We’re gathering speed, thundering over the rails, and it’s a beautiful summer’s afternoon out there. Barely a puff of cloud in the sky. Shipping containers are scattered over the gravel like giant Lego bricks, and tendrils of weeds have reclaimed some of them. Strangled them with lime green growth.
Soon these buildings and work yards will give way to a long stretch of coast, and then I’ll be home free. Nothing to do but spot more of Leo Palladino’s precious seals in the glittering water, and think about how the hell I’m gonna build a life from scratch.
“Shit.” The word gusts out of me on a sigh, and I slump against the window. I rest my forehead against the warm, rattling glass. It’s crazy—truly, bat shit insane—but there’s a secret part of me that aches worse the further away I get from Leo Palladino.
The train thunders into the outskirts of the city, and my heart issore.Throbbing with every beat. Like I’m missing the ruthless kingpin already, even though I barely know him. Like I’m grieving what could have been.
“Leo,” I whisper, since there’s no one to hear me anyway. Would he have been a loving husband? A good partner in this twisted game we all play? Something tells me Leo would have treated me like a queen—and if he’s half as obsessed as he claims, I’d never have to worry about him straying like so many mafiosos. He looked offended at the very thought that day on the boardwalk.
But it doesn’t matter. Leo Palladino didn’t ask for my hand; he took it. Such a typical man.
And Mia Serpico won’t be forced into anything.
Not even a wickedly handsome mobster’s arms.
* * *
When my compartment door slides open and Leo pokes his head inside, I choke on my own tongue. I’m curled up in the corner of the bench seat, arms wrapped around my knees and my stupid, chafing sneakers kicked onto the ground.
I’ve been watching the fiery red sun sink toward the horizon. The sky outside is pink, the light in the compartment dim except for a reading lamp, and the mobster looks annoyed. His dark curls are ruffled, like he’s been dragging his hands through them, and he’s still dressed like a groom in his three piece suit.
“There you are.” Leo brightens the second he sees me, stepping inside and closing the door with a snap. His waistcoat is covered in intricate silver embroidery, nipping in at his trim waist. “I’ve knocked on so many fucking doors, Mia. For a while there, I thought I boarded the wrong train, andthatwould have been a disaster. A terrible end to a shitty day.”
My mouth is so dry, my body frozen in horror. My racing pulse throbs in the blisters on my heels.
Can I get past him? He’s so much bigger than me, all lithe, muscled strength under those fine clothes, and there’s no doubt he’s packing. All mafiosos carry a piece.
Would Leo Palladino shoot me? Here, on this public train?
But even if I get past him, where do I go then? And is he the only one here, or did my family find me too? Are there other Palladinos on board?Shit.I thought I’d been so freaking slick.
“You’re shocked.” Leo’s nodding, tugging at his tie and flicking open his top button. The silk necktie slithers through his collar, so loud in the silence, and I gape up at my fiance in numb denial as he drops it onto the seat. Makes himself at home. “I should have come to find you earlier, I know, but I thought maybe you’d like some time to process.” White teeth flash in the gloom as he grins. “Some time to miss your fiance.”
My outraged splutter turns into a cough.
Because isn’t that exactly what I was doing? Pining for the stranger I left at the altar? And now look at us. It’s like I conjured him with my foolish regrets; summoned him like a demon.
“I won’t marry you,” I croak, still gasping for breath. Thumping at my chest. And Leo ignores my words completely and sinks down at my side, his big, warm palm hovering over my back but not touching me.
“You did so well, princess.” He’s cooing at me like a baby. Or like a puppy who finally learned to pee outside. “You got all the way across the city, and you found new clothes, and if I hadn’t followed right away, I’d have lost you forever. I’m sure of it.”
He shudders visibly at the thought, his broad mouth curved down in a frown, but hehaslost me forever. Does this man not listen to a word I say?
I shuffle away from his side, pressing into the window. A chill seeps off the glass, cooling me through the hoodie.
“Mia,” the kingpin chides. As if I’m being difficult. “We’re on this train together. It’s over. There is nowhere to hide.”
We’ll see about that. I’ll climb inside a luggage rack if I have to. I’ll knock out a train attendant and steal their uniform.
“Mia,” Leo says, and there’s a tinge of irritation in his voice now. Like he senses my whirling thoughts. My hatching plans. “You ran and I caught you. I won our game, and you’re mine now. My bride. That’s how this works.”
No. No, it isnothow this works. None of this is right.
Leo Palladino is supposed to want me dead. He’s supposed to hate my guts for embarrassing him the way I did, leaving him at the altar in front of both our families, and he’s supposed to choke the life out of me the second he sees my treacherous face. He’s supposed to take his revenge, then toss my corpse out like an old napkin with mustard stains.
Instead, he’s spotted the blisters on my heels and let out a stream of curses. He’s craning his head and leaning forward, trying to examine them but still not touching me. Not putting a finger on my body.
And it hits me like a hammer blow.