Page 10 of Don’t Break My Heart (Secrets of Ravens Hollow #3)

I enter The Voliera on Orlando’s arm, with Romeo to my other side and Reef and Onyx behind us.

I have a gun strapped to my thigh and my trusty knife in the pocket of my short skirt.

My make-up is painted to perfection, and my designer outfit alone must be worth more than a small car.

My ankle is strapped up, just so I could get it in the heeled boots I apparently needed to wear to play the part of Orlando’s wife.

The swelling has mostly reduced, but it’s still a little sensitive to walk on.

My hair is in a high ponytail hanging long and straight down my back.

I look expensive, every bit the part of a don’s wife, and I see the way the other patrons watch us and whisper behind hands to shield their mouths as we weave our way through the crowd.

I might not understand the language or know another person in this place, but they know me, and it’s damn obvious I’m the talk of the town.

Orlando glides me past a couple of bouncers and down a set of stairs to a basement room where dancers shake their more-than-half-naked bodies in gold cages that look a lot like large birdcages, to music that thumps through the air with a dramatic dance beat.

Men in expensive well-fitted suits gather with drinks in cut crystal.

They hold cigars between their fingers, puffing smoke into the already thick air.

Some enjoy a lap dance while others gather in groups, talking rowdily as they play card games.

Golden chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and off to one side is a lit-up bar that showcases every type of liquor you could possibly desire.

Unlike in my club, the girls serving are in skimpy little lingerie sets, some playful and others leaving less to the imagination.

The atmosphere is erotic as hell, and I get a flutter of excitement being back in this type of environment.

I glance at Romeo and notice the way his lips curl at the sides; he knows it as well.

As we arrive at a table, a gorgeous man in a dark gray suit stands and approaches us.

I already know who he is without him having to utter a word.

He has a family resemblance to his brothers in a lot of ways—the dark wavy hair, the intense deep brown eyes, his stature, even the way he walks—but there is something different in the way he smiles, something a little unnerving.

“Valentine,” Romeo greets him first, a hand to his back.

Orlando’s arm slips from my waist as he also greets his brother, but he’s a little more stand-offish, with just a shake of the hand, and I already get the impression he doesn’t trust him.

His hand comes to the small of my back, and he presents me to him.

“This is my lovely wife, Ava, and her two guards, Onyx and Reef.” He motions toward them.

I hold a hand in his direction for him to shake, but he takes it, pulling me toward him, kissing both my cheeks instead.

His eyes roam over me from head to toe. “Very lovely,” he says a little too close to my ear and in a way that grates against my skin.

Romeo, I took an instant liking to, Orlando had to grow on me, but this brother, he’s something else entirely, and I already know I’m not going to like him.

“Nice to meet you.” I fake a smile, making sure he sees my reaction to him.

Something dark and dangerous dances in his eyes as he looks me over.

Then he clicks his fingers in the direction of a stunning woman who sits quietly alone, drinking from a champagne glass.

She stands instantly and walks toward us elegantly.

Her long jade-green velvet dress clinging to her body in a way that shows off her curves but also doesn’t give too much away, with its full sleeves and high neck.

“This is my wife Margherita, you will make friends. The men need to talk.”

Irritation slithers down my spine. “Nice to meet you, Margherita.” I smile warmly toward the shy girl.

She’s young, probably my age, with hair dark as night, shimmering in the low light as she brushes it over her shoulder delicately with a perfectly manicured finger.

“I’m sure we will make good friends.” My attention returns to her asshole of a husband, my grin widening as I meet his dark eyes head-on.

“But for now, if you’re talking business, then I will be staying. ”

I see the tick of irritation in his eyes even though he tries to mask it with a chuckle and a smile.

“It’s very boring, darling, really. You would have much more fun having a nice glass of something sparkling and relaxing.

You have had a long flight, after all.” He tries to be charming, pleasant even, but I can see right past his niceties.

“I’ll have a whiskey, two fingers. Where are we sitting for this meeting, darling?” I throw his creepy nickname back at him. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t the very same one his papa was calling me by.

He drops the pleasant attitude, turning his attention to Orlando. “You need to teach her our ways,” he snaps, a bitterness to his tone I don’t appreciate.

Orlando’s hand finds mine in a show of solidarity. “Ava can stay. Anything you have to say to me, you can do it with her by my side.”

I don’t look his way; I don’t have to. He’s got my back, and a small flutter of hope ignites within me. I also don’t miss the subtle raise of her eyebrow as Margherita watches us all interact. She can’t believe how brazen I am and that my husband wants me by his side .

Onyx hands me a drink, two fingers of amber liquid, just as I asked. I have no idea where it came from, but I give him a little smile, glad he’s playing along as well.

“Shall we?” Romeo motions for us to gather at the table where Valentine came from. We follow his lead, sliding into the leather booth seating he came from earlier.

I sip at my drink slowly as I make myself comfortable. I know how to deal with assholes like this. I have been doing it my whole life. They think women are unimportant, not smart enough to play with the big boys. But he has another thing coming with me.

Valentine’s eyes rake over me, unimpressed, then they fix on Orlando. “What the fuck happened today?” he spits angrily, his hands going everywhere as he talks.

Orlando taps his fingers on the table, waiting just a beat longer than he should to answer him.

“We left the airport in a convoy, then his car blew up right in front of us. Our guess is that someone planted the bomb well before we got to the airport, knowing it was his vehicle. Or they wanted us and got the wrong car.”

I watch Orlando as they interact a little, taken aback at how easily he lies to his brother because I know he’s done it time and time again to me. He has no tell, nothing to give him away, and I realize I still have a hell of a lot to learn about this man that I am now married to.

“The Contis.” Valentine growls out the name Emilio mentioned on the plane.

Romeo leans forward, running a hand through his stubble.

“It’s possible, but we both know he made a lot of enemies.

Someone took the opportunity, but what we want to know, little brother, is who had the vital information of when we would be arriving.

It was supposed to be confidential.” He throws it back to him when we all know this was us.

It’s then I know for sure they don’t trust him; he’s not part of our inner circle.

Valentine’s glare intensifies, landing on me. “How do we know it wasn’t someone close to him, with way too much to gain from his death.” His words drip with venom, and it’s pretty damn obvious he’s trying to imply I had something to do with it. What the fuck.

Orlando’s chuckle is light and playful but holds a don’t-fuck-with-me edge that kind of makes me proud of him.

“We don’t. If you’re implying that it was someone sitting at this table, you’d better watch your fucking mouth, little brother.

You might have been the one here running errands for the old man all this time, but he put me in charge, and I expect you to treat me with the respect my position demands.

” His words rumble out of him with so much disgust, I know there is no love between these two brothers.

Valentine nods just once. “You’re here to take it all just as he wished you would. You need to remember things have changed since you left us.”

“Since I left you.” He laughs again, and this time there is no hiding the bitterness in his tone. “You left me for dead. You abandoned me.”

Valentine’s eyes shift from Romeo then back to Orlando, and I can see he’s rattled.

“I thought you were dead. He told me you died,” he says, and I hear the emotion in his tone.

He’s not all tough like he makes out; when it comes to this situation, he’s fighting his own demons.

I guess leaving your brother for dead then finding out years later that he was still alive would mess with your brain.

But what is even more interesting to me is that he was there that night when they ambushed my family’s club, when my mother died. He was one of the pricks who attacked us. Irritation crawls under my skin as I glare daggers at him .

He doesn’t notice my hate toward him, the three brothers engaging in some sort of silent standoff I could never understand, their expressions deadly. “I expect you to catch us all up to speed, Brother,” Orlando finally says.

“Nothing will change for you, Valentine,” Romeo adds when the tension hits boiling point and I think someone is about to throw a punch. “You can keep running this club and the territories you have. Neither of us have any interest in what you have been building in our absence.”

Valentine’s eyes meet mine, his glare matching my own, and for the first time I feel how much this man despises me.

“Except everything has changed, hasn’t it.

” Valentine stands in a rush, and I see the way Margherita flinches, even though she’s sitting at the table behind us alone.

He leans over the table, his full attention coming to me.

“How did you do it—get him to change his will?” His eyes ping-pong from Orlando to Romeo to me.

I point to my chest. What the fuck kind of influence does he think I have? “We both know you can’t get Emilio Moretti to do anything he doesn’t want to.”

“Were you fucking him as well? Is that what this is… couldn’t get what you wanted from the son, so you went to the top?” Anger vibrates off him in waves as his voice rises. He doesn’t care that he’s causing a scene or that anyone within earshot can hear him.

His disgusting words make me want to puke all over the table in front of him. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I spit back at him, our eyes locked.

“Sit down, Brother, and have a drink in his honor,” Romeo snaps. “Ava had nothing to do with our papa’s controlling ways. She was just a pawn in his fucked-up game. You know how he works. This was more about controlling us, less about who she is. ”

With another filthy glare in my direction he does as he’s told and takes a seat, even though anger radiates off him.

In a way I feel sorry for him; he’s had to live this life, survive it, probably with the only hope that he will one day be in charge.

And then his brother comes back from the dead and takes it all from him, well, him and his little wife, anyway.

It’s no wonder he’s pissed and blaming me.

I lean into Orlando’s ear. “I’m going for a walk. I’ll take Onyx and Reef so you three can catch up properly,” I say, having had enough of this bullshit. As much as I want to know what’s going on, I feel like they will only be going in circles with me here.

He catches my chin and leans into my mouth, kissing me in a way that leaves me almost breathless when I eventually pull back from him.

This time I don’t bite him. I know this kiss is all for show, even if it warms me up inside and sends all sorts of signals to my lady parts. “Don’t be too long, treasure.”

“Take Margherita. She can show you around,” Romeo suggests, and he must feel as sorry for the girl as I do, sitting there all alone.

Valentine clicks his fingers and she stands.

She looks up, hopeful, and I smile at her. “Sure, we can make friends,” I say, slipping past Romeo and out of the booth seat. “Can you show us around?” I ask the shy girl as she joins us.

“Sure.” She smiles softly and tosses her long hair over her shoulder as she motions for us to follow along behind her.

Reef and Onyx fall into line with us. I’m not sure where this tour is headed, but if it’s one of their papa’s clubs, that means it’s now ours, and I want to see what this place is all about.

I’m also curious to know more about Margherita, and I feel like without Valentine is the only way.

She smiles at me sweetly, but it doesn’t meet her eyes, and an instant melancholy washes over me for her.

Yeah, there is more to this girl, and I want to know it all.