Page 55 of A Bossy Proposal

A heavy silence settles between us as my gut twists at the thought of Amelia hiding from the mafia world.

“I won’t let anything happen to her,” I vow, even as uncertainty gnaws at me.

East studies me, weighing my resolve. “Just be careful, West. You don’t know what you’re getting into. And Dad will use anything he finds against you.”

“Of course he will.” My voice drops lower. “But I’m not backing down.”

He sighs. “She was supposed to be temporary, West. You could let her go now. Give her what she needs. I can have her moved out of New York in a few days.”

“She has nothing East.” My voice is gravelly. “Where will she go?”

“We have offices all over the world. Ask her where she wants to hide, and I’ll arrange it. I can get her a new identity.”

“No.”

East glares at me. “This arrangement with Amelia was to get you out of marrying Elizabeth Jameson. Yet to me it looks like more.”

“I’m not letting her go,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can think better of it.

East leans back, crossing his arms. “She’s not someone you can save, West? Let her go before you bring danger into her world. Or her ours.”

“No.” My voice hardens. “I owe her.”

“You owe her? For what? She’s not some damsel in distress.”

“Maybe not,” I shoot back, “but when I started digging into her past, I never expected to find what I did.”

East’s brows knit together; his curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

“The man looking for her is not her uncle.” The words taste poisonous on my tongue. “He’s a fucking mob boss, and he wants her married to his son.”

East’s eyes widen as he processes this information. “So that’s why she ran.”

“Yeah,” I say, leaning forward. “She didn’t want any part of it, and yet here we are.” The weight of the revelation crushes me.

“Sorry West, but you need to let her go.” He stares at me with a strange look in his eyes. “How much were you paying her for being your fake fiancée?”

“One million dollars for one year, and then more if she had to stay longer.”

East runs a hand through his hair as he studies me for a long moment before pacing the floor. He gives a deep sigh and says,“Let me find her a job and place to live in another city and you’ll at least feel you’ve helped her.”

“I can’t,” I interrupt, the words escaping before I can stop them.

My brother freezes, staring at me. “What do you mean, you can’t?”

I take another swig of beer, avoiding his gaze. “I just...I can’t, okay? She’s got nobody.”

“She managed before she met you,” East argues. “She’ll figure it out again.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Then explain it to me, because I’m not seeing the upside here.”

I struggle to find the right words to make him understand the pull I feel towards Amelia. “She’s different, East. When I’m with her, I feel...I don’t know. Like I can breathe again.”

East stares at me, his shock palpable. “And what does she want? Really?”

I shake my head. “She wants...she wants to feel safe, for me to help her hide again.”

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