Chapter 12
VALENTINA
Xavier sat across from me. ‘We’ve found him.
He’s spent the last few weeks jumping from state to state but he’s back in town now.
It’s only a matter of hours until our people can pinpoint his location.
We weren’t able to track him as the Russians were helping to cover his tracks for a minute there.
But it seems Jason has a gift for pissing people off and their protection quickly ran out. ’
Finally, we had been searching for weeks, and although my girl knew she was safe with us, I could see the flicker of fear every time we told her we hadn’t made any progress in our search for him.
‘Go and get ready for the opening. You’ve both put a lot of effort into tonight. I’m proud of you little sister,’ Xav said, getting up from behind his desk and giving me a hug and kiss on the forehead.
Z stepped forward then. ‘As soon as we have a location, I’ll grab him and take him to the desert. I don’t want you worrying about a thing. This is your night.’
I got ready, wearing a gold satin suit that my little Sunshine had handpicked.
She had chosen a floor-length, body-hugging gown in a similar fabric.
She looked incredible as she strode down the stairs.
She was everything. I loved the way she looked at me when her eyes landed on what I was wearing.
They lit up with excitement; there was a pure, innocent joy that I had feared was lost forever, but slowly, through me, she was coming back into her own.
This was my purpose. This was why I had made her such an integral part of every facet of my world.
I wanted the good things to seep into her and warm the cold, broken bits, mending them.
I wanted her to finally have hope for a better life, and in this moment, for the first time, she was basking in it, knowing wholeheartedly that she deserved every good thing that had come from our time together.
She was letting go of her past, her pain, and her fear.
The show would be starting in a matter of hours.
Sunshine had worked around the clock to arrange my pieces, telling the perfect story of our love and lust. Hundreds were expected to be in attendance; my girl had done an incredible job with the promotions over the last few weeks.
Many wanted to come and see if a De Luca was even capable of creating rather than destroying, but it only fuelled our desire to prove everyone wrong.
The final piece in the show was still a secret, and one I had not shown to anyone yet, not even my girl.
It had been a point of contention between Sunshine and me—this was just as much a part of her show as it was mine—but I gave her some nonsense about it being part of my process and, ever the dutiful muse, she begrudgingly let it go.
She did not know that this piece was performative and required her to be in the dark.
‘Sunshine, you look fucking ethereal. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done. If it wasn’t for you, my dream would never have become a reality.
I love you.’ She blushed as her hands slid up the satin collar of my blazer, wrapping around me.
Warm lips crashed into mine, trying to claim me in the threshold of our home before we left our little safe space and finally told the world who we were and what we were.
Everything. That is what we named the show—how fitting.
I held the door for my girl as she strode past, casting a seductive look over her shoulder, enticing me.
She would drive me crazy all night until I kicked every last guest out of my gallery just to spend a moment alone with her.
This was her revenge for me hiding the final piece.
As her hips swung from side to side with each step, I had to bite down on my knuckles to stifle a moan.
She was ravishing as the silky gown flowed over her form like incandescent water.
The car ride over did not get any easier as her slender fingers trailed my thigh in little circles, edging closer but never quite close enough.
I gripped the steering wheel for dear life the whole drive over, as I was seconds from pulling over and saying fuck it to the biggest night of our lives, just so I could have a taste of her.
We arrived a couple hours earlier than our guests, wanting to ensure everything was perfect for them.
Parking behind the gallery, we took the back entrance.
Soon, the place would be bustling with waiters and caterers, but for now, it was just for us to bask in the glow of this monumental moment and the tireless effort we had put in.
Flicking the lights on, horror flooded my veins as my sweet little Sunshine screamed.
Stumbling further, she tripped on her heels.
I grabbed her as she clutched my arm, taking in the scene that lay in front of us.
Every piece was shattered, destroyed and drenched in red paint.
The paintings had been slashed. Nothing was left whole.
Everything had been turned to dust, just like that.
My favourite painting, the one that had started it all, was the only one that was left whole, but it was no better off.
In big black letters, the words SHE’S MINE were sprayed in paint.
Sunshine dropped to the floor, sobbing and pulling at the broken pieces of my sculptures that lay in the rubble at her feet.
The strangest part was that I didn’t care about the show as much as I thought I would.
What tore me to fucking pieces was seeing my girl crumble amongst the wreckage.
She had put so much into tonight and it represented so much more than us and our short but intense journey.
It was a fresh start for her. The beginning of a new life, a new her.
I shot a quick message to my brothers, knowing exactly who did this.
‘It was Jason, it had to be,’ she breathed, looking up at me from the floor, tears cascading down her face. ‘I’m so sorry.’
My heart clenched at the sight. ‘It’s not your fault, Sunshine. None of it is your fault. It will be okay; besides, there’s one piece he couldn’t get his hands on.’
She sobbed harder, inconsolable and feeling responsible. Knowing that words were of no use right now, I held her, letting the warmth and softness of her skin envelop me, stilling my own pounding heart.
She always calmed me, no matter what; and as that familiar bloodlust roared in my ears, I clung to her, my grip bruising but unable to let go.
Because if I did, there would be no stopping me.
Once again, he took something from her. Soon, my fingers turned numb, and I didn’t even know where I was holding her—only that she was safe in my arms. Thank every god he only managed to get his hands on our collection and not her; though I would be cursing my brothers for not seeing this coming with all the eyes they had out searching for him.
‘Interrupting something am I?’ came a deep voice from the hallway that led upstairs to my studio.
Sunshine let out a quick gasp and clenched me tighter. My eyes landed on him as he walked out of the dark cover of the wall and approached, gun pointed directly at us.
Slowly peeling her hands away from me, I stood up and stepped between the gun and my girl. ‘Just a little bit. Now, if you don’t mind, we have a bit of cleaning up to do.’
A bark of laughter was his only response before the rushing of footsteps and the cold press of a barrel met me. ‘This isn’t a joke, bitch.’
‘I didn’t think it was. Now if you don’t mind, I need you to fuck right off. You’re scaring my girl and you’ve already pushed me further than you want to.’
He pushed the barrel of the gun harder against my forehead breathing hard he almost spat with rage at the notion I didn’t fear him. I assumed his default was that women feared him, and this was quite an unusual turn of events for him.
I looked past the rage, the scruffy jawline and slightly shaggy hair.
He was handsome enough, with nice blue eyes and a decent build, but I still couldn’t see it.
My girl with him. Even cleaned up, he wasn’t even close to her level, but I supposed he knew that; those insecurities driving his need to control her.
‘Namazzi, it’s time for you to come home with me. You had your fun; now let’s go. There’s nothing left for you here. Come home with me. Where you belong.’
She stood, gripping the back of my blazer before finding her voice, embodying the once whole sculpture that now lay broken at her feet. She was like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
‘No. Fuck no,’ she spat.
Jason’s face flushed with anger and sweat. He looked high out of his mind. ‘I suppose there’s one thing left for you here, but I can end that quick enough.’ He cocked the gun, ready to shoot, and as if anticipating his response, Sunshine pushed me out of the way.
Bang.
A scream escaped me, fearing the worst that she had taken the bullet meant for me as the sound rung out, bursting all rational thought and leaving ringing confusion swirling in my mind. Blood was seeped into her gown. But the shot didn’t come from his gun and the blood wasn’t hers.
Z stood a few feet away, a quiet, brutal anger lacing his features. Cool hands pulled me into a hug. Jason lay groaning on the floor but it was Sunshine’s panicked words that I heard.
‘Are you okay? Are you? I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I love you, please tell me you’re okay.’ She was spiralling. Pulling back my hands, I caressed her cheeks lightly before firmly gripping her face, snapping her attention to me.
‘I’m fine, thanks to you. None of this is your fault, Sunshine. It’s ours. Z should have found his arse a lot sooner.’ Z grunted in the back, angrily agreeing.
She shook her head, about to argue once more, but I crashed my lips to hers, warmth coating my tongue as my arms wrapped around her, pouring all my gratitude that she was safe into that moment. Jason groaned in pain, dragging us back to reality.
‘Z, you know where to take him, but be back in time for the show.’
‘What show? Everything is ruined.’
‘No Sunshine, everything is right here.’ I said stroking her cheek, gazing into those endless brown eyes.
We didn’t pay much attention to her ex’s body being dragged from the space, as our eyes were locked on one another. Too scared to look away in case we slipped through each other’s fingers. That was far too close a call for my liking.
She finally looked away from me, taking the extent of the damage all in, her shoulders caving under the weight of it all.
‘This show is our story, including the ugly. Let’s show them how perfection can drive an insecure man mad.
How perfection can survive the unimaginable and still rise.
How perfection bends but doesn’t break. You are perfection.
You go and get ready for the caterers and the guests.
Get yourself cleaned up and find us some new clothes. I’ll worry about the art.’
She hesitated but nodded, heeding my instructions. I knew exactly what to do about this.