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“Of course.”
The door clicked shortly after. I glanced over my shoulder to see Helen had followed him. We were now alone in the room of horrors.
Valentino leaned away as he gazed down at me. I tilted my head back and stared into his eyes, glazed over in rage. I knew that look so well. I had seen it several times before. “Isabelle.” He sighed, cupping my cheek in his palm. “After what I just saw, there is only one outcome in this, and I need you to be on board with my decision to end her life.” He cleared his throat. “I mean literally end her life, not figuratively.”
“Why are you even asking my permission? You know I want her gone.”
He bobbed his head, looking around the room for a moment before bringing his gaze back to mine. “Because this has everything to do with you as much as me. Your heart is pure. Mine is only pure for the people I care about and my passions.”
I nodded, thinking about his words. Clenching the inside of my cheeks between my teeth, I took a deep breath through my nose. Tearing my gaze away from his, I stared around him at the photos of him on the wall. I was absorbing it all once again before I noticed on something strange. I backed away from Valentino, then marched over to her desk. Grabbing her laptop, I bent down to get a closer look. “Why the hell does she have this information, Valentino?” It was difficult to speak, so my voice cracked as I choked out my words. Suddenly, his body pressed against the back of mine as he leaned over me. He grabbed the wireless mouse and enlarged the screen before zooming in on a scanned document.
“It looks like she is or was about to get involved with your uncle.”
I spun around. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine, then cupped my cheeks in his palms once again. “Let’s hope Noah found out who she was before she reached out to him, or this situation just got much worse. She’s going to suffer first. I prefer you not witness anything.”
Normally, I would have grimaced at the thought of someone suffering, but not now. I was never a supporter of violence. However, after everything I had been through as a child and adult, and then Felipe messing with the people I love, I needed that part of my life gone for good. Lindsay wanted something that belonged to me, and she was stupid enough to try.
We stepped into the hallway, and I closed the door behind us. Noah turned to me, resting his hand on my arm, breaking the physical contact rule. “Miss. Ayala, are you going to be okay alone while we’re in the basement?”
Valentino stroked his chin while studying me. He did not tell Noah to remove his hand, which surprised me. Instead, he eagerly waited for my reply.
“Yes.” I glanced down at my watch. “I’ll call Laura to come hang out, since Tanya is probably trying to take care of Aston.” My eyes shifted to Valentino. “Only if that’s okay with you?”
Noah slid his hands into his pockets as his eyes darted back and forth.
Valentino’s eyes rolled toward Noah, then back to me. “Yes, that’s fine with me.”
As they disappeared down the hallway, I pulled out my phone and called Laura. She answered on the first ring.
Hey girl, I was just about to call you and talk!
Do you want to just come over and hang out?I asked, trying to mask my pain.
Uh oh, what’s wrong?She could tell. The entire Greco family was beyond intuitive.
Can we just talk over here?
Of course. Be there soon!
We hung up and something Lindsay said replayed in my head while I waited for Laura’s arrival. I needed to clear my mind and not think about anything right now. It would eat at me, though.
As we made our way to the tunnels beneath the house, Noah and I didn’t speak. This part of my life was a side of me he had not seen yet, but he was about to see just how crazy I could be when someone messed with my someone I loved. I stopped off in my bedroom to change, leaving him in the hall. I hurried into my closet and threw on a pair of black ripped jeans and black boots, leaving my shirt behind. I did not like handling this sort of thing in too many clothes. In my eyes, it was less evidence.
Before I exited, I placed my gun back in my waistband and glanced into the mirror at the monster I was about to become once again. It brought back memories of the time I beat the shit out of Jesse, Isabelle’s former boss. When I stepped into the hallway, Noah chuckled as we walked over to the elevator. Once inside and the doors closed, I crossed my arms, glaring at him for laughing.
“What?”
“Figured you would torture her on the way out, huh?” He gestured toward my stomach.
A part of me wanted to laugh at his statement, but I held it in. I did not want to get too comfortable in his presence.
He arched a brow, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. After looking at the screen for a moment, he rolled his bottom lip between his teeth, trying to stifle a smile. The doors opened to the basement area, and he quickly put his phone away. When we stepped out, he glanced at the floor and exhaled a deep breath.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, but what can I do to make this easier on you?”
“Do as I ask, then make sure you don’t get in the way of my bullets, and you’ll be fine.”
