Page 19 of Endless Summer

“Be reasonable, Val. You can’t just walk in and take your brother back. You have no fucking idea who you are up against. I know this family, personally, and I can assure you that they won’t take kindly to you butting into their business,” Nick said. He was hoping that at some point she would listen to reason, but he was pretty sure that he was asking for too much. The determination in her eyes told him that he was going to have to tell her more, maybe even scare her off some, in order to keep her safe.

“Okay, why don’t you start with who has my brother, and then I can decide if I’ll need to call in some backup.” Nick barked out his laugh. No amount of backup would keep her safe from the Gallo family. He wasn’t sure he had enough backup to keep anyone safe from them. The Gallo family was the head of the crime families in Chicago. No one went against them, and Anton found himself in that predicament. That’s why they were holding him. Anton had done a few minor jobs for the Gallos and Nick knew that sooner or later, he was going to get in over his head. Anton must have had a change of heart because he refused to do a job for the family. That was something that crime families found unforgivable. He had kept an eye on the Rossi family, and he knew that Anton was doing things that he should not have, but he had no way of stopping him until it was too late. That was a guilt that he would carry around for the rest of his life, especially if something happened and he couldn’t get Anton out. Telling Valentine that the Gallo family had Anton might have been the biggest mistake that he ever made, but he had come this far. It was too late to turn back now.

Nick sighed, “The Gallo family has Anton.” Val’s sharp gasp told him that she knew exactly who he was talking about.

“No,” Val said, shaking her head. She could refute the truth all she wanted, but that wouldn’t make it any less true.

“I’m so sorry, Valentine,” he whispered. She buried her face in her hands and Nick couldn’t stand to hear her sobs. He pulled her onto his lap, crushing her against his body. “Don’t cry, baby. I know that this seems bad, but I have a plan. Please let me help you get your brother back.” Nick couldn’t help himself; he pressed a kiss to her forehead and Valentine sat back on his lap, studying his face.

“If you know who the Gallos are, why are you so willing to help me, Nick? They are the most dangerous family in Chicago. You can’t get involved in my business. I won’t allow you to put yourself in harm’s way for a total stranger. I appreciate you telling me where I can find Anton, but you owe me nothing else.” Valentine wiped her eyes and Nick thought he had never seen such a beautiful sight. Her brown eyes glistened in the limo’s dimly lit interior and her lips looked so soft from her crying. He couldn’t help himself; he pulled her back against his body and sealed his mouth over hers and kissed her like she was his last meal. She hesitated and stubbornly sealed her lips, not letting his tongue gain entrance. He reached around her body to cup and squeeze her ass, making her gasp and moan into his mouth. Nick used her surprise to slip his tongue into her mouth, brushing it over her own.

Valentine wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to deepen the kiss. He loved the way she responded to him, needy and hot like she couldn’t get enough. They were a tangled mesh of arms, legs, and lips and Nick wasn’t sure where he ended and she began, and he didn’t care. She felt right in his arms and that thought scared the shit out of him. He broke the kiss, leaving them both breathless and braced himself for her wrath. But it never came. Val’s chest rose and fell as if she had just run a marathon and he knew that she was just as turned on by the whole scene as he was.

“Fuck,” he growled. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He wanted just one taste of Valentine Rossi, but he knew that it would never be enough. He didn’t know if he’d ever get enough of her and having her wasn’t an option.

Ace

Ace watched Valentine with Nick and a part of him wanted to punch the guy for touching her the way that he was. Ace kind of admired Nick for moving so fast. He’d never imagined that he and Val had become involved in the few short days since they met. Ace had followed Valentine from Chicago, just as he was ordered to do, but that was where he failed the mafia family that he had worked for since he was eighteen years old.

It felt natural to follow in both his father's and grandfather’s footsteps and become a part of the family. He was groomed for it from a young age, and he didn’t know that another life could even exist for him. But God, he was hoping that wasn’t the case, because he wanted out. Ace had wanted to find a way out since his mother passed, but he never had the nerve to try to leave the Gallo family. He was able to glide under the radar, as far as the family was concerned, performing menial jobs, and not getting his hands too dirty. His grandfather and dad had proven their loyalty and his was just assumed. He didn’t have to work his way up through the ranks to prove himself. His bulk had earned him the respect of the other men and also a slot as the family’s muscle. Usually, that just meant having to knock a few heads together, but sometimes things got a little hairy. He’d find a way to navigate his way through without having to shed too much blood. He was amazed that he had never had to kill anyone, but he also knew that his good luck would only last so long. Now, at thirty he was ready to find a way out and hopefully live to enjoy whatever new life waited for him.

Valentine sat on the sofa in their rental and Nick protectively pulled her into his side. Ace felt a pang of jealousy, but there was no reason for that. He had no claim on Valentine past a few minutes of heaven that they spent together when they were both teenagers.

“Can one of you please explain to me what the fuck is going on here?” Valentine growled. He didn’t try to hide his smile at her tone or use of curse words. Val Rossi was always a spitfire and he had to admit he liked his woman a little feisty. He knew for a fact that Val fit the bill.

Nick shot him a look and Ace knew him well enough to know that he was telling him to shut the fuck up and sit down. Ace was fine with letting Nick take the lead with Valentine, but he wouldn’t be painted as the bad guy in all of this. They both wanted the same thing here—Val’s safety. Well, that and apparently the woman herself, but that was another matter altogether. Ace sat down on the other side of Val, hating that he couldn’t touch her as she was allowing Nick to.

“Ace and I met about a year ago,” Nick began. Valentine looked skeptically between the two of them and Ace could tell that she wanted to ask questions, but refrained when Nick shot her a look. “I was undercover in one of the local New York families and we were running a job with the Gallos. I was hoping that I’d finally have my chance to bring down their whole organization, but things went sideways. Ace figured out who I was, and he was helping me gather evidence that would shut down the whole crime ring. But, when two other guys made me, I needed to get out of there fast. Ace helped me, but he remained behind since no one had linked us together,” Nick paused and looked at Ace over Val’s petite frame.

“I never thanked you for that, man.” Nick nodded to him, and he smiled.

“No thanks necessary. I did what any decent person would have,” Ace said. He knew that he was putting his life on the line helping Nick, but he couldn’t help it. He had nothing left to lose. His father and grandfather had both given their lives working for the family. He didn’t want to end up like them and he had no family to worry about the Gallos going after. It was just him in this world. So going up against a major crime family, who had taken everyone that he had ever loved from him, seemed like a no-brainer.

“Well, I wouldn’t have made it out of there alive without your help, so thank you.” Nick turned his attention back to Valentine and smiled. “Ace is one of my men on the inside that I told you about, honey,” he said. Valentine looked between the two of them again and Ace had to admit he liked how she fit between them, but that thought was crazy.

“You two are working together? But you were in my room.” She turned to Ace as if accusing him of something. “Why wouldn’t you just say who you were, and we could have avoided the whole mess that followed? I was questioned for hours,” she growled.

“I know and I’m so sorry about that, Valentine. Nick didn’t know that I would be there, hell I didn’t even know I’d be in your room that night.” Ace took her hand into his and Nick growled at him to back off, but he didn’t budge. A part of him needed to touch her and Nick James was just going to have to get used to a little competition.

“After Nick left, I stayed behind to get as much information as possible to bring down the Gallo's whole organization. I wanted out,” he said. “I have for a long time now. I know that there is only one way out of the family and there was no way that I wanted to end up like my dad or grandfather, Val.” She nodded her head, and he continued.

“I was sending information to Nick as it came in, but then I received a job that I worried might hit a little too close to home for him. You see, Nick told me about your old man saving him, and when I heard that you were my next job, I worried that he would panic.” Nick stood and growled, and Ace knew that he was fucking this whole thing up.

“What do you fucking mean—Val’s your next job?” Nick barked. Ace stood and almost towered over his friend.

“You know I would never hurt her, Nick. I got the order to keep an eye on Valentine and bring her to the family when the time was right. They were vetting a new boss and you know what they give to their new heads of household, right?” Nick nodded and sunk back down to the sofa, understanding exactly what Ace was saying. He hated the lost look on his friend’s face, but Nick needed to hear the whole ugly truth, as did Val.

“You knew that they wouldn’t just let the Rossi kids walk away, Nick. Their father was in, which meant they were in. You said that yourself.” Ace watched as Valentine processed everything that he was saying, and he could tell the exact moment that she caught up.

“The Gallos were going to marry me off to the new boss?” she questioned. Nick and Ace both nodded. “What would have happened if I said no?” she whispered. Ace hated that she asked that. He and Nick knew firsthand what the family did to women who didn’t want to comply with their new husband’s wishes. They were often passed from family member to family member and if that little test didn’t help cure them of their defiance, they had other measures. They would go after the woman’s family members, torturing and even killing them. If all other ways failed, she would be sold off into the human trafficking ring that they ran, never to be heard from again. Women in the Gallo family had one choice—submission. If they didn’t take that option, they would learn all too quickly what the consequences were.

“They wouldn’t let you say no, honey. Let’s just leave it at that, Val,” Nick whispered.

Valentine nodded and returned her attention to Ace. She was always beautiful, even as a scrawny teenager Valentine Rossi took his breath away and made him a nervous wreck. Now, was no exception, but her adult version was Ace’s walking wet dream. She was curvy in all the right places, and he was sure that her big, brown eyes could see straight into his soul. She bewitched him.

“When you headed east, I followed you,” Ace whispered, clearing his throat. “I was ordered to stay on your trail, so I did, but I didn’t expect them to send two guys behind me as if they were checking up on me. When I realized that I was being tailed, I needed to make sure that you were safe. I didn’t expect you two to have met or that Nick would barge into your room that night. I was going to tell you that you were in danger while trying to keep my cover, but I guess I just fucked it all up. I panicked when Nick came through the doors with his gun drawn. I didn’t want to answer any questions, and I bolted. I’m sorry that I scared you, Valentine,” he said. Ace took her hand into his and loved the way Val leaned into his body, from Nick’s. Although judging by Nick’s expression, his friend wasn’t all too happy about the way she responded to him.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Ace,” Nick spat. “Why the hell did you go radio silent on me? We had a meeting set up and you didn’t check in,” Nick was back to using the tone that told Ace that he wasn’t buying the whole story and honestly, he didn’t blame him. It looked like Nick had taken it upon himself to protect Valentine against any possible threat and that included him. If he was in Nick’s shoes, he’d feel the same way—protective as hell.

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