Chapter 15 Valentina
VALENTINA
Alessandro came to see me that evening asking about Maksim.
At first, I tried to be brave, brush off the vile behavior.
That is until I realized that Alessandro felt Cristian overreacted. At that point, I shared everything Maksim said to me, including things he wanted me to do with my mouth. Surely, he’d call off the wedding now.
But he didn’t. He simply said that I should stay home and avoid all this.
“Right. Why worry about it now? I’ll have the rest of my life to suck his dick.”
For a moment, I thought Alessandro might slap me.
He took a breath. “You agreed to this, Valentina. Maybe it’s our fault for giving you so much involvement in the family business.
But surely, you understood that once a deal is made, it needs to be honored.
There’s no backing out without making things even worse than before we started. ”
Since then, I’ve hidden in my room. I haven’t seen Cristian, but I’m hopeful he’s working to fulfill his promise to me.
"Miss Valentina?" Maria knocks softly before entering with fresh linens. "Would you like me to draw you a bath?"
I shake my head. "Has my brother received any calls today?"
"I wouldn't know, Miss."
When she leaves, I return to my vigil at the window. Part of me feels relief that there is no news.
But another part knows that means the wedding will proceed as usual.
My forged letter requesting a delay for security concerns has gone unanswered.
I'd imagined it might buy us weeks, maybe even months, enough time for Cristian to find another way.
But the letter has apparently vanished.
No acknowledgment, no outrage, no consequences.
Just silence.
Perhaps it never reached Maksim. Or worse, he read and dismissed it without a second thought, recognizing it as the pathetic stalling tactic of a frightened bride.
All hope vanishes. Soon, I'll walk down the aisle toward a man who makes my skin crawl. I'll speak vows binding me to a monster. And there’s nothing I can do about it.
And Cristian…
Has he given up on me? Where is he?
I’m going stir crazy in this room, ruminating about my life. I can’t do it anymore. I have to get out.
I text my friends and then change quickly, heading down to see Alessandro.
“I’m going out with my friends,” I announce, barging into Alessandro's office without knocking. "I'm spending the day with Sophia, Giana, and Teresa at a spa in Manhattan."
My brother barely glances up from his paperwork. "Fine. I'll have Carlos ready the car."
"Carlos can drive, but I want Cristian as my bodyguard."
Alessandro's pen stops moving. His gray eyes lift to meet my gaze. “That’s not possible.”
Dread fills me. “Why?”
“Carlos—”
“Why, Alessandro? Tell me!” I’m panicked now. Did he hand Cristian over to Maksim as some peace offering after what happened in the garden? “I swear to God, Alessandro, if you’ve given in to Maksim again, I’ll send for Luca—”
“Watch yourself, little sister.” He rises, I’m sure to intimidate me, which he does. I don’t think Alessandro would ever kill me for mouthing off, but then again, I’ve never tested that theory.
“Cristian is the only one I trust. The only one you can trust to protect me,” I say, trying to sound reasonable.
“And I’m telling you that’s not possible.”
Tears spring to my eyes as I figure out what he’s saying. “Why, Alessandro? Why would you kill him? He was the most loyal—”
“He’s not dead.”
Relief floods me.
“He’s on perimeter duty indefinitely. He can protect you from there."
Now I’m mad again. "Why? Because he protected me when your precious perverted ally put his hands on me?"
"Because he pulled a gun on the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva," Alessandro replies. "Do you understand what could have happened if Maksim had been in a different mood that day?"
I fold my arms across my chest. "What's the point of giving me a bodyguard if he can't actually guard my body from the very person I need protection from?"
"Valentina—"
"No." My voice cuts through the room. "I'm marrying a terrible man for you, Alessandro. I'm giving up my life, my body, my future for this family. The least you can do is let me choose who protects me during the little freedom I have left."
Something flickers across his face. Guilt, I hope, though I've rarely seen it. “I can’t trust him not to make things worse.”
“So he should have let Maksim fuck me—”
“Jesus, Valentina—”
“What? That’s all Maksim thinks about when it comes to me. That and breaking me. If you can’t handle it—"
"Fine. Take Cristian.” He waves his hand through the air like he wants me to stop talking about this topic.
“Thank you.” I turn and leave before he can change his mind.
Thirty minutes later, I slide into the back seat of the black sedan while Cristian holds the door.
He's silent as he joins me, his broad shoulders tense.
I’m worried that he blames me for being demoted.
As our driver pulls away from the estate, I want to ask him about the details of the meeting with Alessandro that got him in trouble.
Is it just that he pulled a gun on Maksim?
Why do we have a driver instead of Cristian driving?
Is he a chaperone?
Maybe Cristian reported that I was hitting on him.
No, he wouldn’t do that, would he?
“Thank you for taking me out today,” I say, inwardly wincing at how awkward this is. Why is that?
“You’re welcome.” He keeps his eyes forward, his tone professional.
I sigh and ride with him in silence to Manhattan.
Even with this tension, I feel safe.
With Cristian, I can breathe.
When we arrive at the spa, my friends are already there, and I quickly let go of my fears about my future and focus on them.
As we get pampered, Cristian stands guard.
"Can't we convince him to get a massage too?" Giana whispers, eyeing Cristian where he stands rigidly by the doorway of the spa's relaxation lounge. "Poor man looks like he could use one."
I glance over my shoulder.
Cristian's scanning the room, looking so comically out of place in his dark suit in a sea of soft white robes.
"I doubt he'd agree," I say, sinking deeper into my plush chair as I get a pedicure. "Besides, he wouldn't be able to protect me if he's face-down on a massage table."
"Protect you from what? Cucumber slices?" Sophia laughs, adjusting her face mask. "This place is full of half-naked society wives and their daughters. The most dangerous thing here is the gossip."
The attendant brings us champagne flutes filled with cucumber and mint-infused water, and I take a long sip, grateful for this moment of normalcy with my friends.
"So…" Teresa leans in, lowering her voice. "Not long until your day. How are you feeling?"
My stomach knots.
The point of this outing is to forget the wedding and Maksim. "Terrified."
At first, they laugh, thinking I’m joking about cold feet or something.
But then Giana takes my hand. “I’m sure it will be okay.”
"I know arranged marriages are our reality," I continue, "but Maksim isn't Mafia… He’s different…"
"My cousin married into the Petrov family last year," Sophia says with a nod. "She was miserable for the first few months, but now she says it's tolerable. She’s learned their ways and they've found a rhythm."
"Tolerable," I repeat. "That's what I have to look forward to. If I'm lucky."
Giana squeezes my fingers. "At least he's handsome? Those shoulders, and those eyes…"
I shudder, and my friends exchange worried glances.
“Are you worried about the wedding night?” Teresa asks.
I’m worried about it all, but I don’t want to bring what is supposed to be a fun outing down.
“I’ll figure it out,” I say.
"What about children?" Sophia suggests hopefully. "Many of these arrangements become more bearable once there are little ones. My mother always said she didn't love my father until she saw him hold me as a baby."
The thought of carrying Maksim's child makes bile rise in my throat. "I don't want his children."
"Maybe he'll be different with you," Teresa tries. "Men like him need a softer influence. Maybe you'll be the one to—"
"To what? Reform him? Turn the beast into a prince?" I shake my head. "This isn't a fairy tale."
Across the room, I catch Cristian watching me. Even from this distance, I can see the concern in his eyes.
He knows me well enough to read my distress, and for a brief moment, our gazes lock.
"What about advantages?" Sophia suggests, pulling my attention back. "The alliance will strengthen both families."
"Yes. My vagina, the great diplomatic tool."
Giana chokes on her water while Sophia gasps and Teresa’s eyes widen, but I don't apologize.
"I've tried to find something, anything, redeeming about him," I admit. "His business acumen? He inherited everything. His loyalty? He's betrayed countless allies. His gentleness? Nonexistent."
“Well, no matter what, we’ll be here for you,” Giana says, and my friends nod.
But I wonder if Maksim will allow me to have friends. Oh, sure, he’ll want me to be salon groomed like a trophy wife, but I imagine he’ll hire someone to come to the house instead of allowing me the freedom to go out on my own.
Several hours later, I sit beside Cristian as our driver takes us back to Great Neck.
It’s dark out as I watch Kings Point Park slide past on our way to my family’s estate.
Once again, the ride is quiet, but I’m okay with that. Well, mostly. I’m dying to know what he’s thinking.
Does he miss me like I miss him?
Is he annoyed at me?
Maybe he asked Alessandro to be removed from bodyguard duty.
"You were happy today," he says, his voice low.
I don't turn to face him. "I was pretending."
“You’re good at that. Should serve you well in the future.”
I turn to him, studying him.
Did he forget that he said he’d help me?
Maybe Alessandro found out and that’s why he was demoted.
I nod. “I’m sure my survival will depend on it.”
Emotion flashes in his eyes. It's a mixture of frustration and concern.
“Or we could keep driving. Turn around and drive. Never stop. Never go back."
"Where would we go?" he asks, playing along with my impossible fantasy.
I’m both surprised that he’s not giving me a lecture about how dangerous that would be and so happy that he’s willing to indulge me.
"Anywhere. Everywhere. As long as it's far from here. Maybe a beach that never gets cold."
"We need to turn around," Cristian commands, his playful demeanor vanishing.
I look out the window where his eyes are locked on something in the road.
There's a delivery truck broken down, blocking both lanes. Two men stand beside it, smoking casually as they wait for help.
"Sir, there's a vehicle behind us." Our driver's voice tightens in a way that puts me on alert.
I twist in my seat. A black SUV has stopped just feet from our bumper, its headlights blinding. Car doors swing open and dark figures emerge.
Five men dressed in black advance.
“Oh, fuck.” Cristian grabs for his gun.
“Who is it?” My voice pitches up as fear settles in.
“One guess… fucking Bratva.” He pulls another gun from under the front seat. “Carlo—”
Gunfire erupts.
“Get down!” Cristian uses his hand to push me to the floorboard. He shoves my purse down with me. “Call Alessandro. No matter what, stay down.”
My blood runs cold. Why is this happening? Then I remember the letter. God, is Maksim so angry that he’ll just kill me?
A bullet punches through metal. The men are spreading out to surround us.
Cristian leans over, presses his lips to my forehead. “If I don't make it, tell your brother it wasn't your fault.”
“What?”
Cristian reaches for the door handle, but he turns back, his eyes intense. “Stay down and call for help. Got it?” Then he throws open the door and steps into the battle zone.
The calm fantasy of escape evaporates. Now I feel a cold terror as I realize what’s going on. This is an ambush.
Remembering Cristian’s orders, I fumble with my phone. I press the autodial for Alessandro’s number.
It rings.
And rings.
And rings, until I think he’s not going to answer.
“I’m busy, Valentina,” he says by way of answering.
“Maksim is trying to kill me.”
“What?”
Our driver's window shatters.
I scream as glass rains down. More shots ring out. I hear a thump against the hood of the car.
“What’s going on? Where are you?” Alessandro’s irritated voice morphs into worry.
“Near Kings Point Park. We were ambushed. It’s just Cristian and Carlo—”
“I’m on my way.”
When the door jerks open, I instinctively recoil, sure that one of Maksim’s men is about to kill me. Relief floods me when I see Christian.
“Come on. We’ve got to run.” Cristian drags me across the seat, shielding me with his body as bullets pepper the car. I hyperventilate as fear grips me.
More glass shatters.
"Run!" Cristian shoves me toward the wooded area of the park. My legs tangle beneath me as we hit the pavement. Another shot rings out, pinging off the door frame inches from my head.
Cristian's arm clamps around my waist as he half-drags, half-carries me toward the tree line.
My heels catch on uneven ground, but I’m not going to be the reason we die.
So I do my best to put one foot in front of the other.
“Where’s Carlo?” I ask as I keep moving.
“Dead. Don't look back," he orders, but I can't help myself.
Two of Maksim's men round the car, weapons raised.
I whip my head forward, focusing on the tree line. I won’t die here runs like a mantra in my mind.
We reach the edge of the park, plunging into dense foliage.
Branches slap my face and snag my clothing as we crash through.
Behind us, shouting voices grow louder.
They're following our trail.
"Deeper," Cristian pants, dragging me forward. "We need cover."
My lungs burn. My feet are killing me. Every nerve ending screams with fear as we push farther into the darkening woods.
"What will he do?" I gasp between breaths. Surely, Maksim won’t kill me. But he will kill Cristian. He’ll kidnap me. Torture me. Then kill me. I’d rather die here and now.
Cristian doesn't answer, just pulls me onward.
A flashlight beam sweeps across the area, followed by gunfire. I hear it whiz past me. I scream and stumble.
“Fuck, are you hit?” Cristian drags me behind a tree and fires off shots toward our pursuers.
“No… I’m sorry… I’m just scared and—”
He grips me, his eyes intense as they look down on me. “As long as I’m alive, I won’t let them get you.” He nods like he’s willing me to believe him. And I do believe him, but he’s not invincible. He’s my only hope.
I nod back. We’re either going to escape or die together.