Page 36 of Die for You (Kiss or Kill #2)

I do feel a little better.

As I showered, I decided I’m probably jumpy due to…life. It’s been a roller coaster for as long as I can remember. I’m not used to peace.

I’m applying the final touches to my makeup when the door opens. Lenny stops dead in his tracks when he sees me.

“Oh Mamma .” He whistles, eating me up from head to toe.

I feel desirable, and my cheeks heat. This kinda feels like a first date, I guess. Not that I’d know. We skipped that part of growing up as we were too busy, well, murdering people.

“Too much?”

“No, never,” he replies, coming up behind me and squeezing my ass.

He kisses the side of my neck.

My eyes flutter.

“Wear boots,” he instructs.

I look at his reflection in the mirror, confused.

“Do what you’re told.” He slaps my ass, before taking off his T-shirt. Then his pants.

Who am I to argue?

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume you’re taking me out here to kill me and bury the body,” I quip as we trek through thick forestry.

I now understand why he told me to wear boots.

I have no idea where he’s taking me, but I trust him.

The sky is star-kissed, and the moon is bright. It’s magical. Lenny and I don’t have many memories such as this one, so I’ll cherish it. And I look forward to making more for the rest of our lives.

We climb a steep hill with Lenny holding my hand the entire time. This reminds me of something kids would do, and I realize this is why he chose this location.We’re making up for the childhood that we never had.

When we get to the top of the hill, I know the trek will be well worth it.

“Wow,” I gush, staring at the twinkling lights before me in our town. “I didn’t realize it was so big.”

“I know. Looking at all that, it makes you realize we’re merely a speck in existence. I used to come up here a lot when we were kids,” he confesses, eyes focused ahead. “It was my place to get away and think.”

“All those nights, I thought you were with girls.”

“Some nights I was.”

I’m quiet.

“But they were a substitute for who I always wanted.” He runs his finger over my inner wrist. “And now, it’s your place too.”

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

“What’s mine is yours.”

It touches my heart. It’s too much, and my eyes pool with tears.

“That wasn’t supposed to make you cry.”

“They’re happy tears.” I sniff, feeling like a crybaby.

“Well, that’s a nice change.”

Tears soon turn to laughter.

My emotions are all over the place.

“I literally feel like I’m going crazy,” I confess, blowing out a long breath.

“It’s okay to go a little crazy. Besides, I like your crazy.”

He pulls me into his side, and we stand staring at the town, which holds so many secrets. Every light in a home represents someone’s story. It’s a life lived.

“Marry me.”

It takes me a moment to realize what Lenny just said because, what?

How?

Marry? Me ?

What?

He leans down and whispers into my ear, “This is the part where you say yes.”

Stepping in front of him, I stand on tippy-toes and throw my arms around his neck. “Yes! A thousand yeses. Of course I’ll marry you!”

His smile is so big, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. We kiss fervently, pawing at the other, desperate to peel off one another’s skin and become one. My heart is so full. All I taste is happy tears cascading down our lips from both our eyes.

After everything we’ve been through, this makes it all worth it.

Lenny’s cell rings, and he hesitantly ends the kiss with a groan. Lettie is with Nico, but he would call me if anything were wrong. No one calls Lenny to chitchat.

“What’s up, Romeo?”

Lenny’s face changes within an instant.

He hangs up and curses under his breath. “Fuck. We have to go.”

“What’s happened?” I barely get the question out before he’s leading me down the hill to our car.

“Opal Imports is on fire. It’s arson.”

I gasp. “How does Romeo know?”

Lenny doesn’t stop, and he doesn’t change his tone as he replies, “’Cause he found bodies inside. The fire is to conceal the crime.”

I mirror his earlier comment as I fumble through my purse to find my phone. I call Nico and hold my breath until he answers.“Just checking in,” I casually say in Italian, not wanting to rouse any suspicion.

He details his evening and that Lettie is safely sleeping.

But I have to be certain.

“Can you go check on her?”

“Why?” he asks in Italian, but I can hear his steps as he walks to her room.

“Just please go. And hurry.”

He picks up the pace, and I hear her bedroom door squeak open. “She’s sleeping. She’s safe.What’s going on?”

He always speaks quickly when worried, and now is one of those times.

“Just please, don’t leave her alone until I get back.”

“Valentina—”

“Please, Nico. Promise me.”

He hears the urgency in my tone.

“Okay. I promise.”

“Thank you.If anyone knocks on the door, don’t answer. Just stay there until I get home.”

I hang up, unable to explain anymore.

I’ve tried to keep Lettie and Nico safe, but now I see we’re not safe wherever we go.“Who the fuck would do this? Gianna is gone.”

Lenny shakes his head, as puzzled as I am.

We get to the car and take off toward the store. He knows better than to drop me off at home. We do this together because bad things always seem to happen when we’re apart.

Lettie is safe. And I trust Nico.

The drive takes half the time it should. We are confronted by fire trucks and police. Police tape surrounds the smoking remnants.

This is bad. A detective in a brown raincoat sees our car and flags Lenny to park off to the side.

“It’s okay. He’s on my payroll,” he assures me, pulling up away from prying eyes.

We park the car and get out. The detective’s face says it all. “Three bodies inside, Lenny.”

Lenny runs a hand through his snarled hair.“Who?”

The detective reaches into his pocket to retrieve a pack of Marlboros. “Tian, Kong, and Matias. Any idea who wants to leave you a very public message?”

The detective offers Lenny a cigarette, but he waves him off. “No fucking idea. The person who would normally do this shit is…indisposed.”

The detective shields his smoke with a palm to light it. “Well, I hate to break it to you, Lennon, but you’ve now got someone else gunning for you. And this person is pissed. The attack was very personal.”

“Why?”

The detective retrieves his cell and shows Lenny some photos.

“This is not good.”

I shift to look at the phone and see the image of three men hanging upside down, the insides on the outside, just like Lenny’s men who were slaughtered at the delicatessen.

“I suggest you be careful and reevaluate everyone.”

It begins to drizzle.

“Thanks, Derrick. Check your front porch tomorrow morning at seven thirty.”

He nods, flicking his smoke to the ground. “Keep your nose clean. I can’t be cleaning up your mess no more.”

“I don’t want a mess,” Lenny says, defeated.

“Well, just so you know, there was no sign of forced entry. The door was either left unlocked or someone has the key.”

My stomach drops. Nico worked today. Did he leave the door unlocked on purpose?

Lenny shakes the detective’s hand.

He stands staring at the burning rubble. White smoke rises into the night sky. Bystanders gather and no doubt all wonder why someone would set an opal store alight.

“It’s not Nico,” I say, reading his thoughts. “I know what it looks and sounds like, but what’s he got to gain from any of this?”

Lenny never takes his eyes off the building. “The same thing we happily sacrificed our lives for.”

Lettie.

We don’t speak further.

Lenny doesn’t bother going into what’s left of the store.

We drive home in silence.

Nico is in bed with Lettie, both asleep. This was my entire world once upon a time, and now, I wonder if maybe that has all come crashing down.

I close Lettie’s bedroom door and amble to our room. I’m exhausted. I leave my clothes where they fall and don’t bother washing off my makeup. I slip under the covers and close my heavy eyes. The bed dips beside me, and Lenny’s familiar scent comforts me.

We don’t speak.

We simply fall into the darkness once again.

I jolt upright, slathered in sweat.

On instinct, I reach out, and a sigh leaves me when I feel Lenny beside me.

He’s sleeping soundly.

Picking up my phone, I see that it’s just after midnight. The house is dead still.

Gently pulling back the covers, I tiptoe from the room, grabbing my robe on the way out.

I keep my footsteps light as I walk to Lettie’s room.

When I slowly push open the door, Lettie’s bedside lamp projects blue and green stars around her ceiling and walls.

She’s clinging to Nico, feeling safe in his arms.

Closing the door softly, I make my way to the bathroom.

I don’t bother turning on the light. I sit on the rim of the bathtub and just remain still.

Tonight was a mixed bag of emotions. To go from experiencing one of the happiest moments of my life to feeling like I’m drowning once again has really thrown me off.

Nico isn’t involved in this.

I know that he isn’t.

How would he even know who Lenny’s drug suppliers are?

No, it’s not him.

It’s a new moon, but it seems darker than usual. The bathroom has a large chandelier with matching wall sconces. The glass shower screen extends half the wall. The marbled double vanity adds to the opulence.

Every room in this house was designed beautifully. I wish I could love it here, but the air just feels…cold.

A shiver racks my body. But this is so intense, I feel nauseous.

Once I use the toilet, I flush it and make my way over to the sink. With a yawn, I wash my hands, sleep suddenly tackling me. Peering into the mirror, I yelp as the shadows play tricks on my eyes, and I see a figure standing behind me.

Turning over my shoulder rapidly, no one is there.

“You’re losing your mind,” I whisper into the darkness.

Drying my hands on a hand towel, I am ready to go back to bed. But the hair on my neck stands on end.

Their presence is oppressive.

I can feel their breath on the back of my neck.

And I suddenly realize that my eyes weren’t playing tricks.

Someone was… is behind me.

Lunging for the ceramic decorative vase to use as a weapon is too late. I feel a prick on the side of my neck.

I want to turn, but my legs feel like they’re made of cement. I lose control of my hand. The vase crashes onto the floor, shattering the quiet. Wavering, I grip the edge of the counter, but I’m going under.

Everything is blurry, and my tongue is heavy.

I can’t scream.

The last thing I can do is look back into the mirror and see that my ghost stands behind me, and in the darkness, I can see it smile.

I don’t remember much after that.