24. Elio
ELIO
I pushed Chiara away, glaring down at the girl.
She was the woman reported in Massimo’s office. I didn’t fucking know why she was in there. Perhaps as some ploy to get my attention after I rejected the marriage proposal. Or perhaps she was there to do her father’s bidding, snooping around and hoping for any useful information.
I didn’t fucking know. Thankfully, she wasn’t able to log into the computer, and I doubted she found anything in there. Massimo wasn’t sloppy. He didn’t keep important shit in the office.
But it was still a fucking headache that I even had to come here in the first place for this.
I should have let Matteo handle it himself.
I didn’t know what I was thinking.
Actually, I did.
This was the excuse I needed to get out of my conversation with Valentino. But now, I had to deal with Chiara, who had been looking at me since the moment I showed up, like I had trampled all over her heart.
How could I possibly have done that when we were nothing more than strangers to each other?
I didn’t pay attention to Valachi's daughters beyond the fact that they were his.
We were outside the Rockwood Casino. Around me, tourists and locals walked about, taking in the bright, shining sun and all the attractions Las Vegas had to offer.
Matteo stood behind, thoroughly enjoying the “show” as I shot a glare at Chiara.
“You need to stay here until your father’s men come by to take you home. And don’t think I have let this go. The fact that you were in Massimo’s office uninvited is a big problem.”
“I told you. I stumbled in there by mistake,” she said, pouting at me. Did she think that would work?
“And you stayed there for a good fifteen minutes after?” I asked. “Don’t try to deny it. We got you on video camera.”
She blanched. I felt no sympathy for her. I crossed my arms over my chest, leaving my expression neutral.
She tried a different tactic. She moved in closer to me. I looked down at her without showing any reaction as she ran her hand up and down my arm.
Behind me, Matteo let out a snort. I turned and shot him a look. The fucker’s grin only widened.
I focused back on Chiara when I felt her breath on my skin. “You need to take a step back,” I said. “This isn’t appropriate, and if you want your father to be able to find a good match for you, you shouldn’t do anything that could get people talking.”
“I don’t want another match,” she said, her voice lowering. Was that supposed to be sexy? God, this headache was so not worth avoiding Valentino for. “I want you.”
“I told your father no.”
Anger flashed in her brown eyes, and for a moment, her mask slipped, letting me see what was really hidden beneath the girl.
“There’s no reason for you to say no. I would make a good wife for you.”
I frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I trained my whole life for this. I knew I wanted to marry you since I was ten years old. That feeling hasn't changed, and everything I’ve done so far has been for you.”
I shook my head. “You’re delusional.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “No, I’m determined. And that’s exactly the kind of wife you need.”
I laughed then, the sound void of any humor. “Yeah. That’s not happening.”
And I was done with this conversation. I turned to Matteo. “Can you wait here with her for her driver?”
He nodded. “Yeah, man. I’ll do that.”
I was about to walk back inside when she grabbed my arm. I turned, more out of surprise than anything, when I felt her lips on mine.
Fuck.
I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from me, scowling down at the impertinent girl. “What the fuck was that?”
She looked up at me defiantly.
“Uh, Elio?” Matteo called out.
I shook my head, still focused on the girl. “And what was the point of that?”
“That we belong together. That we have great chemistry.” She leaned up closer to me. “And in case any of the made men are around to see. Pretty soon, the rumors will begin. You’ll have to marry me then.”
I didn’t say anything for a long second.
Then I laughed. “Was that a threat, girl?”
She looked too fucking smug with herself. “You can look at it any way you want.”
“You miscalculated.”
Her expression stuttered. “Matteo is my witness. And there are cameras at every angle to capture the fact that you kissed me. I didn’t kiss you back.
You better hope the rumors don’t start to circulate.
Maybe then, you’ll have a better chance of marrying some poor bastard who will put up with you for the rest of his life. But it won’t be me.”
Her family car pulled up to the curb. I held my hand up, indicating for the driver to stay put, and moved her toward the car. Her face had lost all its color.
I opened the door and gently shoved her inside. Bending down so that she could see my face, I said, “Have a good day, Miss Valachi. You’re banned from every De Luca establishment. Don’t ever show up here again.”
I shut the door before she could say anything.
I turned to look at Matteo, who was now wearing a pensive expression on his face. “What?”
“Did you know Valentino took Isa out for lunch today?” he asked.
I frowned. I knew Valentino went to see Isa after we left the gym. But how did Matteo know that?
“He took her out to the Siren Casino just across the street.” Matteo pointed to the first casino our grandad had opened back in the day.
It was no more than one street away and in full view of the Rockwood.
And the only reason why Matteo would know Valentino and Isa were there was if he had just seen them.
And if he saw them, then Isa saw us.
She saw Chiara and me.
“Fuck!”
“Go,” Matteo said. “She didn’t look happy when Valentino drove her out of there. And I’m pretty sure he knows about the two of you.”
I didn’t say anything, just ran over to my car.
I was already halfway to Valentino’s apartment when he called me.
I picked up on the first ring.
“You and my sister? Are you fucking with me?”
“You’re angry, I get it?—”
“I am more than angry, you bastard.”
“Okay. I get that. But I need to see Isa. I need to fucking explain that what she saw wasn’t what she thought was happening. Matteo was there, for fuck’s sake.”
“You think I fucking care about that?”
“I don’t really care what you think right now. I need to see Isa.”
“Like hell.”
“Valentino.”
“No, you’re going to meet me somewhere else. I need to hear this from you, face-to-face.”
Frustration bit at my insides. I knew he wasn’t going to let me see Isa until we settled this.
“Fine. Where do you want to meet?”
We met up at an abandoned factory that had been bought out by one of the companies Massimo owned. We weren’t planning on doing much work in the factory.
The fact that it had been abandoned for nearly a decade worked in our favor. People were less likely to pay attention to it.
But the factory hadn’t been used yet, and Valentino was actually in charge of getting it ready. Which probably explained why he decided to meet up here.
By the time I pulled up, Valentino was already there, leaning against his car and smoking a cigarette. Valentino only smoked when he was stressed or dealing with shit he didn’t want to deal with.
I pulled my car to a stop next to his and got out.
He huffed out the last of the cigarette and threw it on the ground, stomping on it.
“Listen—”
I didn’t get the chance to finish when he punched me in the face. I stumbled back but didn’t fall.
Cupping my jaw, I looked at him, the taste of blood hitting my tongue.
“My sister? You’re fucking my sister? Did you run out of women to mess with in Nevada that you decided to turn to my sister?”
My jaw clenched. “You’re mad. I get that. I even deserved that hit, but you’re pissing me off by talking about me and your sister like that.”
He laughed. “You’re pissed?”
He lunged at me again, but I moved out of the way. “I don’t want to fight you.”
“Too fucking bad.”
He threw his arm back to swing, and I ducked out of the way. Valentino and I were pretty evenly matched. And we sparred with each other enough times that we knew each other’s fighting style.
But anger made him sloppy, and I saw his next swing coming a mile away. I caught his wrist and twisted, using his momentum to spin him around and slam him against the side of his car.
“I said I don’t want to fight you,” I growled against his ear, pinning him there. “But I will if you keep this shit up.”
He struggled against my hold, his muscles straining. “Get the fuck off me.”
“Listen to me,” I said, loosening my grip on him. He pulled away from me and pushed me off him. I stood there, watching him.
“It’s not just fucking. I didn’t turn my sights on Isa because I was bored. And I’m not going to hurt her.”
“How the fuck would I know that? You kept this from me. How long has this been going on?”
“A few weeks now.”
“A few weeks,” he muttered. “And how long until you get bored with her? How long until you break her heart?”
I scowled at him. “I’m not going to get bored with her.”
“How the fuck do I know that? You can have any woman you want. Hell, Chiara was practically throwing herself at you.”
“I didn’t know she was going to kiss me?—”
He held up his hand, silencing me. “I don’t fucking care about that.
I only care about my sister, and I know you.
You’re not the settling-down type. You took my sister’s virginity, and you get to leave and move on with the next person.
But Isa? She loves you. Has loved you since she was a teenager. She’s not going to get over this?—”
I punched him in the face. Blood dripped from his busted lip, and he glared at me.
“I’m not leaving. Get it through your fucking thick skull.”
He shook his head. “Do you love her?”
Fucking hell.
“That’s none of your fucking business.”
He straightened. “That’s my answer then.”
“I fucking love her, you bastard.”
I loved her with everything in me. I tried to deny it. Tried to tell myself it was too soon, even if I had never felt this level of intensity with anyone before. And I didn’t want the first time I admitted that to be to her fucking brother.
My confession shocked him into silence.
“I’m going to marry her one day, with or without your blessing.”
“Fuck me,” he finally gasped out. “You’re serious.”
“Deadly. I’m sorry I kept it from you. But I’m not sorry for being with her. I can never be sorry about that.”
And wasn’t that the truth? Having her in my life like this was a fucking blessing. I didn’t plan on taking it for granted for even a second.
Valentino stared at me for a long time after, his face impassive. A thin line of blood trailed down his chin, but he didn’t bother wiping it away. The silence stretched between us, broken only by the sound of traffic in the distance and the wind whistling through the broken windows of the factory.
I didn’t say anything either as I let him process.
“Jesus Christ,” he finally said, running a hand down his face. “You really mean it.”
“Every fucking word.”
He turned away from me, pacing a few steps before spinning back around. “Do you have any idea what this means? What you're asking?”
“I’m not asking for anything. I'm telling you how it is.”
“She's not just some girl, Elio.”
“That’s already well-established. I know she’s not just some girl. She’s your baby sister. But you know me. You know I would protect her with my life. And I will try my damndest to make her happy.”
“I… I don’t even fucking know what to say to this.”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what you say. I need to see her. I need to make it right. I need her to know I didn’t kiss Chiara.”
“What were you even doing, letting Chiara do that to you in public?”
I let out a small sigh. “I don’t fucking know. She caught me by surprise, and I shut her down immediately.” I looked at him, imploring him to believe me. “I would never do that to Isa.”
Not when she was all I saw. All I think about. Not when she was the very fucking air I needed for survival.
But hell, I didn’t fucking know how I had let the kiss happen. It wasn’t like me to be so careless. I didn’t even see the girl coming. Had she been trying to do something else, like plunge a knife through my neck instead of that kiss…
I didn’t want to fucking think about it.
Valentino was quiet, as if debating whether or not he should believe my words.
Finally, he said, “Okay, fine. You can see her and explain. But I just got the green light to move Isa in with me. She’s not sneaking out at night with you after this. Not until you’re married.”
I scowled at him.
He crossed his arms, obviously not budging.
“Fine. I can wait a week.”
He frowned. “A week?”
“Yes, Isa and I are getting married in a week’s time.”
And even that felt like too fucking long.
He didn’t say anything for a beat. Then he threw his head back and laughed, and I imagined giving him a broken nose to match his busted lip.
“You’re fucking serious,” he said.
“Why the hell would I joke about that?”
I made a move to walk to my car when Valentino’s phone chimed. He held up his hand and pulled it out, looking at something there.
Pure, unadulterated horror filled his eyes when he looked back at me.
I felt my stomach drop. There was only one reason why Valentino would look like that.
I moved in closer to him and grabbed the phone out of his hand, taking in the recording of his apartment.
It took half a second too long for me to comprehend what I was looking at.
“What the fuck?” I said out loud.
Joseph Gambino somehow bypassed Valentino’s security system and broke into his apartment with Waylen Thompson.
They had Isa.
It felt like my entire world had imploded, leaving nothing but destruction and fire behind, nothing recognizable.
Fucking hell, but they had Isa.