Chapter 22 Cristian
CRISTIAN
Why I’m not dead yet is a mystery to me.
By all rights, I should be feeding fish at the bottom of the Hudson. Valentina must have pleaded for my life.
That's the only explanation that makes sense.
Alessandro wouldn't have spared me otherwise, not after I all but called him a coward for sacrificing his sister.
I don’t regret telling Alessandro and Adriano what I think of their decisions, but if I die because of it, I’ll hate having abandoned Valentina.
As it is, I haven’t seen her for days.
To be honest, I haven’t tried, worried I’ll make things worse for her, especially now that she’s confined to the house.
I’m back to keeping my head down and accepting my demotion to perimeter security.
While I hate that Valentina is locked inside the house, I’m glad that she’s not out in the world where Maksim can get to her.
And if he thinks he can break into the Dante compound, he’ll be met with deadly consequences.
The Bratva breached security once in an attempt to get to Luca and Katerina. It won’t happen again.
Not on my watch.
But it’s not duty that makes me diligent. I’ve lost respect for Alessandro.
Part of me wanted to put my fist through his perfect teeth when he confined her to her room like a misbehaving child rather than acknowledging that Maksim tried to fucking kidnap her.
I never asked for this assignment, never wanted to be the one responsible for her safety, even complained about it.
What a fucking joke that seems now.
I'd kill to hear her voice, to see that mischievous glint in her eyes when she's planning something I'll regret going along with.
The empty times are filled with memories of how her skin felt, how she tasted, the sounds she made when she came.
How perfectly she fit in my arms.
And soon, I'll have to watch her walk down the aisle to another man.
The thought is enough to make me want to burn this whole fucking city to the ground.
I check my watch for the hundredth time today.
My shift should have ended two hours ago, but I volunteered to stay.
What else would I do?
Go home to my empty apartment and stare at the ceiling, thinking about her?
No, I’m staying here and doing the job Alessandro asked me to do.
Keep Valentina safe.
Alessandro may think he's making the pragmatic choice, preserving peace through this unholy alliance.
But men like Maksim don't respect concessions.
They see them as a weakness to exploit.
The Bratva will never be satisfied with Valentina. Once they have her, they'll want more.
More territory, more control, more blood.
If Lorenzo were still alive, he'd sooner burn his empire to the ground than give his daughter to that animal after that ambush.
Alessandro might wear the ring now, but he's forgotten what made the Dante family strong in the first place.
It wasn't just ruthlessness or cunning.
It was knowing which principles you don't compromise.
And you never, ever sacrifice family.
I make my final round, and now I can’t find an excuse to stay any longer.
Not without drawing attention. I prepare to head home.
As I go to my car, I glance toward Valentina’s room.
She’s standing on her balcony, her expression forlorn. I feel like such a failure.
In a split instant, I make a dangerous decision.
Fuck Alessandro's rules.
Fuck duty.
Fuck everything but her.
I slip quietly around to the east wing where Valentina's balcony sits.
She’s returned inside and I second-guess my decision.
But only for a moment.
In the next second, I’m moving forward full-throttle.
Security is tight, but I helped design the system.
I know its blind spots better than anyone.
I scale the old beech tree outside her room, grateful for the clouds that keep the night dark.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
If Alessandro catches me here, I'm dead.
If Maksim finds out, we're both dead.
And still, I climb.
I vault over the balcony railing, landing with barely a sound.
Through the curtains, I can see a dim light telling me she's still awake.
I hesitate, suddenly uncertain.
What if she doesn't want to see me?
What if she blames me for not protecting her better from this nightmare?
Before I can talk myself out of it, I tap lightly on the glass door.
The curtain twitches, then flies back. Valentina appears, eyes wide, a book clutched to her chest.
She's wearing silk pajamas, her hair loose around her shoulders.
She’s so fucking beautiful, the sight of her makes my breath stall.
She fumbles with the lock, then pulls the door open just enough to whisper, "Are you insane? Someone could see you!"
"Probably," I admit, unable to keep the smile from my face now that I'm looking at her. "But they didn't."
Valentina glances nervously over her shoulder, then back at me.
The initial shock in her expression has softened to something warmer, a welcoming glint returning to her eyes.
"So this is what it takes to get my dutiful bodyguard to break protocol? A little house arrest?" She raises an eyebrow but steps back to let me in.
“If I’m still your bodyguard, then I’m not breaking protocol.”
“So you’re just doing your job by sneaking up to my room?” Her voice is playful and yet I hear the question too.
Is this duty or desire?
Am I here as her bodyguard or as a man who can't forget the feel of her skin against mine?
"I needed to see you.”
"That's funny," she says. "I've spent the last days wishing I could see you."
The air between us charges with electricity as Valentina sets her book down on the nightstand, her eyes never leaving mine.
I should be scanning the room, checking for vulnerabilities, planning escape routes.
Instead, I'm transfixed by the way her silk pajamas outline her perfect body.
"Alessandro would kill me if he found me here," I admit. "But I couldn't stay away another night. Not knowing you're in here alone with your thoughts."
"Is that why you're really here, Cristian? To protect me from my own thoughts?"
I take a step closer, giving her space to retreat if she wants. She doesn't move. "I’m here because the thought of not seeing you for even one more day felt worse than risking Alessandro's wrath."
Her gaze turns coy. "That's quite the confession from the man who kept telling me how dangerous this is."
"It is dangerous," I murmur, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. My fingertips graze her cheek, and I feel her shiver. "But I'm starting to think some things are worth the danger."
She tilts her face into my touch. "And what things might those be?"
The last of my restraint crumbles as I cup her face between my hands. "You, Valentina. Always you."
I lower my forehead to hers, breathing her in, savoring this stolen moment. But when I pull back, the light in her eyes has dimmed.
"I've been thinking about Carlo."
The sudden change catches me off guard. I guide her to sit on the edge of her bed, keeping her hands in mine.
"His wife is expecting their second child," Valentina continues, guilt etched in her pretty face. "She came to the house to collect his things. Alessandro gave her an envelope—money, I suppose. As if that fixes anything."
My chest tightens upon seeing her pain. "That wasn't your fault."
"Wasn't it?" Her voice turns bitter. "I wrote that letter. I provoked Maksim. I'm the reason we were on that road." She pulls her hands away. "All because I was too selfish to accept my fate."
I want to shake sense into her. "Your fate? Being sold into a brutal marriage isn't fate. It's your brother's cowardice wrapped up as family duty."
"Careful," she warns, though there's no heat behind it. "That's treason."
"Then hang me for it." I take her face in my hands again, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Your sacrifice doesn't make Alessandro strong. It makes him weak. A strong leader would find another way. Luca wouldn’t have it." Why the fuck isn’t he here to stop all this?
She leans into my touch, closing her eyes. "I agreed to this. I can't back out now. Not when more lives could be lost."
That's the moment I realize how truly remarkable she is.
While her brothers play at power, Valentina bears its true weight.
She's sacrificing herself, not from weakness but from a strength I don’t think they fully comprehend.
"Your brothers don't deserve you," I say, in awe of her. "They don't see what I see."
Her eyes open. "And what do you see?"
"A woman braver than any soldier I've ever fought beside." I trace the curve of her cheek with my thumb. "Someone who walks willingly into fire to save others from burning."
A sad smile touches her lips. "That sounds more noble than I feel."
"It's the truth. You're giving up everything to prevent a war. That's not the act of someone selfish, Valentina. It's the act of someone extraordinary."
Her eyes shine with fresh tears, but there’s also the spark of the fierce spirit I fell in love with.
Love.
My chest constricts. That's what this is. Not duty, not desire. Love.
"I wish things were different," she says sadly. "I wish we had met in another life."
I press my lips to her forehead, letting them linger. "In every life, I would find you. And in every life, I would fight for you."
"Where would you go?" she asks. "If you could disappear tomorrow and start over. If none of this existed."
I lean back against her headboard, pulling her closer into my side. It's dangerous to dream, but I allow myself to imagine it just for tonight.
"Spain," I say after a moment. "A little house on the Mediterranean, where the ocean stretches forever and nobody knows me."
She smiles. "You'd get bored without a gun in your hand."
"Not if you were there.”
She looks up at me, and my insides yearn to make this dream come true.
“What about you?” I ask. “Where would Valentina Dante go to escape?"
Her eyes close, dreaming. "A beach sounds nice. Or maybe New Zealand. I’ve heard how lovely it is there.”
And it's on the other side of the earth from all this.
I kiss the top of her head. "We could do both. Summers in Spain, winters in New Zealand since I think winter is their summer climate."
"A beautiful dream," she murmurs.
I tighten my arms around her, wishing I could give her the dream and whatever fucking thing she wanted.
"It doesn't have to stay a dream," I say, even as I know our future is hopeless.
Valentina tilts her face up to mine, her gray eyes searching. "Cristian…"
My name on her lips makes my heart swell. I lower my mouth to hers, tasting the sweetness of her surrender. She responds instantly, her fingers tangling in my hair as she presses herself against me.
This isn't like the hotel. That was desperation, hunger, the need to seize something before it slipped away. This is slower, deeper, a promise that neither of us can keep.
I pull back just enough to see her face, to memorize every detail of this moment. "I'm going to find a way out of this for you."
She shakes her head. "There is no way out."
"There's always a way." I press my forehead against hers. "I don't care what it costs me."
Her fingers dig into my shoulders. "Don't say that. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you because of me."
I kiss her again, pouring everything I can't say into it.
How I'd tear apart heaven and earth to keep her safe, how I'd face down her family and the entire fucking Bratva single-handedly if that's what it took.
When we break apart and I look into her beautiful eyes, I accept the truth.
I might not survive this, but Valentina will.
Even if it means challenging Alessandro directly.
Even if it means my life.
Some prices are worth paying.
And she's worth them all.