Page 3 of Die for You (Kiss or Kill #2)

T his house is fucking beautiful. And we’re safe. But the fact that it’s Aldo’s house feels all shades of wrong because Aldo is now nothing but ashes, burned to death in the house that was never my home.

Lewis sleeps in one of the many guest rooms. Still exhausted, he’s sleeping away years of abuse from his bones.

Bria sits behind me, stroking Cat in a catatonic state.

And me, I’m standing on the balcony, staring into the darkness wondering what the fuck I’m supposed to do.

It’s taking every ounce of strength I have not to jump on a plane and find Valentina.

I found out from one of Gianna’s men that she’d been shipped off to Italy to take over Gianna’s enterprise, but he didn’t know much more, which is why his torso is weighed down and sits on the bottom of the ocean.

His other extremities are scattered at random locations, never to be identified.

This is my life now.

Bria hasn’t spoken a word since we fled. That was a week ago.

I don’t feel sorry for her because no one wants pity, but I am sad she lost her dad. He was a great man.

His last words will forever haunt me.

“Her mother is…Gianna. Gianna is Valentina’s mother.”

Clenching the baluster, I vow that Gianna will pay dearly for what she’s done.

She knew who Valentina was from the very beginning, yet she treated her like a stranger, nothing but a pawn in her game. She trained her own daughter to be a lethal weapon.

What sort of mother does that?

My mother was hardly a saint, but what Gianna has done is psychopathic.

I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this information. I can’t tell anyone, as Valentina will be in danger. Regardless of what she’s done, the need to protect her remains.

I want to be with her, but I can’t if Gianna is still alive. If I kill her, Valentina will hate me, so I’m stuck.

Damned if I do. And damned if I don’t.

The only way for Valentina to listen is to show her what a lying snake Gianna is, because now that I know the truth, I plan to use it to my advantage. I’m going to let Gianna hang herself. And she will.

She thinks she’s got off scot-free now that Aldo is dead. But I know the truth. Ironically, she trained me, and now, I’m her rival.

What a silly move on her behalf because I know her strategies. I know the way she fights. And I know how she conducts business. I could ruin her with my eyes closed, but I won’t because she will always have one up on me.

Valentina is her secret weapon.

That’s the reason she adopted us both. I was always meant to be Gianna’s insurance policy.

It all makes sense now why Aldo wanted to adopt Valentina first. He knew this would happen. He knew the power she would hold. And Valentina isn’t even aware of the power she wields.

I’m stuck between my head and my heart. I save the woman I love, sacrificing myself because, without solid evidence that Gianna is her mother, Valentina will kill me for insinuating such a thing.Or I go up against her and leave it to fate and let the better man win.

She knows how I fight.

As I know how she does.

There will be no winners.

Just a blood feud that will stem for years because neither of us will back down.

I tried to save her, but now…I must save us both because I won’t give up on her. Just like when we were kids down by the lake, I will push her to the point of breaking in hopes she sees the truth.

And in the meantime, I hope Bria doesn’t kill her first.

“Get up,” I order, turning around.

Bria sits with her knees drawn up to her chest, cuddling Cat. Her eyes are bloodshot, her pink hair thrown into a limp ponytail. She’s wearing an oversized tee and no shoes. I understand she’s grieving, but there’s no better way to get over pain than by facing it head-on.

“We’re going to fight.”

That gets her attention, and she finally meets my eyes. Something inside her has changed. Bria was never innocent. But the way she views the world has changed. Losing her father will shape Bria into someone she never thought she’d become.

But death does that.

And so does revenge.

Soon, nothing else will matter than avenging her father and righting all the wrongs done to her and her legacy, and the first person in her sights will be Valentina.

Valentina knows how to fight and will beat Bria with her eyes closed. I need Bria to be able to defend herself because she’s on my side.

Valentina chose her side, and it’s not mine. So, for now, Bria and I fight together to bring down the woman I love in hopes to save her.

“Don’t make me ask you again.”

She doesn’t have the energy to fight, and her curiosity gets the better of her when she stands.

“Leave Cat.”

She does as I say.

We walk in silence through the house until we reach the basement. But this isn’t any typical basement. This is a martial arts sanctuary.

It’s decked out in heavy bags, sparring gear, and every weapon needed to train a skilled fighter.

Scanning over the weaponry on the brick wall, I reach for the rattan kali sticks. Something easy to test her skills.

I toss it at Bria, who catches it with confusion in her eyes.“To survive, we must fight. We must fight with our heads, not our hearts,” I say, circling her.

She turns with me, ensuring her back is never turned. But she leaves herself open, which is her first lesson. I whack her in the ribs.

A pained grunt leaves her. “What the fuck?” she cries, clutching her side.

“That was lesson one. Never let your guard down.”

“Lesson number one? I didn’t realize I was here to be schooled.”

As she’s mouthing off, I spin and thump the stick into the back of her knee. She buckles forward.

“Lesson number two. Don’t talk back. A smart mouth will get you killed.”

“Lenny, fuck off!”

She’s angry, which will be her downfall. I show her how so when I connect with her stomach with the end of the kali stick.

Her anger turns to full-blown rage as she charges at me, swinging her stick like an amateur. It takes me three seconds to disarm and slam her back against the padded wall. She tries to buck me off, but I place my forearm over her throat, subduing her.

Her green eyes are on fire. “You’ve proved your point.”

“I wasn’t trying to prove a point. It was a test to see if you could fight. You failed.”

She eyes me something wicked.

“Good, use that anger to win a fight. But never rule with your emotions. They will get you killed.”

How I wish Gianna wasn’t right in that lesson she taught us, but she is. Emotions make you weak. They force you to do things you might not usually do. I’m a perfect example of this.

“My emotions died with my father,” Bria spits. “Now, your little girlfriend suffers the same fate.”

It’s a low blow, but I don’t let her verbal stab affect me because that would defeat the purpose of this exercise. And besides, I did promise Bria her vengeance.

“You don’t stand a chance against Valentina. She would beat you blindfolded with both arms tied behind her back. We’ll train every day until you’re ready. You do what you’re told. You don’t question my decisions. You don’t talk back. Are we clear?”

Bria snickers.

“I said”—I press down harder on her windpipe—“are we clear?”

I don’t release her until she eventually nods.

She gasps for air when I do.

“This isn’t a choice either of us made. But this is our life now. We either fight or concede.”

“There’s no way that bitch Gianna is getting away with what she did to my dad.”

Finally, we agree on something.

“So where do we start?”

Picking up her fallen kali stick, I toss it at her. “Again, and this time, fight me like you mean it.”

Her eyes narrow, and I can see she loves to hate me right now, which is good. This is the only way to be because I too lost myself when Valentina left. I have nothing left but hate.

It seems Gianna taught me something after all.

Bria and I trained until she could no longer stand.

I’ll give it to her—the girl has guts. Something I always knew. But now, she has something to prove. She understands the legacy she carries because the Cattaneo name holds much respect and power. And now that Aldo is dead, it’s open season on us.

We’re merely seen as kids trying to fill the shoes of a great man. Every man and his dog wants what is rightfully Bria’s. The only other reputable leader is Gianna. And it’ll be a cold day in hell before she takes this empire to make it her own.

Which is why I’m sitting at Aldo’s desk, snooping through his laptop.

I need to play catch-up and fast because our leadership will be challenged. And when the time comes, Bria and I must be ready.

I’ve found Aldo’s suppliers—both legal and illegal—and contacted them to organize a meeting to ensure they know who I am and what will happen if they fuck me over. Aldo’s crystal ruse was fucking genius, and I plan on carrying on with his brilliance.

I’ve called a meeting tonight with Aldo’s men.

Although they pledged their allegiance to me, I know there is talk of a coup. I’m also certain some men have jumped ship and are now on Gianna’s side. These are the men I plan to make an example of.

With the important bases covered, I am left with the folder named Bellezza .

I know this is everything Aldo has on Valentina. It touches me that he calls her such a name, while her mother instead encouraged her first kill when she was merely a child.

I move the cursor over to the file and click on it.

The hundreds of files and images load, and it’s like a spinning top of Valentina’s life flashing before me.

I get lost in her eyes, the sad eyes of Valentina as a child, of when I met her.

I think of the atrocities of what was done to her, and although it’s not an excuse, I understand why she’s wired the way she is.

She’s been taught nothing but hate. But then I think of the love she showed for Cat and me, demonstrating she isn’t all bad. That is why I fight for her even when she doesn’t defend herself.