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I’m about to protest, but I know my words will fall on deaf ears. Taking a deep breath, I tilt my head up and close my eyes, trying to give voice to the sinking feeling I’ve had in the pit of my stomach all day.
“Something bad is going to happen,” I whisper. “I can feel it.”
“Something badisgoing to happen. To the Colombos,” he says with a smirk.
I smack him on the shoulder. “I’m being serious. I love you, and I can’t lose you. I won’t.” Tears burn the back of my eyes, but I don’t let them fall.
Valentino’s features turn serious, his hands coming up to cup my cheeks. “I love you too, Katya. I love you more with every day, every moment, every breath. You won’t lose me. You have me forever, princess.”
His lips find mine, and he leads us in a long, slow indulgent kiss, sweeping his tongue inside my mouth and making me forget about everything for a few blissful seconds. When we break apart, Valentino gathers up my hands in his, kissing my knuckles and then placing my hands on his chest, right over his heart.
“We’ll be right back here, just like this, in a few hours.” Brown eyes lock on mine, and I nod, wanting to believe him with every fiber of my being.
He gives me one last kiss, then steps back, slipping his gun into the inside of his jacket. Valentino strides to the door, and I wrap my arms around my torso, trying to hold myself together. He turns the handle, but right before he opens the door, Valentino looks at me over his shoulder.
“For the record, I have a knife strapped to my ankle, a switchblade in my pocket, brass knuckles, and two guns. Romeo will have bigger guns for us to use first, and we’ll take every opportunity to snipe the enemy from a good distance before initiating hand-to-hand. Ideally, we just need to take out the guards and move the stockpile of weapons onto our trucks. They’ll be distributed to our storage facilities, leaving the Colombos without the military power they are counting on to win this war.”
Valentino holds my gaze as I nod, taking in his words. He’s telling me the plan, trusting me with family secrets only the most loyal members have access to. It means more than he can comprehend. He’s treating me as an equal, as someone worthy of trust.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He gives me a final nod, then steps outside, closing the door behind him.
Once again, I wait until I hear his car pull out of the driveway to jump into action. One day, my man will learn that I don’t sit at home and wait very well. Until then, I’ll have to keep surprising him.
I get dressed in a pair of black leggings and a black tank top, then I rummage through Valentino’s closet until I find a dark long-sleeved t-shirt. Perfect.
Next, I pull open the bottom drawer of his dresser, just like I saw him do earlier this afternoon. Moving over the neatly folded shirts, I wedge my nail between the side of the wooden drawer and the false bottom, lifting up the piece of plywood to reveal a mini-armory.
There aren’t any guns left, but I’m satisfied with a switchblade and a dagger with a curved blade. I tuck the smaller one into my bra and the larger one up my sleeve. I finish up my thief-in-the-night look by gathering my hair into a bun at the base of my neck, then check the time.
Nine-thirty on the dot. Perfect.
Slipping out the front door, I make my way down the driveway and out onto the street, walking a few blocks before turning left. There, at the end of the block, is the cab I ordered when Valentino was in the shower earlier today. I feel a little guilty for charging his card, but not guilty enough to call it off.Besides, I wouldn’t have had to do that if Valentino let me go with him in the first place.
I hurriedly open the back door of the car and greet the driver, hoping he’s not chatty. The man barely acknowledges me, so that’s a plus. He rattles off the address I gave him in the initial call—a club that’s not too far from the warehouse in question. I confirm and then melt into the seat, going over everything in my head.
I’m not sure what exactly I’m doing, only that I have to be there. All day, I’ve had a needling feeling that something is off. Something we’re not thinking about or some angle we’ve miscalculated. I knew Valentino wouldn't let me tag along, but I can’t sit back and do nothing. Not when the man I love could end up dead.
The cab winds through the dark streets of the city, punctuated by streetlights and neon signs. I don’t realize I’ve spaced out until the car stops and the cabbie clears his throat. “You’re not really dressed for the club,” he grunts, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror.
“How do you know I’m not a bouncer?” I counter. “Maybe I’m packing heat.” This earns me an amused snort, which I take as a good sign.
I thank the driver and get out of the cab, meandering to the back of the line of club-goers waiting to get in. No one pays me any mind as I fade into the shadows along the old brick wall, then slip out of line and down an alleyway.
“Left, right, forward, forward, forward, left, forward, right,” I whisper to myself on repeat. I studied the city streets on a map earlier today and found a route from the club to the warehouse using mostly back roads and alleys. It seemed simple enough at the time, but now I’m beginning to doubt my brilliant plan.
After what feels like hours, I’m about ready to give up and admit that I’m lost. But then I hear it. That voice. I’ll never forget that raspy tenor or the way it makes me want to vomit.
Raffe D’Angelo,AKA the man who attacked me in my father’s office.
“Hello? Bruno? You missed the last check-in.” A moment of silence, then, “Goddamn lazy twat. Never shoulda’ been put on guard duty,” he mumbles.
I press my back against the wall of the building and slink forward, closer to the voice I’ve learned to hate. Peering out from my hiding spot in the alley, I take note of Raffe standing about ten feet away, frowning at the walkie-talkie in his hand.
“Yo, Bruno must be high on the job again,” Raffe shouts to someone off in the distance. “I’m headed to the north side to tear him a new one.”
The man turns, and I get a good look at his face for the first time since he tried to force himself on me. Something in me snaps. All the years of neglect, abuse, helplessness, and anger expand in my chest, clouding my vision and making me strike without a second thought.
