A Touch of Sin |18+|

47

ALANI

I never thought I'd be that happy to see Valerio's home.

Well, one of his homes.

Driving back was a lot quicker and in no time—Valerio and I were pulling into his garage. Instead of stepping out as soon as the car was no longer idling, we stayed seated and relished in finally being off the road.

It was still early morning, too early to function and I was bordering on falling asleep right there. Valerio on the other hand seemed ready to take on the day.

He didn't sleep much, constantly tossing and turning throughout the night but minimal rest was normal for him and when I woke up, Valerio appeared to have had sufficient sleep.

I, however, felt ready to dose off at any second.

Waking up before eight was terrible, at least for me and I was just about ready to have a nap. I snapped my seatbelt off, letting my chest heave with a silent sigh.

Valerio did the same, freeing himself from the constriction of the seatbelt but continuing to stay seated. We were only sitting, but the peace was needed before Valerio went on to see Alonzo.

"Are you okay?" Valerio murmured, leaning his head back but keeping his eyes on the steering wheel.

He ran his tongue over his lower lip before shifting, letting his gaze meet mine. Valerio kept his hands on his lap, not making another move.

I pressed my lips together, playing with the strap of my purse. "Yeah, are you?"

"Yes, I feel a lot better than I did these past few days." He nodded, his brown eyes conveying the truth behind his words. "I'm happy that all of this is coming to an end."

Coming to an end...

We both knew what that meant. Either Alonzo was getting help, or Valerio was going to have his brother's blood on his hands. For all of our sake, I hoped that Alonzo would accept the former.

My heart was heavy at the thought but whatever happened—I was going to be there for Valerio regardless of the outcome.

"I'm glad you feel better, Rio," I said softly, dropping the strap I was fiddling with. "Have you heard anything else about Alonzo?"

Valerio eyes dulled at the question, almost as if he was dreading the end result just as much as I was.

"My father sent an update an hour ago. He's still shaky, but he's doing a lot better than last night."

I nodded, letting my back slump against the seat. "When are you leaving?"

Valerio lifted the sleeve of his hoodie, glancing down at the watch on his wrist.

"Right now," he answered. "I'm just going to walk you in."

"Okay."

"Alani," Valerio whispered, sitting up and I felt him grasp my hand. "I don't want to leave you alone here, and I'm sorry for that but—"

"No," I stopped him, giving him a gentle squeeze. "I understand."

"You're a lot safer here than there with me," he continued, ignoring what I had just told him.

I wanted to be there for him but I understood that staying inside of a heavily guarded home was better than being out there with Valerio.

The man had the most protected house I'd ever seen. A gun in every nook and crane. Bulletproof windows and a high tech security system. He also had a fridge full of food and I was starving.