Page 18 of Die for You (Kiss or Kill #2)

“P apa, ti amo.”

“I love you too , cara mia.”

It’s Lettie’s fifth birthday, and Nico insisted our little principessa gets spoiled, not that that’s any different.

It’s a warm summer day.

The afternoon is filled with happiness and fun. A three-tiered pink ballerina birthday cake sits in the middle of the table. My little Lettie, in her tutu and tiara, claps her hands in excitement as we sing “Happy Birthday.” She patiently waits her turn to blow out her five candles.

Nico is taking photos, smiling proudly.

I stand aside, wishing to take it all in because this is what we live for—moments in time.

“Make a wish,” I say, nodding at Lettie.

She chews her bottom lip, deep in thought, before she leans forward and blows out her candles.

We cheer.

Our glasses are raised.

Cake is eaten.

Coffee is drunk.

Night falls, and Nico takes the broom from my hands and escorts me to the bathroom, where we make love in the shower.

He’s such a wonderful man.

How he’s changed my life.

I wish I could say I’ve changed his for the better, but I know that I haven’t.

He stuck true to his word and raised Lettie like his own.

I had my baby in secret.

The convent was my home.

I forgot who I was and focused on repenting for my sins.

My labor was hard.

I believed it was punishment for all that I had done. But the moment I heard Lettie’s screams, it was worth it.

I kissed her ten fingers.

I counted her ten toes.

I was in love.

There is no other word for it. For the first time in my life, I felt perpetual love and knew I would die for my daughter.

I didn’t know what to expect when I left the convent. I had just disappeared. Gianna would surely be hunting me.

But I was surprised when things remained calm—for a little while anyway.

Lettie was six months when I received a package on my doorstep.

A box and inside, a phone.

Within minutes, I was sent a text with an address.

The peace within soon vanished, and I was thrown back into a world I did not want to be in.

I met Vince at a farmhouse.

He made it clear that I was seen as a traitor, and I should feel privileged that Gianna gave me another chance.

I killed Enzo that night.

And since then, I’ve killed many sons and daughters in hopes that I will be one step closer to saving mine.

I thought with Enzo’s death, I would be free.

I thought wrong. Because his death gave Gianna the power she wanted.

But she needed someone to run her empire in Italy.

I never understood why she didn’t just come here and do it herself. It’s what she wanted for so long. But instead, order after order came, and I carried out each one. Numb to it all.

Her instruction led me back to America, which made me believe she couldn’t come to Italy, as her empire in America was crumbling, thanks to Lenny.

I fought him, and although both of us could overthrow the other, we never did.

I couldn’t kill Lettie’s father.

I couldn’t kill the love of my life.

The feelings were still just as strong.

Instead of fighting, we would just end up fucking.

And then, like always, one of us would disappear come morning, leaving the other wondering if it was all just a dream.

And that was how life was for a little while.

Gianna’s demands lessened, and I was able to live a relatively quiet life.

But I knew it was only a matter of time.

Over the years, I grew to understand Gianna and learned her habits. She never gave up. If she was quiet, it was because she was conspiring to succeed.

I would get instructions when she believed she could win, only for her plans to fail.

Someone was always two steps ahead of Gianna.

The question was, who?

I searched high and low but to no avail.

I thought it was Lenny, but when he swore it wasn’t him, I believed him.

Gianna had another enemy, and that enemy was now mine because I was no longer Gianna’s hidden secret weapon.

Just as I knew it eventually would, my identity was uncovered, which made me, and by extension, my family, a sitting duck.

“Nico!” I scream, my home in disarray as I frantically go from room to room.

Please, God, no. I chant this over and over, but when I burst through the back door and see Nico lying in the middle of the garden, bloody and beaten, I realize I was foolish to ever believe God was real.

My sandals are left behind in haste as I run toward Nico, dropping to my knees and gripping his head in my hands.

There’s so much blood.

“Nico!” I sob, tears blinding me, drowning memories of my once perfect life. “Where’s Lettie?”

He remains unconscious.

“Nico!” I scream his name over and over, to no avail.

I sit with him for what feels like hours, until he stirs.

Stroking his hair, I peer into the heavens and wish hard, just as Lettie did on her birthday. I wish that she would be brought back to me.

But as Nico groans, I know that wishes don’t come true.

“Where is Lettie?”

He wheezes, his eyes swollen shut.

I lower my ear to his mouth, and my world crumbles when he whispers, “She’s gone.”

I jolt upright, my body covered in perspiration.

Another nightmare.

However, this is real.

My daughter has been kidnapped without a word.

No ransom.

I have no idea what I need to do to get her back.

This is why I’m back here in America.

I need Lenny’s help.

With Lettie gone, we are both at risk because she is the greatest collateral one can have. I would rather he hear it from me than from whoever has her.

I know the consequences of withholding this from him will most likely bring down our kingdoms. Lenny will destroy anything and anyone once he knows the truth.

But I accept whatever response he has.

I will do anything to get Lettie back.

Nico is in the hospital.

Whomever attacked him ensured to beat him within an inch of his life as a message to me.

The thing is, I don’t know who would do this because I’ve made so many enemies over the years. It could be anyone, and that’s what scares me.

But what I do know is that Lenny is on my side—for once. I know he would never take our daughter if he somehow found out about her. But I’ve been so careful.

The clock on the bedside table in this shithole motel reads just after six a.m. I kick off the blanket and take a shower. Once dressed, I decide to go see Lenny. Hopefully, it won’t end up the way it did the last time I saw him.

First and foremost, I’m here to tell him about our daughter. But I also want to warn him that Gianna is done waiting in the shadows. Vince let slip that she has something planned, something that will guarantee Lenny’s demise—once and for all.

I don’t know what, but I don’t think she’s bluffing.

A small part of me wonders if perhaps she has Lettie, holding her for ransom, with the intent of using her when she needs to. I’ve kept Lettie hidden as best I could, but I knew sooner or later, Gianna would find out about her.

I don’t want to believe this as truth because I’ve done everything Gianna has asked. But if what Vince says is true, then she knows Lenny is my Achilles’ heel and that I’ll need some encouragement, like kidnapping my daughter, to do what she wants.

If I find out that this is the case, Lenny will have to fight me to kill Gianna because she’s mine. I will ensure she suffers in unimaginable ways before I kill her.

I must tell him today.

Grabbing my backpack, I lock the door and make my way down the stairs. The parking lot is poorly lit, and the flickering motel sign creates a strobing effect that hinders my vision.

I hear it before I feel being unexpectedly hit by an unfamiliar black car, which blindsides me.

Thankfully, my training kicks in, and I roll under an SUV, shielding myself from the car, which comes to a screeching halt before reversing, intent on finishing the job.

I peer out from under the SUV, hands splayed to the asphalt, my breathing labored as the car comes to a stop and the door opens.

Fuck…

I watch as black boots crunch the gravel, the owner resolved to finding me. The boots are big, so I assume my assailant is male.

He gets closer and closer until he is feet away from the SUV. I try my best to reach around and unzip my backpack to grab my gun, but I have limited space and can’t maneuver myself properly.

I have no weapon with a bastard hot on my ass.

He gets closer and closer, and just as he bends, I hear someone shout out.

“Hey, man, whatcha think you’re doing? That’s my truck.”

My attacker quickly retreats, returning to his car, which speeds off out of the parking lot.

With a sigh of relief, I roll out from under the SUV and bend low, using the other cars as coverage so I can limp off, undetected.

I’ve been hit on my left hip and leg, but nothing feels broken.

Once I’m on the road, I hail a cab and go to the only place I can. Suddenly, being hit by a car doesn’t seem so bad.

The security guard at the gates looks at me with interest when I approach his booth. “I’m here to see Lenny. Tell him Valentina is here.”

Lenny clearly doesn’t get random women appearing at his house after seven o’clock in the morning because the guard continues to look at me like I’m about to tell him a joke.

But when I arch a brow, indicating he’s wasting my time, he quickly picks up the phone.

He nods, never taking his eyes off me.

Once he hangs up, he exits his booth and walks over to a golf buggy. “I’ll drive you to the house.”

Usually, I would argue, but my leg feels like a balloon, so I doubt I could walk up the incline. I get into the buggy without complaint. We drive in silence toward the mansion.

Lenny has done remarkably well for himself. This home is rich in possessions, but we both know money doesn’t buy happiness.

The guard drops me off at the door, which opens. Lenny stands in the doorway in gray sweats and nothing else. I’ve interrupted his training as he’s like me and barely sleeps four hours a night, which means we’re up before the crack of dawn.

I hobble out of the buggy, trying my best not to draw attention to the earlier mishap.

But it’s hard to miss.