Life was supposed to get easier…
At least that’s what Tatum had hoped. New school year, great boyfriend…and things with her and Zach were supposed to be wonderful. Fairy tale wonderful.
They aren’t.
Zach’s overbearing family controls his every move—and worse, they want to control Tatum. Now Zach is pressuring her to ‘speak for him’, which means she’ll not only be committed to him but also his mob family. Where’s the guy she fell in love with? To make matters worse, her friends introduce her to Nigel, the new guy who is more tempting than Tatum wishes.
So which will Tatum give in to…coercion or temptation?

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample of Girl Divided Two:

Chapter 1

Tatum

I’d only ever wanted to be a “normal” teenager—what a joke. My life

hadn’t been normal in months. Of course, it would be hard to wish certain

things hadn’t happened, because after all I had the guy of my dreams.

Zacharia Nicola Bertano had asked me to be his girlfriend four weeks

I could envision myself with him for the rest of my life. Of course, that

meant I’d have to marry the Mob. Yup, the best guy any girl could wish

for just so happened to be the grandson of an ex-Mob boss from Italy. For

the moment, I was ignoring that minor hiccup.

Except that I owed Zach an answer to a larger question than whether

I’d be his girlfriend—would I “speak for” him?

“Speak for”—that was committing to Zach without the ring on my

finger, which wasn’t a problem, but I’d have to commit to his family, too.

A Mob family. This was not a decision to be made lightly. I was worried

enough about that, but Zach also wanted me to meet his grandfather and

his parents over the weekend.

I was having trouble picturing me, a girl who wore black combat boots

with miniskirts and had the side of her head shaved, walking up to Mr. Ex-
Mobster with my hand out. Hello, Mr. Mobster Grandpa, I’m Tate (it

wouldn’t be a good idea to tell him my last name) . . . it’s so nice to finally

Who meets a mobster . . . ever? Zach said he’d been out of the business

since they’d moved to St. Louis, but I’m no idiot—once you’re in the

Mob, you don’t walk back out. I’d seen The Godfather—twice.

***

Zach

Sometimes I hated being me, a Bertano. My family was a pain in the

ass. We weren’t a normal family. We were Mob . . . kind of. Gramps was

an old-time Mob boss with one foot in the past and one in the here and

now. It was his past that was causing me problems, because I was in love

with Tatum Duncan. It only took me three years to become her boyfriend.

Tatum wasn’t a girl you walked up to and started chatting with. But

even before we’d ever really talked, I could see her strength and

determination in those guarded eyes. Whether she knew it or not, she had

qualities that would fit right in with my family.

In school, Tatum sat next to me at our lunch table. As usual, she and

Andrea (Andi), who was dating my cousin Matt, were talking. Tatum was

so beautiful. If only she’d realize how I would go to the ends of the earth

for her. But to rush her into an answer would kill my chances. That’s why

she was clueless about the pressure my Gramps had been putting on me

for the past month to get her to “speak for” me in return.

Gramps didn’t accept the “just dating” commitment Tatum preferred.

Gramps was old school—you commit, she commits, end of story. And it

didn’t matter if my father was Lead Man and my mother was Lead

Woman. Here in the U.S., Gramps overrules everyone, even my Uncle

Vito back in Italy. The only thing my parents could do for me was help

stall. Tatum needed more time. Ironic, how similar Gramps and Tatum

When the bell rang and I walked Tatum to her fifth hour which was

close to mine. Since her ex-boyfriend couldn’t be trusted, I insisted on

escorting her to every class.

I entered the boys’ locker room and went straight to my usual locker of

choice in the back corner. This part of the locker room was usually quiet

by now with the previous class gone, but not today. Chatter coming from

the row on the other side of the lockers and his fucking voice had me

Kyle Wilson. Tatum’s ex-boyfriend.

The jock who had dated her, cheated on her and raped her.

“That bitch walks around here with her nose up in the air with that

fucking-lowlife-Italian’s hands all over her. People only know Tatum

No one else at Randall High boiled my blood the way he did. Hearing

him call her a bitch had my hand clenching a fist. Keep talking, Star

Football Player . . . I’ll show you what a lowlife Italian I can be.

“She’ll still get what she has coming to her,” Kyle said.

I glanced around me; no one was on my side of the lockers. I wanted to

rush over there and snap Kyle’s fucking neck. Because she was the one

girl who wouldn’t put out, she’d bruised his ego, and he couldn’t take it.

The weight of my family’s politics weighed on my chest. If Tatum only

understood the protection she could get from this asshole if she’d speak

“Kyle, shhh, keep your voice down. You know it echoes in here—”

That was his buddy, Aiden. Fine, I could take him too.

Aiden went on. “What do you mean, ‘She’ll still get what she has

coming to her’? You honestly think we’re stupid enough to fight the

Bertanos again . . . over her? I have a football career to think about. If we

get caught fighting, Coach will kick us off the team. You know his

Damn it. Students filing in for the next class made it harder to make out

what they were saying. I strained to hear every word.

“Idiot, there’s other ways for her to get her due.”

“What did Tatum ever do to you, Kyle? Besides, Bertano is with her

every waking minute. He threatened to kill you the last time. I’m not

sacrificing my football career for anyone, and neither should you,” Aiden

The sound of a metal locker being caved inward momentarily silenced

the locker room. “Big deal, he threatened me. He had to play the tough

guy around his cousins. He doesn’t scare me. Someway, somehow she’ll

get what’s coming to her. And I won’t need anyone’s help,” Kyle said.

“Bertano can’t be with her every waking—or sleeping—moment.”

Without thinking, I slammed my fist into the locker, causing the row to

vibrate as if they could go down like dominos. The prick was right about

one thing. I couldn’t be with her every minute, and that really pissed me

I threw my gym bag in a locker and stormed around the corner to face

I stood there, crossing my arms over my chest. “Whatchya gonna do to

Aiden jumped and then took a step back, glancing around. Kyle didn’t.

He looked pissed that I’d caught him.

I kept my pleasure at startling them to myself. “Do you really think I,

or anyone in my family, will let you within ten feet of her?”

Kyle flung his gym bag to the floor and got in my face. “Do you think

you’re going to stop me? I’m gonna do whatever I want. You don’t scare

Aiden glanced around again. “Um . . . Kyle, let’s go. I’m hungry.” He

placed his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “I said, let’s go.”

Kyle jerked his shoulder away from Aiden’s hand. “I dare you to touch

me again. This fool thinks he intimidates me.” Kyle didn’t take his eyes

off of me, and his face was beet red. Just like Tatum always said, that was

a sign Kyle had lost his shit.

A few spectators kept their distance.

I inched forward as far as I could go without touching Kyle and kept

my voice down. “I’m going to tell you one time and one time only . . . you

lay one of your tiny fingers on her, and I will fucking kill you.” He had no

clue who he was messing with, even if that was obviously a bluff. I jabbed

my finger in his chest. “And so we understand each other . . . my family

Kyle’s smug face contorted to panic. Yeah, that got his attention.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Coach Henderson walked up. I respected

the Tim Conway lookalike, but I wouldn’t let him interfere.

Kyle backed up and snatched his bag from the floor. “Nothing. Aiden

and I are going to lunch.”

Aiden glanced back at me. Even though he mumbled, I could still hear

him. “What is Bertano talking about, Kyle? His family knows what?”

Coach walked toward me. “Bertano? You okay?”

I could feel my chest heaving. “Sure, Coach. Just making sure Mr. Star

Football Player knew what I was talking about.”

Coach nodded. “Okay.” He looked me up and down. “See you out on

No matter what I had to do, I’d be damned if I let that asshole touch

Chapter 2

Tatum

“Mom, Zach’s picking me up soon,” I called from my bedroom.

Her footsteps pounded down the hall and she peeked her head through

the doorway. “Be home on time, Tatum. Did you get all of your

“Of course.” I slid my arms in the jacket and adjusted my shoulders.

“When am I ever late?” Her life’s mission was to annoy me any chance

she got. Any time I left the house, she felt the need to run through all of

the house rules. As if I were some idiot who needed reminding every

“Don’t you think you guys are getting a little too close, too fast?”

Tact was my mother’s middle name!

There’s no way she would make me break up with him for “moving too

fast.” Nah. I spun around. Tossing my purse over my shoulder, I said,

“No. Why? What’s wrong with us?”

We hadn’t done much. Just made out some, but of course she didn’t

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “Oh, nothing.

Nothing’s wrong with you guys. Just that you spend every waking

moment together.” She glanced away and took in a breath. It was

surprising to see her think before she opened her mouth. “Never mind. Be

home after dinner. No going back to his house or anything like that.”

Huh, she must not realize Zach enjoys St. Ferdinand Park—the local

make-out point. Every teenager in the North County area goes there. And

we spend every waking moment together because we love each other.

“Got it. See ya later, Mom.”

Saved by the rumble . . . I hustled out so Zach wouldn’t have to deal

“That’s probably him.” I rushed past her. She followed me, closing my

bedroom door behind her. Of course, a closed door never stopped her from

My little sister, Toni, ran up to mom. “Mommy, Mommy, we have to

walk Brittany home now,” She pulled on mom’s arm, clueless how she

and her little friend from down the street saved me.

“All right. I’m coming, give me a minute,” Mom said.

I hurried for the front door. “Bye, Dad.”

Dad snorted, waking up from his recliner. “Oh, bye, Tate. Tell Zach to

take care of my girl. Drive safe.”

“Sure thing.” I had to shut the door behind me fast so they wouldn’t see

me laughing. Zach would have loved hearing my father’s request to take

The front door of Zach’s ’76 V8 four-speed Camaro opened, and I

hopped inside. He greeted me with a warm kiss and dark sultry eyes.

Done. I was cooked. Zach warmed me from head to toe. Damn . . . he was

Zach rested his elbow on the steering wheel, looking at me with that

GQ face. “You ready to go eat, Tate?” But what his eyes were really

asking was if we could make out instead.

Zach knew how to make me blush. I had to look away. This was one of

many ways he flirted with me, but he could turn around and claim it was

just a simple question. Nothing more.

“Yes!” I licked my lips and turned back to him. “You’re bad, Zacharia,

but you know I love it. Now drive, I’m hungry.”

His signature Bertano smirk graced his face while he shifted in his seat.

“Aye-aye, Captain. Thought we’d try this new Mexican restaurant down

***

We were seated right away. Our waiter greeted us, then took our drink

What was I in the mood for? Quesadillas? Or the usual tacos?

I could feel Zach’s eyes on me, staring. I glanced up and met his gaze.

He had the darkest, sexiest eyes I’d ever seen. “So . . . since you don’t

work tomorrow night, I assume you’re open to go with me? It’s Friday

night . . . I have to go to the Hill, Tate. Where my family meets for

Zach folded his hands on the table. His stare was obvious.

He was reading me, dang it. It wasn’t a secret I’d been avoiding this

answer for days. Lately I’d been avoiding a lot of decisions that could lead

into an even bigger decision. What if it was a trap? A trap to get me to

Look him in the eye and stop fidgeting. “I am open. True. But I’m . . . to

The waiter served our drinks and unloaded a basket of chips and salsa,

then tucked the tray under his arm and asked if we were ready to order.

“I’ll have the fish tacos. Thank you.” I closed the menu and handed it

“And I’ll have the beef enchiladas.”

A moment later, we were alone again.

“Tatum.” Zach took my hands in his and placed them on the table.

“Why don’t you want to go? Be honest.”

How could I tell Zach the truth without hurting his feelings? But he’d

He lowered his chin. Great. His patience was slipping. I had to get out

of this or my butt would be at the Mob restaurant tomorrow night.

I took a deep breath. “Honestly . . . I’m a bit scared.”

His mouth twisted in an unnatural way. Zach remained silent, clearly

waiting for me to dig my hole deeper. He still held my hands, but didn’t

“I mean . . . it’s serious to meet anyone’s family, Zach.”

He rolled his tongue around on the inside of his mouth. Not amused.

Not a good enough reason for him. Dang it. I rolled my head to get the

kinks out of my neck. My hole was dug five feet—one more foot and that

“Okay. Fine. I’m scared of your grandpa.” Damn it. That didn’t come

He dropped my hands and sat back. “Why?”

I cocked my head to the side like a dog does. “What? You know why.”

He leaned up against the table and glanced around us. “No. I don’t. Tell

me why, Tatum. And it wouldn’t be wise to say the ‘M’ word.” His face

expressed that he wasn’t playing around.

I too leaned against the table to better keep my voice down. “Because

he controls everything in your family, so, right or wrong, I’m scared of

him. Yes, because of the ‘M’ word, but too . . . because what if he’s not

impressed with me? All of your cousins know I was raped. So who else

knows? It’s embarrassing.”

He took my hands. “Don’t worry. That was not your fault. They would

never hold anything like that against you. I promise.”

“Good, but there’s a lot of reasons he could disapprove of me. And the

obvious . . . look at me, Zach.” I leaned back and swished my hands down

the front of me. “I know how I dress—”

He straightened his back. “What’s wrong with how you dress? I love

That made-to-order compliment comforted me. One of the many things

I adored about him—he didn’t give a damn what other people thought

about us. I could have given in right then and there if he’d kept working

“Thanks. But we both know I’m not mainstream. I took a razor to the

side of my head. Shaved the hair off—softer than a baby’s butt. Sure, it’s

growing out, but still . . .”

Zach put his hand over that side of my head and gave the sweetest,

softest smile. You could feel the warmth and love oozing from his hand.

My breathing kicked up a notch.

He knew Kyle Wilson, the star football player at school, had raped me.

And since Kyle loved my long hair, some of it had to go.

The truth was I trusted Zach with my life. He knew more about me than

anyone else. I mean, he knew everything. So why would it be so scary for

him to show me off? “So, you’re saying you’d prance me in there on your

arm? Announcing that I’m the one? No matter who I am or what has

happened to me, I’m the one? That puts a lot of pressure on me.”

He rubbed the side of my head and then let go. “The beauty of my

family is that they’re to respect my decision no matter who I decide is the

one, as you call it. You know how much I love you. I’d give my life for

you without blinking. You don’t have to feel that way for me, not yet—”

“Hold up . . . don’t you think the feeling is mutual?”

“If it is, Tate, then why can’t you say those words? I. Love. You.”

“I can.” I had to look away. Why couldn’t I say those words to him,

when the thought of him or the mention of his name sent my heart into a

fifty-meter dash? But then what was the next step? We’d both tell each

other the extent of our feelings? We’d kiss. We’d cuddle . . . then what?

Zach was so intense. Things would escalate.

The server arrived with our dinner plates and placed our meals in front

of us. The aroma of cilantro, tomatoes and corn tortillas flooded my

I looked up at our waiter. “Looks perfect. Thanks!”

He bowed and walked off.

I took my first bite of fish tacos when I glimpsed at Zach’s posture—

“Don’t think this is over. We’ll talk about it after you eat. And about

the fact that you won’t meet my family.”

“Fine,” I said, giving him my best pouty face.

My hesitation to say I love you could be hurting his feelings too. I loved

him more than anything. Zach had made it clear that whether I said I loved

him or not, he’d die for me. Why was this so complicated? “Can I ask you

He took a bite of his meal, but paid attention.

“Actually, there’s a lot I’d like to ask.”

He grinned. “Go ahead, but I know where this is going.”

That man was so confident. “Okay, smarty pants, then get ready to

answer this. What will happen if I go down there with you tomorrow?”

He finished chewing and sat up. “We’ll eat. Then after dinner, Gramps

will speak to everyone. When he’s finished talking, you’ll introduce

yourself. They usually socialize after dinner for a while, then we go home.

That didn’t sound so bad.

Zach put his fork down. “Look, Gramps stays in his office most of the

time. You seriously would just have to say hi at the table. Otherwise, it’s

It’s his grandpa. How would I feel if he were afraid to meet my

grandma if she were alive? I’d be crushed. Of course, she wasn’t in the

Mob. All the same, she’s my blood. And I’d want to show Zach off to her

and the rest of my family. I honestly believe she would have liked my

boyfriend. Damn . . . I’m pretty lucky. Just look at him . . . he has

everything going for him. What could be the worst thing to happen

Why risk hurting his feelings?

“Zach, I’ve been think—”

His mobile rang. Zach was the only one I knew who had the new

MicroTAC Motorola flip phone. He reached for his jacket, grabbed his

mobile and extended the tiny antenna

He never got mobile calls when we were out.

“Yeah.” His eyes met mine for a split second before looking away

again. “Are you serious?” He took a few deep breaths.

He covered his mouth with his other hand, buffering his speech. “Yes. I

understand. I’ll need a few extra minutes . . . Tate’s with me. I know.” His

face was red. “I said, I understand.” Then he snapped the phone shut and

He wiped his mouth with the napkin and dropped it onto his plate. “We

“I’m sorry, but we need to leave.”

“Uh . . . are you serious?”

“Yes. Now.” He scooted out of the booth.

“We just got our food—”

He jerked toward me and went to smack his hand on the table, but

stopped. He bit his lip and took a deep breath. “Tate, I need to leave right

this minute. And you’re not being left behind. So we’re both leaving.

The waiter showed up. “Sir, is there something wrong?”

“No. But will you box her food? We need to leave right away.”

He nodded and rushed off.

Zach yanked his jacket from the booth’s bench and tossed it on,

removing his wallet. His eyes changed. They were serious. Like they were

the night I told him what Kyle had done to me.

“Is someone hurt? Is your mom and dad okay?” I asked, hurriedly

collecting the food I wanted to take home, realizing Zach was leaving. He

He took a fifty-dollar bill out of his wallet. “Yes, they’re fine. Don’t

The waiter came running back and immediately boxed my food. Zach

gave him the fifty. “Muchas gracias. Keep the change.”

The waiter’s eyes widened at the fifty dollar bill. “Thanks.”

Zach put his hand out for me. “Tate. Now.”

I took his hand, but not without a scowl. “I’d like to know—”

“Wait till we get in the car.”

Zach was speed-walking across the parking lot. Everything was

happening so fast. A million things were going through my head, all in

slow-motion. We’re dropping everything for what? I’d like to know. This

has to be serious. Zach unlocked my door and flung it open. By the time

I’d wedged my leftover dinner between my feet and secured my seat belt,

his keys were shoved in the ignition. He floored the gas and peeled out of

“Okay, can you tell me what’s going on now? You’re scaring me.”

Zach stayed focused on driving. “I’m being summoned by my family.”

“Summoned? What the hell? We were having—”

“One of my uncles might be in trouble. Try to understand. Please,

He still didn’t look at me. I could see his jaw clenched from where I

“No. Look . . . I’m not sure what’s going on myself.” Zach patted the

inside of my leg—a small token of affection to let me know he wasn’t mad

at me. But that did not make this okay. He was clearly stressed, breathing

fast, and not looking at me. For the first time in our relationship, my

boyfriend was in a hurry to get me home.

Whatever was happening to his family was not good. Zach had never

been curt with me. My stomach was knotting so badly it felt as if someone

were in there making dough. I was scared.

Maybe we could drive away, skip town for a day or two. I didn’t want

to lose him. Maybe I’m overreacting again. Whatever it is wouldn’t go

that far. Right? I think so, but his actions are scaring the shit out of me.

Moments later, we were hauling ass down my street. “Zach, could you

please slow down just a bit? If my parents hear you coming—”

The problem with a big V8 engine was that you could hear us coming a

Zach slowed to a stop in front of my house and shifted into neutral.

Reaching for my to-go bag, he said, “Here, hon. I’ll call ya later if I

That’s it? Dismissed from our date like that? This sucks. He leaned

over and kissed me on the lips.

Pressing past me, Zach flipped open my door.

That made it loud and clear—get out. Could this be a sign? Am I losing

I looked him straight in the eye, trying not to cry. His handsome face

distracted me, but there was no denying he was miles away. Selfish, but I

had to have him there with me for a second, for this moment. “I. Love.

His eyes expanded and his mouth dropped open.

“I love you more than anything. Please be safe.” Then I pulled his head

toward mine and gave the guy I loved one heck of a kiss.

Zach leaned back and bit his lip. He took a breath and grinned. “Now

you tell me—” He cupped the side of my face. “I have to go. God knows I

I didn’t waste another second getting out. With a bag of fish tacos in

my hands, I waved goodbye to the guy I loved with all my heart.