one of my friends.
“Good,” she said, her gaze sympathetic. “I can’t believe you’re going through all this barely a week after we got back.”
“I can’t believe it either.” To be honest I didn’t feel anything. I was still in a state of shock and would probably start to feel hurt and sad when I got to England.
“Aren’t you traveling with any luggage?” Mandy asked.
“Nah,” I replied. “A suitcase would kind of give the game away.”
Christine crossed her arms. “I really think you should crash here for a couple of days and make better plans. It all sounds so flimsy.”
I sighed heavily. “I wish I could, but after my father assigned the beast out there, I've realized that there is no time to waste. I need to fully escape from the country before I am trapped here forever.”
“When will you return?” Mandy asked.
I could feel my heart sinking. “I have no idea.”
“Hey, you don’t mean that, do you?” Christine asked, a deep frown etched on her forehead.
I forced a smile. “I’ll come back as soon as they come back to their senses. I love my parents and my grandma, and it’s incredibly heartbreaking that this is what things are resorting to. Let’s go. We absolutely cannot fail at this. It might be my only chance. If this goes wrong, I will most probably be grounded until the day of the wedding.”
“My God, that sounds like something from the 17th century,” Mandy said with a shiver.
I exhaled my breath deep and shuddering. “Yeah, and you haven’t even seen the man they want me to marry.” I rose to my feet. “Let’s go."
Chapter 16
Sienna
The sun shone brightly when we filed out of the apartment, but a heavy shadow rested on my heart. I pushed the images of Nonna and Gemma out of my mind.
Angelo stood waiting against the wall, his hands jammed into his pockets, and his head lowered as if he stared at the ground. At the sound of the door opening he turned and looked at me.
“We’re going to the mall,” I said airily, and began to head over to the car park with my friends.
When we arrived at Christine’s red Camry, I got into the backseat without a word. Mandy slid into the passenger’s seat while Christine took the wheel. Mandy rolled down the window and gazed at Angelo, who stood glaring at me. His hand lodged between her door and the frame. There was no way she would be able to close it.
“Sienna wants to ride with us,” Mandy said with a cheeky smile. “You can follow us behind with her car, right?” She reached out to me with an outstretched hand. I dropped my keys on her palm, and Mandy offered them to him.
“Where are you going?” he asked cupping my keys in his hand.
I leaned into the backseat with my arms across my chest and my face turned away in annoyance. Something about him set my teeth on edge. He always behaved as if I was a bratty child he was minding.
“We’re not sure yet,” she said. “We’re just going to head downtown to do some light shopping and maybe get something to eat. Then we’ll come back.”
He kept his eyes on me as he listened to her.
I felt like I couldn’t breathe … like his gaze was boring holes into my skin. I kept my head turned away. Seconds passed. I could feel the tension coming from him. Crazy, fantastical thoughts galloped through my mind. He would drag me out of the car. If that happened my stellar plan was to scream that he was a molester and pray people would come to our rescue. In the ensuing confusion, I would slip away. Or … maybe he would call my father. Oh God!
Suddenly, he removed his hand from Mandy’s door and walked away to the car.
I was shocked. My heart stopped beating.
Both girls released shaky breaths.
“Holy fuck, he’s intimidating!” Christine exclaimed, her hand on her chest.
Mandy waved her hand in front of her face. “I swear for a moment there, I thought he was going to pull the door out of its hinges and rescue you. Jesus Christ, that’s one hot man.”
“Let’s go,” I muttered, unwilling to waste even a second more.
Christine started the engine and put the car in motion. We drove out of the lot and I glanced behind to see that he was following us. “Damn, is that your car, Sienna?” She turned to me, her face filled with wonder. “What does your