Page 7 of The Mafia Princess

“Are you feeling ill?”

She shook her head.

“Then why are you so pale, Lass?”

“Oh, well, I … I’m not used to traveling, sir.”

She turned her head away, and that’s when he caught sight of a blueish mark on her cheekbone that resembled a bruise, but he couldn’t remember seeing it the day before.

She gasped when he pressed his thumb against it and tossed her head to the side.

“Is this a bruise, Anna?”

She pressed her hand to her cheek. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Now she was just pissing him off. He hated to be lied to. “I…”

“Sir, the plane’s ready,” the pilot said.

Remington sighed. He’d have to wait until later to question her.

“Fine.” He grabbed ahold of her upper arm and started walking to the plane.

“Sir, I can walk on my own.”

“Shush.”

He caught the stubborn tilt to her chin before she corrected it, making him even more curious. Maybe she wasn’t as meek as she pretended to be.

She pulled away from him and sat in the back as she had before. He thought about sitting with her so they could talk, but she looked so fragile at the moment he decided to let her rest.

He got settled in the chair he had used before and started pulling out paperwork. They would have a few hours before they got to their destination, and he could get a lot done in that time.

It seemed like he’d just started to work when they were landing. He looked over his shoulder to ensure Anna was buckled in and saw she had fallen asleep. Good, it looked like she needed it. It wouldn’t keep him from questioning her, but he did want her to feel better.

They rolled to a stop before he unbuckled and walked to the back to wake her. The sun coming into the window made the bruise stand out starkly, and the color of it told him it was new.

What the fuck!

He gripped her shoulder. She jerked awake and screamed.

His brows snapped together. “What is that about?”

He saw her pressing on her side as she sat up and quickly moved her glasses back in place.

“Anna, answer me.”

“You just startled me. It’s not a big deal.”

“What’s wrong with your side?” he asked.

Her hand dropped away. “Just a little cramp. It’s already going away.”

He didn’t believe her, but they were again interrupted when the pilot called out to them.

“Come on. We’ll talk later.”

It looked like she was going to argue, but then she just nodded. “Yes, sir.”

---