Page 2 of Die for You

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 ofEat. 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.”