Page 32 of The Empress

“God. Did he say why he took you?”

“Apparently, there’s something about me that caught his attention. I have no idea what, though.”

“Do you know who he is, Haven?”

“He told me he’s the head of the Italian mafia.”

“Yeah, that’s what your uncle said.” Mom’s voice brims with fear. “Shit. What are we going to do? Nicolo won’t let me leave the mansion. He has guards watching me, but the moment I get a chance, I’ll try to escape.”

Worry tenses my tone. “Don’t risk your life, Mom. If something were to happen to you and I’m stuck alone here in Italy, I don’t…I can’t…” Sobs burst from me, and I start to cry.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry I brought us here.” She sniffles. “We’ll get through this somehow.”

I force the tears back, but my voice is hoarse as I say, “What if we can’t escape? Leo’s made it clear the wedding’s happening.”

Mom sobs, “No. I won’t let you marry him. I don’t care what I have to do.”

“There’s nothing we can do,” I whisper, my tone forlorn. “If I don’t go through with the wedding, he’ll kill me. He said he’ll wipe out the Romano name.”

My head snaps up when his words from earlier pop into my mind.

“Wait. Leo said he’ll never hurt me, and it looked like he meant it.”

“You can’t trust that man! He’s a criminal, Haven.”

Still, Leo seemed sincere when he said it, which makes me believe he won’t kill me.

But Mom…

I shake my head again. “We just have to play along for the time being.”

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Mom cries harder, and it breaks my heart. “Now I understand why your father never brought us to Italy. I thought it would be good for you to meet the rest of the family, but God was I wrong.”

My teeth tug at my bottom lip, then movement below catches my eye. With the light from the moon, I see Leo taking the steps down from the veranda and walking onto the beach. He tucks one of his hands into the pocket of his pants and takes a sip of whatever he’s drinking.

Standing in the dark, looking out at the ocean, he seems even more menacing.

Mysterious, dark, and too handsome for me to handle.

“What am I going to do if we have no choice but for me to go through with the wedding?” I ask Mom, my gaze glued to Leo. He glances up as he takes a sip of his drink, and I feel the intensity of his gaze through the dark and distance. My voice is almost completely gone from fear as I say, “What do I do if he tries to force himself on me?”

Mom cries even harder, and it has tears sneaking from my eyes while Leo keeps staring at me.

My heartbeat speeds up, and I feel the air tense.

“Haven,” Mom whimpers, “I’ll find a way to get you away from him, even if I have to kill Nicolo and that man.”

I’ve had a taste of Leo’s strength. Mom doesn’t stand a chance against him.

It really starts to sink in that I’m staring at the head of the mafia, and I’m going to have to marry him. He’ll probably force me to have sex as well.

Getting up from the chair, I rush into the bedroom and shut the doors behind me before I go to turn off the light so he can’t see me.

When I’m standing by the light switch in the darkness, breaths burst over my lips, and my emotions spiral out of control.

For long minutes, I cry while Mom alternates between trying to soothe me and swearing to all that’s holy she’ll get me out of this mess.

When we both begin to calm down, I say, “There’s nothing we can do, Mom. Uncle Nicolo and Leo are killers. If we want to stay alive, we have no choice but to do as we’re told.”