Gianna
PROLOGUE
My heart races.Somehow I can feel the effect on other parts of my body as I slowly open my room door. I raise the cover of my hoodie over my head and step into the quiet lobby, praying I don't run into anyone.
It's past midnight. Everyone should be asleep, but I'm fully convinced Vito never sleeps. Besides, the estate is always crawling with security.
I walk down the hall, passing several rooms of people who couldn't find out I am sneaking out. Avoiding looking directly into the security camera, I push the door to the stairway, releasing a deep breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Taking the elevator means risking notifying the security team.
I don't want to explain where I am going this late at night and, most importantly, who I am meeting. Each step I take down the stairs fills me with anxiety and excitement.
This is so wrong. I should stay away from him — heck, we should stay away from each other — but Finn made it clear he will come to me if I don't show up at Hell's Kitchen, and I want to see him too. I miss him, even though I feel conflicted, even though I have been avoiding him for some while.
My legs ache as I finally reach the lobby floor. How do I escape Rosso's estate without too many eyes? My way to freedom is just a few steps away, but two men stand guard, dressed in black suits and laser-focused. This is why Finn and I can't truly be together. Our families are enemies, and in mine, betrayal is the one sin that never gets forgiven.
I think of the last time he held my face in his hands, how he said my name like it was something holy and something damning all at once. How his thumb had traced my jaw like he was memorizing me for a time when he wouldn't be allowed to touch me anymore. We both knew what we were. We both did it anyway.
Vito would have my head if he ever found out, and Finn's family would put a bullet in him before the sentence finished leaving Vito's mouth. I hate this life and everything that comes with it. I want nothing more than to be free of it, but freedom in a family like mine is close to impossible.
Despite the ordeal, I manage to escape and hail a cab. "Where to?" the driver asks as I settle into the seat. "Willow Grace Chapel," I answer, feeling the adrenaline rush in me slowly fade, only to be quickly replaced by something else — Finn. My feelings are always all over the place when it comes to him. We have been doing this for a little while now; sneaking around and hiding our relationship. But how long does this have to continue? I once thought he would be my ticket to freedom, but that dream seems to be hanging on a thin thread.
I arrive at the chapel after twelve minutes, and my eyes land on the sign that boldly readsWillow Grace Chapel— one of the many properties owned by the Costellos. I pull down my hood and step inside. I don't know the best way to describe how exactly I feel in this moment; butterflies, aches, or a combination of both, as I stare at the back of his head and watch him gaze at the statue of Mary. His brown hair is a mess even from where Istand, and his familiar tropical scent fills my nostrils as I walk down the aisle toward him.
"You're here," he says with that rich, deep voice I have missed dearly, but I don't let that sway me.
"You can't just text me saying you're coming to see me out of nowhere," I say, remembering how frightened I had been when I saw his message.
"Out of nowhere?" His voice fills with frustration as he meets my eyes. The usual light in his green eyes is drained. His white shirt is a mess with a few loose buttons, and I feel worried. Finn is always a composed man, but right now, he looks disheveled. Am I the reason he looks this way?
"You know what would happen if Vito found out about us."
"If you had responded to my calls or texts, I wouldn't have had to say that, Gianna — and trust me, I would have shown up to Rosso's estate if you hadn't come."
I run my finger through my long, dark hair, knowing this argument is pointless. "What are we doing, Finn? You're a Costello. I'm a Rosso."
"So?" He says it like it's nothing, searching my eyes to give him a better explanation.
"So!" I scoff, feeling my anger rise. "This isn't going anywhere, whatever this is," I say, waving my hand between us. I don't want it to end, but things are getting out of hand. I am scared for us both, and scared to lose him in a way out of my control.
In quick strides, Finn closes the space between us, and I suddenly forget how to breathe. My heart races as he searches my eyes. "So, we just forget about all the time we spent together?" His breath fans my face, and all the tension I feel pools at my core. I swallow and look away from those intoxicating eyes, only to land on the few loose buttons thatreveal his sturdy chest. My breath hitches, and I can tell Finn is only a few seconds from losing control.
"We are a danger to each other, Finn. We can't spend time together anymore," I try to sound more firm, but it comes out as a whisper.
"Why now?" His voice is rough. "Why is it suddenly so urgent?"
I almost don't say it. I shouldn't say it. But the words come out anyway.
"Vito's arranging a marriage for me. With one of the O'Sullivan boys. The Boston Irish." I swallow. "He thinks tying me to them ends the war on a different front. The contracts are already moving. I'll be promised by the end of the month."
Finn goes very still. "Promised," he repeats. "Promised."
"And you came here to tell me?"
"I came here to say goodbye." My voice cracks on the last word, and I hate that it does. "Once it's signed, I can't be near you again. Ever. So if we're going to end this, it has to be tonight."
Finn steps into me. He trails his thumb over my lips, and a shiver runs down my spine. "Vito doesn't have to know. It doesn't have to make sense to anyone… just us." His voice, touch, and smell are doing things to me.
"Finn…" I whisper, and my body decides for me before my head catches up.
