Free Charade by Kate Donovan Page A

he honestly intend to stop lying to her? Now of all times?
    “I don’t want it, Dad.”
    “Then throw it away,” he advised sadly. “I won’t try to stop you.”
    A slow, painful panic seeped into her soul. “Just tell me to my face, then. Right here, right now. I can take it.”
    “No,” he murmured. “I thought when you first arrived that you were ready, but you’re not. I see that now. Go to your fancy ball, sweetheart. Have the time of your life, dancing with all the handsome men. And then when you’re ready, listen to the tape. After that, if you’re willing to take your rightful place by my side, I’ll be the happiest man on earth. And if you never speak to me again, I’ll still cherish this day we had together. It’s more than I thought you’d ever give me.”
    Sasha stared at him, alarmed by the finality in his tone, and chilled by the hope in his offer. Did he really think she’d take over the family’s criminal enterprises one day? Was she that good an actress?
    That good a liar?
    What kind of daughter was she, to put this man through so much?
    He killed Mom, she reminded herself frantically, but somehow, that wasn’t enough. Not for this.
    Stuffing the tape recorder into her purse, she grabbed his hands into her own and insisted, “Whatever else happens from here on out, it doesn’t change the fact that we had this nice day together. Right?”
    He cocked his head to the side. “Is there something else, Sasha? Something you’re not telling me?”
    “Did I tell you I love you?” she asked with a teary-eyed smile. “Because I do. I always will.” Brushing a kiss across his cheek, she added firmly, “I’ll listen to the tape on the plane. And when I get back, we’ll talk. Take care, okay? And give Mark my love.” Noting his pained expression she hugged him and insisted, “Don’t worry. I got my guts from my old man, remember? I have a feeling they’re going to serve me well in Kestonia.”
     
    Rocco insisted on driving her home, which was a godsend because his nonstop chatter distracted her from other, more sobering thoughts.
    Rocco Andretti was the Mafia version of a jack-of-all-trades—a former hit man turned bodyguard who could have been a chef. His loyalty to her father was beyond question, and while that meant he was also fiercely loyal to Sasha, she had no doubt what he’d do to her if he ever found out she was an FBI snitch.
    Still, he was entertaining, especially when he told her about her father’s new girlfriend, whom Big Frankie hadn’t thought to mention over dinner. The woman—Annette Jarrett—was an old friend of Sasha’s mother, and since she was also the sister of Rocco’s wife, the bodyguard was delighted with the match.
    Sasha liked the idea, too, since she didn’t want her father to be lonely. But still, it would be strange to have another woman in her father’s house.
    This new piece of information was a lot like her lovemaking session with Jeff or the tape in her purse, she decided finally. She simply couldn’t afford to think too deeply about it until Teal was safe. She needed to refocus her energies on her upcoming trip, and so, as soon as Rocco had delivered her to her apartment safely, she sent him away, then pulled two medium-size suitcases and a garment bag from her closet and placed them on the bed.
    Her father had told her not to pack until they got official confirmation from Vlados Zelasko that Sasha would be allowed to enter Kestonia, but she wanted to be ready the moment permission arrived. Given the tight timeline ahead of her, the trip would be a nonstop, derriere-numbing combination of plane, train and limousine rides, which would give her plenty of time to catch up on her sleep and to read all about the toys the NSA had supplied to her via Allison.
    They weren’t exactly James Bond-level gadgets, but still they were intriguing. The first was a bottle of pills that looked like aspirin but actually interfered with alcohol absorption, so