Unwilling vow, p.1
Unwilling Vow, page 1
Also by Willow Fox
Aigle Tactique
Révélation: Jaxson
Furtif: Mason
Dissimuler: Lincoln
Clandestine: Jayden
Bossy Single Dad
Billionaire Grump
Mountain Grump
Bachelor Grump
Bossy Single Dad Box Set
Bratva Brothers
Brutal Boss
Wicked Boss
Possessive Boss
Obsessive Boss
Dangerous Boss
Bratva Brothers Box Set
Casamentos Mafiosos
Voto Secreto
Voto Cativo
Voto Selvagem
Voto Relutante
Voto Implacável
eagle tactical
Expose: Jaxson
Expose Jaxson
Stealth: Mason
Conceal: Lincoln
Covert: Jayden
Truce: Declan
Eagle Tactical Box Set
Eagle Tactical Serie
Svelato: Jaxson
Enthüllt: Jaxson
Verheimlicht: Mason
Invisibile: Mason
Versteckt: Lincoln
Nascosto: Lincoln
Verborgen: Jayden
Infiltrato: Jayden
Fratelli Bratva
Boss Brutale
Boss Diabolico
Boss Possessivo
Boss Ossessivo
Boss Pericoloso
Frères Bratva
Boss Brutal
Boss Vicieux
Boss Possessif
Boss Obsessif
Boss Dangereux
Frères Bratva: Toute la série
Gebrüder Bratva
Brutaler Boss
Böser Boss
Besitzergreifender Boss
Zwanghafter Boss
Gefährlicher Boss
Gebrüder Bratva: die komplette Serie
Ice Dragons Hockey Romance
Faking it with the Billionaire
Daring the Hockey Player
Arresting the Hockey Player
Mafia-Ehen
Geheimes Gelübde
Gefangenschafts Gelubde
Wildes Gelubde
Widerwilliges Gelubde
Rücksichtsloses Gelübde
Mafia Ehen: die komplette Serie
Mafia Marriages
Secret Vow
Captive Vow
Savage Vow
Unwilling Vow
Ruthless Vow
Mafia Marriages Box Set
mariages mafieux
Vœu Secret
Vœu Captif
Voeu Captif
Vœu Sauvage
Vœu Non Consenti
Vœu Impitoyable
Mariages Mafieux: Toute la série
matrimoni di mafia
Voto Segreto
Voto Prigioniero
Voto Selvaggio
Voto Non Voluto
Voto Spietato
Matrimonios de la Mafia
Voto Silencioso
Voto Cautivo
Voto Salvaje
Voto Involuntario
Voto Despiadado
Père, célibataire et autoritaire
Le Milliardaire Grincheux
Grincheux des Montagnes
Le Célibataire Grincheux
Ruppige Single Papas
Berg Muffel
Bachelor Muffel
Milliardär Muffel
Táctica Águila
Expuesto: Jaxson
Sigilo: Mason
Oculto: Lincoln
Encubierto: Jayden
UNWILLING VOW
MAFIA MARRIAGES BOOK FOUR
WILLOW FOX
Copyright © 2021 by Willow Fox
All rights reserved.
Edited by Marla VanHoy
Cover Design by MiblArt
Published by Slow Burn Publishing LLC
V2
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
About this Book
Chapter 1
Olivia
Chapter 2
Jace
Chapter 3
Olivia
Chapter 4
Olivia
Chapter 5
Jace
Chapter 6
Olivia
Chapter 7
Jace
Chapter 8
Olivia
Chapter 9
Olivia
Chapter 10
Jace
Chapter 11
Olivia
Chapter 12
Olivia
Chapter 13
Jace
Chapter 14
Olivia
Chapter 15
Jace
Chapter 16
Olivia
Chapter 17
Jace
Chapter 18
Olivia
Chapter 19
Jace
Chapter 20
Olivia
Chapter 21
Jace
Chapter 22
Olivia
Chapter 23
Jace
Chapter 24
Olivia
Chapter 25
Olivia
Chapter 26
Jace
Chapter 27
Olivia
Chapter 28
Jace
Chapter 29
Olivia
Chapter 30
Jace
Chapter 31
Olivia
Chapter 32
Jace
Chapter 33
Olivia
Chapter 34
Jace
Chapter 35
Olivia
Chapter 36
Jace
Chapter 37
Olivia
Chapter 38
Jace
Epilogue
Olivia
Giveaways, Free Books, and More Goodies
About the Author
Also by Willow Fox
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Unwilling Vow
(Mafia Marriages Book Four)
Billionaire seeks surrogate…
She has a debt to repay and I have a need…for a child.
It is strictly a business transaction, nothing more. After the baby is born I’ll never see her again.
But bringing her into my home is a mistake. It could cost me everything. She’s curious. Sassy. And the biggest test to my patience.
How can I handle a child if I can’t handle her under my roof? It doesn’t help that her hormones are raging and she wants to murder me in my sleep.
I’m not that bad of a guy, I only run the mafia. And she can never find out.
This slow-burn age gap Mafia Romance is a standalone with a happily ever after.
1
OLIVIA
Once you hit rock bottom, nothing matters. Nowhere else to go but up is a lie.
You can always fall harder, faster, farther, straight to Hell.
“Tell me why you’re doing this?”
His question catches me off guard. It shouldn’t, but I don’t have an answer that he’ll want to hear. The truth isn’t pretty. It’s rough and torn around the edges, much like I am.
Broken.
Worn.
Abandoned.
“I need the money,” I say.
He’ll probably cross me off his little list.
He scribbles something down on his notepad that is situated across his lap. One leg is folded across the other.
He’s laid back, comfortable. Hell, the man could be a model.
I’m trying not to bring up my lunch.
His eyes narrow. There’s some thought fleeting through his head. I have no idea what it is and whether it involves this interview or he’s wondering what he should order for his next meal.
Jace Barone.
Billionaire. Owner and director of Barone Industries.
He owns a bunch of subsidiary companies, but Barone Industries is known for its massive reach into technology for medical, professional, scientific, and innovative purposes. At least that’s what I read in the brochure on my way up to his office.
His smile is tight-lipped. He’s barely looked at my resume, unimpressed.
“You have children at home?”
Excuse me? What kind of question is that for a job interview?
I purse my lips together. It’s none of his business. “No.”
“But you’ve done this before?” Jace asks.
He closes his leather binder containing his notepad and fiddles with his pen, tapping it against the black leather grain. “Usually, the interviewee explains why they should be chosen, what they have to offer, aside from looks.”
How dare he!
I want to wipe the smug look right off his face.
“Listen, I’m sorry. It was a mistake coming here,” I say and stand. It wasn’t entirely my choice, but I’m here, and I need a job, but I can’t be an assistant to an asshole billiona ire. I have no experience, and he’s highly unprofessional. Shockingly, he hasn’t been sued.
His interview skills are significantly lacking and make me more than slightly uncomfortable.
“Sit back down,” Jace growls at me.
I slump back into the chair. I can’t imagine he’s going to hire me.
Is this to torture me? There’s desperate, and then there’s pathetic.
I’m feeling like the latter.
He places his leather folder on the desk in front of him and clasps his hands together. “I apologize if I’m a bit on edge. My personal life has been an uphill battle these past few weeks,” Jace says.
I force a smile. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not, but I appreciate your consideration,” he says. “Now, I want to know why you’d like to carry my child.”
The color disappears from my face. The room spins, and the next thing I know, all I see is darkness.
2
JACE
Did she seriously just faint during the surrogacy interview?
Interviewing at my office was a bad idea. I can’t believe Matteo, my second in command, this was his idea.
I should fire his ass.
One second, I’m talking, and she doesn’t appear to be paying attention to me. The faraway distant look made my stomach knot.
I’ve seen that look before.
My younger sister faints a lot. Unlike most people, I’ve learned to see the signs.
I leap out of my chair and catch Olivia on her way down to the ground before she can hit her head.
She blinks several times, staring up at me.
With her lying on the ground, I pull out my phone to call 9-1-1.
“That’s embarrassing,” she mutters under her breath. Olivia tries to pull away from me to stand.
“Just sit tight,” I say. “I’m calling an ambulance. You just passed out.”
“I’m fine,” she says as she sits up. “Please don’t call an ambulance.”
It’s hard not to worry, and I can’t afford to get sued. I don’t let her stand.
“Just stay there,” I insist. I crouch down to her level, keeping a close eye on her. The color is slowly coming back to her cheeks. I grab a bottle of water off my desk. It’s still sealed from this morning. I haven’t opened it for myself yet.
I twist the top off and hand it to her. “Drink,” I command. She needs to stay hydrated.
Her hands tremble as she brings the bottle to her lips.
“Do you pass out a lot?” I’m trying to make small talk. There’s no way she can be the surrogate for my child if she has health issues that lead her to pass out randomly in strange places.
She shakes her head and winces. “No, I didn’t eat breakfast.”
I glance at the clock on the wall. It’s nearly four in the afternoon. “What about lunch?”
She smiles, tight-lipped. “Skipped it.”
Why the hell hasn’t she eaten anything all day? “I think we’ve discovered the culprit,” I say.
How can she skip two meals? Is she worried about her weight? I try not to glance her over, but she’s got luscious curves. She doesn’t look like she’s starving herself, but what do I know? I’ve barely spent twenty minutes with this woman.
I reach for my phone, and she places a hand on my wrist. “Please, I can’t afford the medical bills.”
There’s desperation behind her tone. “Let me message one of my employees to get you something to eat,” I say. “It’s on me. Okay?”
She reluctantly nods.
Good, I’m glad I don’t have to argue with her and convince her to sit tight while I have to force a meal down her throat. That would be far less comfortable.
I cancel the original call and text Matteo.
Grab me some orange juice and a sandwich. The 3:30 just fainted in my office.
Matteo is typing back. Three dots flash on the screen before my stomach flops.
Your 3:30 surrogacy appointment was canceled a few hours ago.
Then who the hell is the girl in my office?
3
YESTERDAY MORNING
OLIVIA
There’s a sharp knock on my car window, startling me from slumber.
I slept in my vehicle, in the Walmart parking lot.
It’s morning and sunny out. It takes a few moments for my vision to adjust to the brightness.
Shit, it’s the mafia.
Luka Caruso, he’s don for the Caruso family. The big boss. Why the hell doesn’t one of his guys harass me instead?
Luka likes to make it known that he’s in charge of this city.
My husband, John, did business with the Carusos. Lucky me, John is dead, but he never paid his debt, and it’s been handed down to me.
Even in death, my husband screwed me over. He was a shitty husband, but he didn’t deserve to die. Late at night, sometimes I wonder if Luka Caruso is to blame for John’s death.
I roll down my window. It’s not like I have a choice in the matter. Even if I run, Luka will find me.
My mouth is dry and I worry what he might do to me. Will he cut off my fingers? Set my car ablaze?
“I don’t have it. As soon as I get a job, I’ll pay you back,” I say, desperate.
Can’t he tell that I’m living in my car? It’s not like I’m driving a new sports car and sleeping in a mansion.
He pulls out a business card. “You have an interview tomorrow. If he asks, tell him that your friend Avery Seymore sent you.”
“You know Avery?” I ask. My stomach tenses. Is she in their debt, too? I haven’t seen her since the funeral, Austin’s.
He doesn’t answer my question.
Why would I expect him to tell me anything? I’m lucky he hasn’t put a bullet in my head yet. He will if I don’t pay him back for my late husband’s debts.
How much of the city does the Caruso family own?
I should run. Leave town. Get out while I still can, while I’m alive. These men don’t play games. They murder innocent people.
I glance at the business card for Barone Industries. Everyone has heard of the company. They’re one of the top five organizations in the world.
“What kind of job is it?” I have a resume, but it’s not like I have a ton of work experience.
“Does it matter? You owe the Carusos, and we’ve come to collect. Convince Jace Barone to hire you, and we’ll let you live.”
“The billionaire?” I squeak. It’s no secret he’s one of the world’s richest men. How am I going to convince him to hire me?
What can I offer him that no other candidate can?
4
OLIVIA
There’s a shift in Jace Barone’s demeanor. His eyes flicker as he reads the text message on his screen.
“It’s really no bother. I can go,” I say. I probably shouldn’t have admitted that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. It’s not that I didn’t have time or didn’t want to eat.
I didn’t have the money.
My wallet is empty. And I’ve been living out of my car for the past two weeks since I’ve been evicted. Not that he needs to know that. I’m not here for a handout.
I’m here for a job and to fix an already bad situation, not make it worse.
I press my hands flat on the floor and intend on standing.
“Sit back down,” he commands.
“So, I guess the job is out of the question?” I laugh nervously and roll my lips together.
He runs a hand through his thick, dark hair. His dark green eyes bore into mine. I hate to admit it, but he’s devilishly handsome. Much hotter than my last fling, which put a baby into me. He left the minute I got pregnant and then came running back to marry me once the kid was born and he lost his job.
