Lumberin' Jack Seeks a Wife

Lumberin’ Jack Seeks a Wife Tessa Klein Copyright © 2023 by Tessa Klein All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Contents Prologue 1. Mercy 2. Jack 3. Mercy 4. Jack 5. Mercy 6. Jack 7. Mercy 8. Jack 9. Jack 10. Mercy 11. Jack 12. Mercy 13. Mercy Epilogue Epilogue Epilogue Teaser: Man of the Mountain Prologue Mercy My parents named me Mercy because that’s what they were promised if I married Luca Pellegrino. Lies. Thirteen years after I was born, they were killed. I’ve been told it was an accident. I’ve been told that it was quick and that they didn’t suffer. That they’d been shown mercy. I’ve been told a lot of things about that night, but I know the truth. The Pellegrinos do not forget. They do not forgive. And the vengeance they exact is cold, calculating, and complete. The death of my parents left my father’s empire in turmoil—a power vacuum that the Pellegrinos filled, consolidating their influence over and grasp around his company. They snaked their way inside, garnering powerful allies, and making moves to take complete control. But they didn’t have the key. They didn’t have me. As the sole heir to my family’s fortunes, I’d gain control of my father’s business ventures when I turned twenty-one. But the Pellegrinos did what they did best—they stole me. For eight long years, I’ve been under the illicit guardianship of Santino Pellegrino, the man behind my parents’ deaths. He hid me away in his mansion and forced me to live with his son, my counterpart in the arranged marriage that was supposed to broker peace. I’ve lived a life of solitude with no communication with the outside world apart from what I gleaned from the staff and my carefully selected tutors. Until now. I’m going to escape. I’ve planned for this day from the moment I entered the Pellegrino compound. I’m running away from this arranged marriage. Or I’ll die trying. Chapter 1 Mercy My body reacts before I hear them—the familiar creaks outside my door. The tingling comes first, a cold shiver that races up my spine as fine hairs across my body rise. My hand skates across my arm, feeling the goosebumps forming beneath my palm as I watch my bedroom door through the vanity mirror’s reflection. My mouth dries when I hear his heavy soles on the stairs. The tightly coiled tension fixed in my chest twists again and again as it squeezes the breath from my lungs. His shoes skim across the floor as he hums an unsettling tune. I can imagine his eyes, black and bottomless, as they dissect me. I’ve never been comfortable around my guardian, but how could I? He killed my parents. He locked me away. And he’s enforcing the arranged marriage with his son so he can finally access my family’s fortunes and destroy my father’s legacy. I should barricade myself in the bathroom, feign an illness, do something—anything—but I can’t move from this chair. I’m frozen in place as Santino’s footfalls edge closer to my door until finally, they stop. He’s outside. Still humming a haunting melody that echoes in my ears and makes my skin crawl. He might move on, but who am I kidding? He enjoys making me squirm. And when the door swings open a few beats later, that’s exactly what I do. “Mercy me,” he says, head cocked as she shoves his hands into his pockets. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Thud, thud, thud. Each step he takes into my room reverberates in the air as my body turns to ice. It doesn’t help that I’m in nothing but a bra and panties. I wasn’t expecting him or anyone else this early in the morning, but now I’m wishing I wrapped myself up in my robe. It’s hanging on a hook a few feet away, but I’m riveted in place. “Santino,” I breathe, eyes fixed on his reflection as he closes the gap between us. “What are you doing here?” It’s not uncommon that I go months without seeing my guardian. I might be trapped in this mansion but Santino moves freely. He has a criminal empire to run, and the kingpin needs to show his face on the front lines. It’s the only part of this arrangement that makes living here bearable—it’s a rare event that I interact with my captor. And with his son no longer living with me, I’ve been left alone for the last few years. Santino doesn’t respond. He loosens his tie with a single finger as his dark gaze rakes across my body, making it clear what’s on his mind. He pauses, palm scrubbing his jaw as he continues to stare at me. He’s never touched me but his unsettling gaze has made me feel more uncomfortable than any unwanted contact ever could. “This is my house, Mercy. I don’t need permission to enter your room or any room.” He takes another step toward me. “I make the rules.” I swallow hard as the sickly sweet smell of his cologne assaults my senses. It’s so jarring that it jolts me out of my daze, and I reach for the robe next to me. “Can’t have that,” Santino snarls, snatching my wrist before I can grab my robe. He yanks hard, my chair tumbling to the ground as he pulls me to my feet. “Mercy,” he sighs. His gaze drags down my body like jagged rocks across bare skin. “If Luca wasn’t marrying you, I might have to. It’s like I’m staring at Helena, reborn and standing in front of me.” A wave of nausea ripples through me as bile rises in my throat, followed quickly by a surge of anger. I try to pull my wrist away