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“Fine,” I concede. He’s right. I have nowhere else to go.
“It’s settled then. Bathroom is across the hall. Don’t get your bandage wet, but you can clean up. I’ll put some clothes outside.”
I nod as my stomach lets out an embarrassing growl. Valentino stares at me, then drops his eyes to my belly, which I instinctively cover up.
“Dinner will be waiting for you in the microwave. Heat it up when you’re ready. I’ll be retiring to my room for the night.”
Without another word, he spins on his heel and stomps upstairs.
“I’ll be retiring to my room for the night,”I mimic under my breath in a mocking voice. Who says stuff like that?
I wait around the kitchen for a few moments, taking a look at the stainless-steel appliances and marble countertops. I want to give him plenty of time to brood before heretiresfor the night.
Despite the whiplash of emotions from Valentino, I feel… safe here. Just like he promised. Good things don’t last, and I’m not expecting this to, either. I’ll take advantage of the shower and warm bed for the night and be on my way tomorrow morning.
I’m sure I’ll have figured out my next move by then.
CHAPTERTHREE
VALENTINO
“Do you have an update on who's been sneaking around the docks?” Romeo asks over the phone.
Shit.
I pace from one side of my living room to the other, racking my brain for something to say. Why didn’t I think about coming up with something before our call?
I know the answer before I’m even finished asking myself the question. I never thought I’d lie to the Boss. For the last fourteen years, my only goal has been to make him proud to have me in the family. When Romeo let me into his inner circle, I swore to myself I would never do anything to jeopardize my position in the family.
And then Katya burst into my life, quite literally, and everything I thought I valued was turned upside down. Without even realizing it, the little princess sleeping upstairs has become my new obsession.
So much so, I’m about to break the one rule I never thought I would.
“Valentino? I’m a busy man with three more calls to make this evening.”
“Yes. Sorry, Boss. It was nothing to be alarmed about,” I tell him, each word tasting like betrayal. “Someone was just hiding out from a bad situation.” At least that’s not atotallie.
Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night,my brain unhelpfully adds.
“And you took care of it? Regular protocol?”
“Yes,” I force out, gritting my teeth.
Romeo is silent for long moments, and I’m sure he’s about to tell me I’m a fucking liar and strip me of my position, hell, even exile me completely. Except men like me, men at the top who know sensitive information, don’t get exiled. We get executed.
My heart hammers away in my chest, though I manage to control my breathing. I’ve gotten quite talented at shutting down any emotion, including fear.
“Good,” Romeo finally says. The panic clawing its way up my throat slowly recedes. “That’s good to hear. I was concerned it was a fucking Colombo goon.”
“Nope. Definitely not a goon.” Another partial truth that does little to allay my guilt.
“Good,” he states again, sounding a bit distracted. He’s already moving on to the next phone call he needs to make, so we say our goodbyes.
I let out a relieved breath once he hangs up.
“Fuck me,” I mutter under my breath.
What the hell am I going to do about Katya? I can’t seem to let her go. Any outcome other than staying under my protection is unacceptable. No way in hell am I sending her back to her piece of shit father and the degenerate man he promised her to.
