you go, I go.”
That’s … unpleasant. It’s clear from how Enzo watches me, he doesn’t exactly trust me. I don’t blame him. I’m contemplating murdering his boss.
Beatrice threw me into the lion’s den and didn’t tell me how to get out of this. I’m going to die here. Whether I kill Nico or not, I know I’m going to die here without her help.
Which is why I need to go to her, but I can’t today. It’s too soon.
I force myself to finish my sandwich, even though my stomach is rolled into knots, and then I head back to the bedroom. At least Enzo doesn’t follow me inside.
I slump onto the bed and wonder how I’m going to do any of this.
I spend the rest of the day alone. I eat dinner alone—though Enzo is there, watching me. He doesn’t converse with me, meaning that even though I technically have company, I am alone.
The luggage I brought with me is in the bedroom, and I change into a simple white, nightgown. It’s satin and little more risqué than I would normally wear. Beatrice picked it out for me, telling me I needed to impress my new husband.
I wait for him to return, and eventually, he does. Nico eyes me like a predator eyes their prey before eating them.
“You look lovely,” he tells me.
“Thank you.”
He reaches out and skims the back of his fingers down my cheek. “You have a natural blush. Makes you look more innocent.”
“I’m a virgin,” I blurt out.
He stills, then drops his hand. “I wasn’t sure, but I assumed. You have an innocent quality about you.”
“I’m not sure I …”
He sighs deeply. “I understand. You came here of your own accord. You wanted to be married, and I wanted a wife. But I won’t force myself on you. Let’s go to bed.” He turns away from me and begins to undress.
I’m shocked that Nico is all right with me not sleeping with him. The way Beatrice talked about him, you’d think he was the devil in human form.
“You’re fine with this?” I ask.
“I have no desire to force you. You’ll be ready in your own time.” He takes his shirt off and faces me. I blush. His entire chest is made of hard muscle. I’ve never seen something so masculine right before me.
I look away.
“I want children, Aurora. You’ll give them to me, but only when you’re ready. We were only married today. I wasn’t expecting us to fuck tonight, honestly.” He gets under the covers and rolls away from me.
I stare at his back, my mouth hanging open. Maybe Nico isn’t such a bad man after all. Maybe Beatrice had it wrong.
I have to talk to her. I need to know what she thinks about this. After calming down, I get under the covers myself and lay there, awake, for the rest of the night.
Nico and I eat breakfast together. He spends the entire meal on his phone with a furrowed brow. I don’t ask him about it. If he wanted to tell me, he would. Clearly, he’s concerned about this missing person and the police looking at him.
And now, I’m here, trying to kill him. If the police are watching Nico, then they’ll soon be watching me. How am I going to do this?
I need Beatrice’s help.
“Nico?” I say.
“Mmm?” He doesn’t look up from his phone.
“I was wondering if I’m allowed to leave?”
At this, he looks up. “What?”
“Am I allowed to leave the mansion?”
“To do what?”
Here it goes. “I have an aunt. She’s the only family I have left. I would like to see her, if that’s ok.”
He thinks on it a moment before nodding. “Fine. Take Enzo with you. And yes, you’re allowed to leave. You’re my wife now, Aurora. Not my prisoner.” He goes straight back to looking at his phone.
That went better than expected.
But now, I have to take Enzo with me to see Beatrice. She told me she’s never met Nico, so hopefully, no one within Nico’s circle knows what she looks like. Knowing my aunt, she would have taken precautions for this.
Enzo drives me back to the hotel where Beatrice is staying. I wasn’t allowed to bring my cell phone with me when I first came to Nico’s house, so I wasn’t able to give Beatrice a head’s up.
“I would like to talk with my aunt alone,” I say to him once we reach her hotel door.
Enzo looks like he wants to object but doesn’t and instead just nods. “I’ll wait out here.”
After knocking, Beatrice opens the door, her face neutral as she looks at me. Enzo doesn’t show any recognition in his face. He’s either being honest or a good actor.
Beatrice motions me inside and after shutting the door, stuffs a towel between the crack of the door. “This way he can’t overhear us. So?”
“I’m a married woman now.”
Beatrice nods but doesn’t smile, even though there’s a slight appreciation in her gaze. “Good. Do you know how you’re going to kill him?”
“Here’s the thing …”
She lifts up her hand. “Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“You’re hesitating. I can feel it. You married this man, Aurora, so you could kill him. Don’t hesitate now.”
“But how do we know it’s truly him?”
“It’s him. Trust me.”
But that’s the thing—I don’t fully trust Beatrice.
“He seems … nice.”
She scoffs. “He’s not a nice man. He’s the head of the Italian Mafia, Aurora. That should tell you everything you need to know.”
“But my father worked for the Mafia, and he was a good man.”
“Your father was different.”
“I’m just not sure Nico killed my dad. I need to be sure before I can try.”
She shakes her head and begins pacing around the room. “No. We talked this through. Your job is to kill him, and to do that, you need to get close enough to him.”
“We slept in the same bed last night.”
“Good.”
“But we didn’t …”
She grabs my arms and shakes me. “You need to fuck him, Aurora.”
I flinch. “I’m a virgin. I?—”
“I don’t care. You seduce him. Get him to fall in love with you, then kill him.”
“What? The deal was for me to kill him. Not get him to fall in love with me.”
“The deal has changed,” she says, letting me go. “I want Nico to suffer. I want him to fall in love with you so good he’ll be heart broken when you betray him.”
“Beatrice, I could die. Don’t you care about that? He is surrounded by guards twenty-four seven. Even I am.” I nod at the door, where Enzo is waiting on the other side.
“You’ll find a way.”
“That’s no help. You want me to kill him. I’m doing this for you .”
“No, you’re not. You want revenge for your daddy’s death just as much as I do. So don’t come at me with your holier-than-thou attitude. We’re in this together.”
“But I’m the one in actual danger.”
She sighs. “Fine. I’ll come up with a plan to get you out of there. But you need to let me know when you’re going to kill him so I can get you out. Understood?”
“All right. But I’m not sure I can make him fall in love with me, Beatrice.”
“Why not? You’re beautiful. Any man would fall in love with you.”
“I’ve never seduced a man before. Besides, Nico is dead set on not finding love. He married me because he’s a practical man, not a sentimental one. How can I get a man who doesn’t want love to fall in love with me?”
“You’ll figure that out, too. But don’t get him to have sex with you too soon. Draw it out. Make him crazy for you. That will help.”
“You speak from experience?”
Beatrice only smiles. “Make me proud, Aurora. Make your father proud.”
But is this what my father would have wanted for me? To pimp myself out to a man only to end up killing him?
It’s clear Beatrice won’t help me with anything else, so I leave.
“That was fast,” Enzo says as we walk down the hall.
“My aunt was in a mood. I didn’t want to stay long. I just wanted to tell her I got married.”
We get into the elevator. Being stuck inside a small space with Enzo scares me. He keeps looking at me like he knows my secret.
“What did you talk with her about?”
“That’s not really your business,” I tell him.
“You’re Nico’s wife now. What you do is my business.”
“I told her I was married, and she wished me congratulations. That was it. Happy?”
“No. Because I think you’re keeping a secret.”
My body immediately breaks out into a sweat. “What could that be?”
“I’m not sure. But I’ll figure it out. Until then, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“I’m allowed privacy, Enzo. As you said, I’m Nico’s wife now, not his prisoner. Even Nico said that over breakfast. I’m not keeping any secrets. I’m just a woman who wanted a husband and saw an opportunity with Nico.”
“I don’t buy it.”
“Believe whatever you want. I’m being honest.” A complete and utter lie, but I need to say and do whatever I can to save myself.
Because if there’s one thing I learned from my conversation with Beatrice, it’s that I’m on my own.