I Spat Out the Coin and Won My Freedom

When I bit into the cherry pie and found the hidden gold coin, I spat it straight into the trash. In my previous life, Clark Mercer, the Family's underboss, had made a joke at his private party. Whoever found the gold coin in their pie could be his girlfriend for a month. I wanted an excuse to stay by his side, so I bribed the chef to mark the right slice and made sure I got it. Within that month, I got pregnant with his child and used the pregnancy to get him to marry me. But after giving birth, my health declined rapidly. Within a year, the doctors told me I was dying. On my deathbed, Clark held my hand. "Your sister and I were the ones truly in love. The whole game was just an excuse so I could marry her. "If you hadn't pulled that stunt, she never would have stopped seeing me. "Good thing you trusted me so completely. You never realized the supplements you'd been taking all year were laced with poison. "I hope you make it to heaven, Nelly." I died consumed by regret. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the cherry pie. Clark's friends were cheering around me. "Nelly, did you get the coin?" I covered my mouth and said nothing. Chapter 1 Nearly everyone in the Family knew I had a crush on Clark. Every eye in the room settled on me, and the noisy party fell into a brief silence. Clark let out a sudden laugh. "Leave her alone, everyone." He played it well, as if he were covering for me. But the moment our eyes met, I caught the disgust in his gaze. That one look told me everything. He had been reborn too. A chorus of boos followed, but the crowd wouldn't let it go. "So did you find the coin or not?" "Speak up, or Clark will end up as someone else's boyfriend!" I swallowed the storm churning inside me and discreetly spat the coin into the trash. Then I pushed the cherry pie forward and shook my head. "I didn't find it." My father, Vincent Reed, was one of Clark's most trusted men and one of the Family's top assassins. When I turned eighteen, Dad had already retired. He placed me under Clark's command. That was five years ago. During that time, we were completely in sync. We'd each saved the other's life. Even Dominic Russo, the Don himself, would occasionally tease Clark about me. Everyone assumed we were together in all but name, that it was only a matter of time before one of us made it official. I thought so too, until two years ago, when I suddenly gained a half-sister. Everything changed. This party was a perfect example. I'd only managed to get in by shamelessly tagging along with a friend. Meanwhile, my sister, Caroline Reed, had arrived in Clark's car. In my previous life, I had done something stupid because I was desperate to win Clark back. Clark narrowed his eyes, studying my blank expression. He repeated, "You didn't find it?" I met his gaze, picked up my fork, and crushed the pie to a pulp. The blood-red filling sprawled across the snow-white bone china. He examined it carefully before finally looking away. By then, Caroline was the only one who hadn't eaten yet. The excitement on her face was impossible to hide. Before she could even pick up her slice, Clark raised a finger, and a servant quickly cleared the mess from the table. "No need. The coin is obviously in Caroline's pie. "Starting today, she's my girlfriend for a month." As he said this, his gaze drifted toward me, almost imperceptibly. The sync between us told me exactly what that look meant. He was afraid I'd say something and ruin everything. But I stayed quiet. Even as the two of them kissed while everyone cheered, I kept my expression perfectly still. Clark was young and successful. His private party was nothing short of extravagant. When it ended, he sent a fleet of luxury cars to take his friends home. I had already decided that in this life, I wanted nothing to do with Clark. I certainly wasn't going to ride in his car. I headed toward the street alone, but Caroline stopped me. She put on a look of tender concern. "Nelly, are you upset? Are you mad that I took Clark from you?" Her eyes turned red. "But it's just a game..." Before she could finish, Clark immediately took her hand, his tone firm. "Game or not, you're my girlfriend now." He didn't raise his voice, but he spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear. Caroline couldn't contain her triumph any longer and subtly arched a smug eyebrow at me. I said nothing, but walked away on my own. It was hard to find a cab at that hour. By the time Clark's fleet of luxury cars had driven away, the taxi I'd called still hadn't arrived. I heard footsteps behind me and turned around. It was Clark. He lowered his head to light a cigar, then got straight to the point. "Nelly, I know you've been reborn too. "You know I love Caroline. As long as you behave and don't try to take her place, I'll make sure you live a comfortable life." In our previous life, Clark had risen to become the Family's underboss, second in power only to the Don. I knew he meant every word. But I had no interest in taking something that wasn't mine. "Clark, I'll resign tomorrow and find other work within the Family. I promise to stay far away from you." I meant it. But he laughed. "You're only saying that because you're angry. You're a soldier. You know exactly how much trouble you'd have without my protection. "Besides, you're still paying for your father's dialysis. "In this life, as long as you promise not to get pregnant, I'll let you stay by my side." In our previous life, my sister had spiraled into depression after learning I was pregnant. She had tried to kill herself multiple times. Clark saved her every time. Just then, my taxi arrived. Before I got in, I left him with one last word. "Don't trouble yourself, boss. I can figure out how to survive on my own." He scoffed and clearly didn't believe me. Back home, I knocked on the door to my father's study. "Dad, you said last week that the Don's second son just came back and needs people to fill some positions. I want to work for him." Chapter 2 Dad set down his files and gave me a long, searching look. Ever since my mother died two years ago and he brought Caroline, his illegitimate daughter, into the Family, we hadn't said a word to each other. He didn't ask what had happened. "Matthew Russo is the son who was kidnapped years ago. He's back, and yes, he's technically an heir, but his position is still uncertain. "If you rush to take sides, I have to consider the safety of our entire family." What he didn't know was that years ago, during a mission in Bayport, I had saved Matthew's life when he was at his lowest. Back then, I'd assumed he was just an associate of someone in the Family, so I hadn't thought much of it. It wasn't until my previous life, when I got pregnant with Clark's child and he took me to an inner-circle gathering, that I saw Matthew again. That was when I learned he was the Don's long-lost second son. Dad didn't need to know any of that. I kept my tone flat. "Caroline is dating Clark now. You can let your precious daughter secure your future from here on. "All I need is for you to pull some strings and get my resume sent to your contacts in Bayport. "After that, you can disown me for all I care." His expression gave nothing away. To him, Caroline and I were both his daughters. One of us had been born to his wife and raised by his own hand. The other was his illegitimate child, the daughter he'd felt guilty about abandoning all these years. He sighed. "I'll take care of it." Just then, Caroline walked in with her arm linked through Clark's and immediately called for a servant to prepare some drinks. "Dad! Clark is here to see you!" Spotting me in the study, she flashed me a coy smile. "Oh, Nelly. I know how you feel about Clark. "I've felt so guilty. I begged him the whole way here, and he finally agreed that while we're together this month, you can move into his villa too. You can monitor us and I promise I won't cross any lines. Okay?" Apparently, she thought that was enough to make herself look innocent. I knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to make me jealous enough to finally break things off with Clark. When I said nothing, Caroline bounced over and took my hand. "Come on, Nelly! Don't waste this opportunity!" I gave her a faint smile. "Sure. Then I should thank you for inviting me along." This time it was Caroline whose smile froze. A flash of resentment crossed her eyes. Clark, however, seemed pleased by my answer. He pulled her into his arms. "Relax. I only have eyes for you." And he meant it. After I moved into his villa, he and Caroline were inseparable. He didn't make things difficult for me, but he barely acknowledged me either. It was obvious he'd only brought me there to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't interfere with him pursuing Caroline. And Caroline never missed a chance to shoot me a smug look. To her, it was one more victory after taking my father from me. I had agreed to come for one reason only: access. I needed access to Clark's records of all the rules he'd broken during previous assignments. He was wary of me too and had changed the passcode on his study. But he could never have guessed that in our previous life, the housekeeper had accidentally revealed the backup code. Right under his nose, I collected evidence piece by piece. Then I sent it all to Matthew through encrypted channels. Saving his life once years ago might have opened the door for me, but that wasn't enough. If I wanted Matthew's trust and truly wanted to break free, I had to prove my value and show him what I could offer. But Matthew never replied. Meanwhile, I received an assassination mission from Clark. Chapter 3 The night before I was set to leave for the mission, I happened to pass by the study and overheard their conversation. "Honey, do you think Nelly is angry at me?" After a long silence, Clark finally spoke. "Don't worry. She owes you. Just wait until we're married. Then I'll hand Nelly over to you, and you can do whatever you want with her." My fists clenched at his words, my nails digging into my palms. I'd already paid with my life once. This time, I had to get away from Clark for good. Fortunately, I received a text from Dad. "Come to Bayport the day after tomorrow. Matthew has agreed to see you." The assassination mission was unusually dangerous. The target was a politician. Clark had plenty of men he could have sent, so I knew exactly why he'd chosen me. He wanted to put me in my place. His message was clear: if I didn't submit and spend the rest of my life as the woman he kept on the side, childless, he could make me disappear in a thousand different ways. I killed the target during his emergency evacuation, slipping into his room and taking him down in hand-to-hand combat at the last possible moment. While checking the data on his phone, I made an unexpected discovery. He had dirt on more than just the Family. Evidence against several rival families was stored in a single encrypted file. A direct transfer would trigger the file's self-destruct protocol, so I had no choice but to risk my life by disabling the phone's tracking system and carrying the device out with me. It cost me precious escape time. I was nearly caught by the arriving security team on my way out. I managed to escape by diving into a drainage canal, but I was hit by a poisoned bullet in the process. I hid the phone in a secure location, then fought through the dizziness of the toxin spreading through my body to rendezvous with the extraction team. Acute heart failure nearly killed me. On my third day in the hospital, the Family's best cardiopulmonary specialist was checking on me when one of Clark's men suddenly showed up. "Caroline got spooked by some gunfire. Her heart's been racing ever since. Can you come take a look?" The doctor stared at him in disbelief. "Nelly just came out of critical condition. Several of her readings are still unstable. She needs me here." He smiled, pulled the doctor aside, and handed him a paper bag. "Someone asked me to bring you lunch." The doctor didn't open it, but I could tell it was stuffed with cash. No one was going to cross the Family's underboss for a soldier who hadn't made a name for herself yet. The doctor made his decision immediately. "Nelly's condition has actually stabilized enough for a transfer to a regular ward. The doctors there can handle it." A nurse was called in, and I was wheeled out of the ICU. As I passed the next room, I saw Clark sitting with Caroline. He heard the gurney roll by and didn't even turn his head. Matthew, on the other hand, quietly sent someone to check on me when he learned I was in the hospital. The visitor brought Matthew's message. Matthew was willing to help me leave once I recovered. I thanked him. Just as the visitor stood to go, Clark made a rare appearance in my room. "Who is that?" His guard went up immediately. Chapter 4 I gave the visitor a look, then answered calmly. "One of the West Side capo's men. There's a loose end that wasn't tied up. They sent him to ask about the details." The delayed evacuation had, in fact, nearly exposed some of the officers on our payroll. They'd taken their anger out on the West Side, so the capo wanted an explanation from me as the mission lead. Clark knew about all this, so he gave an indifferent nod. "Caroline wants some of your homemade pumpkin pie." He paused. "She's pregnant." My breath caught for a second. Probably because of the heart failure, the pain hit hard. But I fought it down and kept my expression perfectly calm. "Congratulations. But I'm sorry, boss, I can't get out of bed just yet." "It's been two weeks. How are you still not better?" I shot back. "I have you to thank for that. You've been pulling my attending physician away so often that I need to stay hospitalized a while longer." My reaction was far too calm, nothing like what he'd expected. Irritation surged through Clark, but he had no retort. He was the one who'd used cash to get my doctor to falsify medical records just to keep Caroline happy. He was the one who'd told the senior members and the Don that my injuries didn't require specialized care. And yet he was the one who was annoyed. Unable to find fault with me, he turned his frustration on the visitor, jerking his chin in the man's direction. "You. Come here. We're going to run your prints." The air in the room went taut. If the visitor's identity was exposed now, everything would be over. Knowing Clark, he'd keep me trapped at his side for the rest of my life. The instant the visitor stood, I rolled off the hospital bed. The gunshot wound, still unhealed, sent blinding pain through me, and my eyes burned red. Clark rushed over to catch me. A tear fell onto his hand. "Congratulations on the baby with Caroline." I paused, then forced a look of heartbreak. "Take me with you. I'll go make her the pie." He froze. The visitor said he'd go fetch a doctor and slipped out. Clark lifted me into his arms, a confident smile spreading across his face. "Why do you do this to yourself? We used to be so in sync. I know you took that bullet on purpose, just so I'd feel sorry for you." He pressed a light kiss to my lips. "If you hadn't gotten pregnant in our last life, I wouldn't have tried to kill you. "Once I've married Caroline and she's given me a child, you can move into my villa in the South Side. I'll spoil you rotten." I traced my fingers along his jaw. "Whatever you want, Clark. But I'm still hurt. I want to go rest at my family's old villa in the North Side. Would that be okay?" Clark reached over and undid the top button of my shirt. "That depends on how sincere you are." His man outside the door discreetly stepped away. He took his time with me before finally having a doctor process my discharge. "If you need a car, tell the butler. I have other things to handle. Take care of yourself." With that, he left, looking completely satisfied with himself. I wiped myself down with wet wipes in disgust. I texted Matthew. "I want to be in Bayport tonight." His reply came quickly. "Nine o'clock. Newbury Airport." I packed immediately. But just as I reached the highway on-ramp heading for the airport, I ran straight into Caroline and Clark. Clark recognized the car, but it was too dark for him to see who was in the back seat. I shrank into the shadows, barely daring to make a noise. The next second, Caroline called out to him in her sweet voice. Chapter 5 He snapped back to attention, exchanged a wave with the driver through the window, and walked away without a second thought. I watched his car disappear into the distance, but I still couldn't relax. It wasn't until I picked up my fake ID at the airport and boarded the flight to Bayport that the tension finally left my body. I sank into my seat. I was one step closer to freedom. I met with Matthew as soon as I landed. Just a few years ago, he'd still seemed so boyish, three years my junior. Now he was taller than I'd imagined. A light-colored suit hugged his lean, muscular frame. Nothing about the way he carried himself suggested he'd ever fallen on hard times. Everything about him spoke of wealth and effortless refinement. He politely asked about my injuries first, then said evenly, "You must have seen it while collecting evidence against Clark. He's been secretly working for my brother. "He violated the rules. I'm still stuck here in Bayport, unable to return to Newbury. I'm sure he had a hand in that. We need an opportunity." I noticed his word choice. He said "we." The careful distance he kept between us only convinced me I'd chosen the right person. I handed him a file. "The Don has been frustrated with the Silver Bullet Gang constantly stealing our business. If you can solve that problem, it would go a long way toward earning his respect." Once I was out of danger, I'd asked my most trusted contact on the West Side to retrieve the politician's phone from where I'd hidden it. After days and nights of decryption work, the files inside were exactly what we needed. Matthew had a gift for putting the right people in the right places. His men infiltrated the Silver Bullet Gang and dismantled one of their operations overnight. They recovered one million dollars' worth of goods that the gang had stolen. He sent the recovered shipment back to Newbury as a birthday gift for the Don. Not long after, the Don called him. They talked for a long time before hanging up. "The Don says there's a portfolio of properties in Newbury's South Side that needs managing. He wants us there immediately." A smile he couldn't hide broke across his chiseled face. The Don threw a welcome banquet for Matthew. I stood by Matthew's side in a silver mermaid gown. Across the room, Clark stood with Caroline on his arm. The moment he saw me, his expression darkened. The raid on the Silver Bullet Gang had never happened in our previous life. The first thing Clark did when he heard about it was send people to find me. He came up empty, of course. He stared at me the entire evening. But with the Don and his eldest son, Lorenzo Russo, both present, Clark never got the chance to speak to me. He finally got his chance when I left Matthew's side to use the restroom. Someone seized me and dragged me into a storage room. "You played me, Nelly! You're running to Matthew just because I'm marrying Caroline? Is this your way of getting back at me? "Do you think I won't have your father killed? Or do you think that kid can protect you the way I did?" I raised my eyes, my expression flat. "Are you sure I can't survive without you?" He scoffed. "Of course. No one else is going to look out for you. Matthew's just using you. You're only a soldier. No one cares whether you live or die." So that was how he truly felt. He'd always believed I needed him to survive. That was why he'd never been afraid of losing me, no matter how badly he treated me. "You're wrong, Clark." I smiled, finally understanding. "You're not the only option I have. Besides, my father is Caroline's father too. She's pregnant with your child. If you hurt him, you'll only make things difficult for her. You wouldn't want that, would you?" His face darkened inch by inch. "Maybe I can't touch him. But I can leak your assassination records." Just then, the storage room door swung open, and Matthew stepped in and pulled me away from Clark.