. . .
Dante Valentino
"What did you do?" Giovanni walked into my office uninvited, as always. Who gave him the password to the lift? I didn't know. He had his sources.
I looked up from my laptop, my one hand rubbing Blue's back. She closed her book, looking at my brother. Her body hardened slightly. She was still scared of him.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"I need to talk to you alone."
"Blue stays."
Blue gave me a tiny smile, her new earrings glittering. She was wearing the dress I had bought, too. I fucking loved her covered with things I had bought for her. It made me so fucking hard. I had barely resisted in the dressing room.
Giovanni lowered himself on a chair. "Samuel."
"Yes?"
His eyes narrowed. "Did you fucking plan the plane crash, Dante?"
"Why would you think that?" I asked.
Blue looked down at her book, already looking guilty. Maybe I should have done this in private, but Giovanni and Fabiano would have found out sooner than later.
"Do I really need to explain it?" He asked. "It's a yes and no question."
"You know the answer," I said.
He sighed, and then chuckled, shaking his head. "Creeds are going to go ballistic when they find out."
"Creeds lost their control over Samuel. They'd be smarter if they cut their losses."
"Not if it gets out that the Valentino Mafia killed Creed. Then they'd have to retaliate." Giovanni rubbed his jaw, glancing at Blue once. "Is she your Leyla?"
Blue's head snapped up. I kissed her lips. A gentle kiss, letting my brother see how much she meant to me. I had never been this gentle with anyone, ever. Blue tugged at all my strings. "Yes."
"Fine," Giovanni grumbled. "How are we killing Alisa?"
"I have plans," I said, still looking at Blue, trying to resist devouring her in front of my brother. He did not need to know how she looked thoroughly kissed.
"What plans?" Giovanni pressed.
"I'll tell you."
I finally snatched my gaze away from little Blue and looked at my seething brother.
Giovanni was rage made flesh, I had always known that. Even when he was a little kid, people knew there was something about him that just felt wrong. I never thought anyone would ever be able to calm his rage.
Till Leyla came along, of course. Now my little brother was wrapped around that woman's fingers. I had thought him stupid, once.
But now when I had Blue on my lap, tucked to my chest, safe and mine, I understood. I had for a while. He would sacrifice everything for Leyla, as would Fabiano. I would sacrifice everything for Blue. I never knew I could be this devoted to a woman.
But being consumed by her was easy.
There was nothing easier than loving Blue.
. . .
I sat down on a couch beside Zavier Creed. It was another day at the arena, watching another fight. Lily was tucked to my side, avoiding looking at Zavier, her guilt, once again, too obvious. I would have to train her to school it.
"Your little partner killed Samuel," Zavier said, a glass of whiskey in his hand, but he wasn't drinking it. His eyes were fixed on his wife who was sitting a few seats away, her back to the fight. Lily, too, was trying her hardest to not look at the cage where one of Alexi's fighters was getting beat up to death by one of Giovanni's fighters.
