Page 1 of Die for You (Kiss or Kill #2)

“Y ou’re in so much trouble, tesoro mio .”

Calling her that is habit, a very bad habit, one which I should break, but with Valentina, old habits die hard.

Although it’s been five years, she’s a bad habit I don’t think I’ll ever kick.

Looking at her now and knowing all the things we’ve done to one another over the years doesn’t change the fact that I still want her.

I hate her.

I honestly do.

But the fucked-up thing is that makes me crave her even more.

Our relationship has always been complicated. I think we’ve always hated one another more than we’ve loved. But for two fucked-up people, the hatred has us appreciating the love so much more because you cannot have one without the other.

Valentina is covered in blood.

The blood of one of my men.

She did this to make a point.

She did this to be seen.

So the question is, what does she want?

Why has the rabbit come out of hiding?

“I’ve heard you loud and clear,” I say, closing the motel door behind me. “What do you want?”

I don’t bother putting out my cigarette because I don’t plan on being here long. It’s better this way because bad things always seem to happen when Valentina and I are alone.

And considering the last time I saw her, I fucked her so hard so she’d never forget who she belongs to, it’s best if we don’t dally.

Yes, it was a stupid, dishonorable thing to do, but it’s pretty evident Valentina is bad for me, and I’m bad for her, which is why I’ve stayed away.

Well, I have for the most part. Seeing her again after so long is like a kick to my solar plexus, and I somehow have forgotten how to breathe.

And she knows it.

That arrogant smirk reveals she knows that no matter who I’m with or how many miles are between us, she will always get under my skin.

“What do you want, Valentina?” I ask again.

She runs her pointer finger over the tip of the bloody blade, that sly grin tugging at her sinful red lips. She sashays her hips as she walks over to me, a ploy she learned from the Antichrist to lure in stupid men.

Just the thought of Gianna Ricci has me wanting to hurt something. It’s because of her that we’re here.

I thought Valentina would see the light, that she would see Gianna for the lying psychopath she is. But sadly, all I see is more of Gianna in Valentina.

It shouldn’t surprise me since Gianna is her mother. A fact Valentina does not know. Well, I don’t think she does because if she did, I doubt she’d be here, doing her bidding.

The million-dollar question is, why haven’t I told her?

Gianna and I are the only two people…alive, who know the truth.

The person who told me this bombshell is dead, thanks to Gianna. She killed Aldo Cattaneo in cold blood because she knew he was the only person who could bring down her empire by telling the truth. And she believes her secret died with him.

How wrong she is.

Aldo knew that if Valentina found out the truth, she would destroy Gianna for lying to her. Aldo wanted to adopt Valentina as he knew the power she held. She has Ricci blood running through her veins. She is a Mafia princess who can change the world. He wanted her on his side.

But Gianna got to Valentina first, poisoning her.

That is why I haven’t disclosed the truth, because with wisdom comes power.

This is the collateral I have over Gianna, and I plan on exploiting it when the time is right.

Five years seems like a long time to find the “right time,” but I’ve been wrestling with my moral dilemma since I found out the truth.

Disclosing to Gianna’s rivals that she had a daughter puts Valentina in danger. She’s a sitting duck, ripe for the picking for those who wish to blackmail Gianna because she was the one who taught us love makes you weak.

And for once, she was right.

I’m still trying to protect Valentina, which makes me a fool. She’s proven time and time again that she doesn’t care for me, like when she buried me alive, tampered with my car brakes on an icy night, or when she framed me, leaving me to rot in a Tijuana jail.

But I suppose I’ve given as good as I got. I did plant an explosive in her car, sank her boat while she was out at sea, and I did trick her into becoming a stripper named Honey Bee.

We’ve played this game of cat and mouse over the past five years, and secretly, I’ve allowed it because it gets me off.

The violence.

The blood.

It’s the only thing that makes me feel alive.

That, and my love for Valentina.

And that is the only reason we’re still alive. We’ve had ample opportunity to kill the other. But we don’t because our love runs deeper than revenge.

It shouldn’t, but it does.

And that makes us both weak, weak for the other.

It seems Gianna’s lessons were wasted on both Valentina and me.

Until one of us cracks, this will be a vicious cycle we both refuse to break.

Her signature scent of cherries kicks me straight in the face. But I keep my cool.

“You know what I want.”

“No, I really don’t. I stopped knowing that a long time ago.”

She steps closer.

I don’t waver.

For now, anyway.

“Surrender.”

“What’s behind door number two?”

She ignores my quip. “You cannot win. Our empire grows stronger. Not just here. But abroad as well.” Her Italian accent is thick, thanks to her living in Italy.

Not that that was her choice, as she’s a fugitive on the run.

I yawn in response because I’ve heard it all before. “Gianna shipped you off to Italy because it was easier than having to deal with you here. Stop making her a martyr. She’s the villain here.”

“I chose to go to Italy, where I have prospered. I found who I am and what I am capable of.”

“Oh please…” I roll my eyes because what in the ever-living fuck is this bullshit?

“This sounds like a chapter out of Eat. Pray. Love . Stop fooling yourself. You were sent away because of what you did. If only you fucking listened, things would have been so different. But now look at us. On opposite teams, and for what? Your loyalty to a heartless bitch?”

“You ungrateful bastard. She did everything for us,” Valentina snaps, her cheeks turning scarlet.

“Are you kidding yourself right now? She’s a liar and a really fucking horrible human being. You’re the only person who can’t see that.”

“We owe her our lives.”

I’ve heard this all before, and my reply will never change. “If only you knew—” But I hold my tongue as I’ve said too much.

“Knew what?”

I don’t reply, which infuriates her.

“And you expect me to trust you?” She snickers, shaking her head. “Gianna has never lied to me.”

“Oh, wake the fuck up! Look what you’ve turned into.”

“And what’s that?” She folds her arms across her chest in defiance.

With measured movements, I lean over her shoulder and snuff out my cigarette in the glass ashtray behind her.

Her breaths begin to quicken.

I pull away slowly, our faces inches apart. Peering up at me from under hooded eyes, she parts that lush pink mouth, the tip of her tongue curling under her top lip. She’s doing this to bait me because, like always, the line between love and hate blurs.

“Aldo wasn’t a fit leader. He was weak. His men saw his inability to lead.”

“You sound exactly like her.”

“And for that, I’m proud.”

The room grows smaller because it seems…off.

“You’re here because you want something. What is it?”

She swallows past the lump in her throat. A subtle action but one that doesn’t go unnoticed by me.

“I’m here because I need you to give up. Gianna is planning a takedown so large, Lennon, you will not survive it.”

A laugh escapes me. “I’ll take my chances. Besides, the past five years have been nothing but a fight for survival for us both. I won’t back down. And neither will Bria.”

The change in Valentina is clear. Her hatred for Bria still runs deep. Whether it’s jealousy or admiration, I’m still not sure.

“She is no one.”

“Watch your mouth,” I warn, my tone firm.

“Or what? The truth hurts, no? The only reason she is protected is because—” But Valentina soon stops herself, and I know the reason that is.

But regardless, I decide to torment her because I enjoy seeing that fluster creep up her long neck and paint those cherub cheeks red.

“Because? What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” I lower my face into Valentina’s, uncaring for her personal space.

She stands her ground, but I’m getting under her skin.

“Could it be because she’s smart, experienced, and a skilled fighter? Not to mention beautiful, so beautiful in fact she’s been able to lure your men to their knees…before she takes their heads.”

Low blow, but Valentina has no right to bad-mouth Bria. Not only has she been loyal to me since day one, but she is also…

“It’s because she’s your wife!”

And then there’s that.

Valentina and I will never have a happily ever after. Too much has happened to forget. There were never any expectations or promises between us, and being on opposing teams makes it hard to maintain a relationship with the enemy.

Falling in love with Bria wasn’t on my bingo card, but here we are.

It was a slow burn because, regardless of what Valentina did, it always felt like a betrayal to open my heart to anyone but her. But as time progressed and she tried killing me any chance she got, it got a little easier to let her go.

Now, I cling to the memories, and perhaps a part of me is a hopeless romantic living in a fantasy world where we can coexist, where we both change and can be together.

But reality soon takes over when Valentina attempts to stab me in the shoulder with the knife.

I quickly block her, slapping the blade from her hand. “Really?” I mock, getting into a fighting stance just as she does. “Anyone would think you weren’t even trying.”

She smirks, circling me, eyes never leaving mine. “For old times’ sake, I guess. Call me nostalgic.”

And this is why I can’t let her go.

The chemistry between us hasn’t subsided with time. If anything, it’s only grown. But you can’t base a relationship on the fact that someone gives you butterflies. That we’re trying to kill one another every chance we get seems to erase the warm and fuzzies.

I need to remember she’s the enemy here, and not my overpowering need to grab her by the throat and pin her to the wall.

And that’s not an issue as she retrieves a throwing star from her sleeve and tosses it at my head. It embeds into the wall behind me.

She missed on purpose, which piques my interest. Then I realize she is here not because of Gianna, but for something else. This has nothing to do with our fight for power and control, but rather…something that affects us both.

But the question is, what is it?

What is so important to her that she would risk coming back to America? And why does she save me when she could have killed me ten times over? She wants me alive for a reason.

What reason is that?

“What have you done, tesoro mio ? What have you done?”

Valentina’s demeanor changes when she realizes I now see she is guarding a secret, and her purpose for coming here is to divulge what that secret is.

But she got cold feet at the last moment.

Before I can ask anything further, she tasers me.

Dropping to the floor, I don’t fight the electrical current passing through me because I fucking deserve it. I lowered my guard, which is always a dangerous thing when Valentina is involved.

She stands over me, watching me seize.

“Kill…me.” I manage to press past the pain. “Because once I find out the truth…I will …kill you.”

Her face pales, and her mask finally slips.

It seems Valentina and I are now at war for another reason, and whatever the reason, it’s enough for her to risk it all by coming here.

“You have to catch me first.” Those are her parting words as she amps up the voltage on the Taser and disappears from my life…again.