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Lost in my thoughts, I don’t notice the woman who's taken the seat next to me until she speaks. “Rough day?” she asks, her voice a sultry purr.
I glance over, taking in her long, dark hair and how her tight dress clings to her curves. Under different circumstances, I might have welcomed the distraction, but tonight my thoughts are too consumed by Valentina.
“Yeah,” I grunt, turning back to my drink. “Something like that.”
The woman gives me a sympathetic smile and pats my arm. “Well, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here. Name’s Jenna.”
I nod my appreciation but don’t engage further. My mind keeps circling back to Valentina and the danger she poses to everything I hold dear. I need to find a way to protect both her and the MC, but right now, that seems like an impossible task.
I continue to sip my whiskey, letting the burn of the alcohol help numb the pain and frustration I’m feeling. Jenna tries to engage me in conversation a few more times, but eventually, she gets the hint and leaves me alone with my thoughts.
As the night wears on, I think about the life Valentina and I could have had if our circumstances had been different.
If our love didn’t pose a threat to the people we care about. It’s a cruel twist of fate that has brought us together only to tear us apart.
Greedy as I am, I wish I could have it all—my brothers, my club, and the woman I’m falling for.
As the weight of the world seems to press down on me, I wonder if there’s a way to change the rules, to find a path where I can protect the MC and still be with Valentina?
Only time will tell, and as I finish my whiskey, I vow to myself to find that path, whatever the cost may be.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Valentina
“We just need to kill that bitch, no matter what Papa says. We can reach out to another gang to do it for us.” Emiliano’s voice is low, and his tone is conspiratorial.
As I press my ear to Benedicto's door and listen carefully, I'm reminded of how different my brothers are. Emiliano, impulsive and hot-headed, always trying to prove himself.
And Benedicto, the older and more responsible one, is careful and calculating. I don’t trust either one of them.
“You are a fucking idiot,” Bene says to him, full of disgust. “Papa said to leave it alone, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.”
“That’s because you’re a fucking pussy. You just want to be his favorite while I look out for the family.”
Bene laughs. “For the family? This has nothing to do with the hard-on you have for the chick who killed Alejandro? Or the fact that in your fucked-up head, you think it’s your business who Valentina spends her time with?”
Me? I shake my head and press my ear even harder against the door.
“That dirty bastard has no right to touch our sister! She’s a widow.”
Bene scoffs. “Shut the fuck up, Emiliano. Valentina is a grown woman, and as long as she isn’t bringing trouble to the LTC, who she spreads her legs for is her business.”
“How can you say that? She’s our sister!”
My blood starts to boil, and I push into Benedicto’s room. “Yes, I am your sister, you idiot, but I am my own woman.” I smack Emiliano on the back of his head. “Who I sleep with is none of your business.”
He nods. “Damn right it is.”
I fold my arms and shake my head. “Then why did you say nothing when Alejandro fucked other women? You said nothing when he spent evenings with Maribel.”
His expression turns from anger to shock, and I laugh bitterly. “Yes, I know about her, and I had no problem with it because Alejandro and I weren’t in love, no matter what fairytale you conjure up in your ridiculous mind.”
“Still,” he growls and gets in my face. “You can’t fuck that biker.”
He’s trying to intimidate me, but what my brother needs to learn is that I don’t intimidate easily. I push one finger into the center of his chest.
“I can fuck whomever I choose, actually. It’s not your business nor Papa’s.”
He leans in so close; his hot angry breath stings my face. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he hisses. “It is my business, and if that dirty fucking biker has laid one hand on you, he will pay. In blood.”
But I don’t scare easily. I push my finger harder against his chest. “If anything happens to Dix,” I warn, “I will tell Papa what I heard of your plan.” I glare at him to let him know that I mean business.
“You would pick that dick biker over me?”
I shrug. “You chose Alejandro over me. Payback is a bitch.” I turn to Benedicto and wait expectantly.
