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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Valentina

“Wanna hear a secret?”

“Tell me. I’m a good secret-keeper,” he says firmly, kissing my shoulder. I stretch against his warm body, savoring the joy of a lazy early morning in bed together.

We’ve never once had this. Our entire history is filled with sneaking around, rushed meetings in hidden places, and the fear of being found out.

“I’ve always dreamed of this.”

“Lenny, that’s not a secret,” he lectures me. “It’s all I’ve dreamed about for the last six years, too.”

“No, not us,” I correct him, turning around to see his face.

His eyes, so green and warm, are relaxed and half-lidded. A happy, satisfied smile stretches across his face as my fingers trace hearts across his chest.

“I mean this type of life. The type of life Lux has… the beautiful pink house, the farm, the orange groves, the gardens, the small town. I want all of it.”

“Oh no.” He grimaces, smacking his head. “She got you. Don’t listen to her. She could probably start a cult and lead everyone off the edge of a cliff, and they’d do it with a smile.”

“It’s not her fault.” I laugh, picturing Lux leading a cult. Honestly, I see it.

“So, you just suddenly decided you want to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?” he wonders, snuggling into my neck.

“Yes. Well, no, but yes,” I say, blowing out a frustrated breath. “I mean, I want the quiet kind of life. I… I never wanted this…”

“The mafia life?” he asks, gazing up at me. “Me too.”

“What if we just… ditch it?” I ask, knowing full well we could never do that.

“Ma’am, you’re officially hired for the position of mayor of Delusion City.” He laughs. “You were the only applicant, but we feel strongly that you’re the perfect fit.”

“I know,” I groan, flopping onto my back. “It could never work.”

He props himself on one elbow, gazing down at me. Soft sunlight streams in through the flimsy white curtains on the windows and lights his face. He strokes my cheekbone, running his thumb down over my lips, and I give it a soft kiss.

I love him like I’ve never loved anyone before, I suddenly realize, and it scares the shit out of me. He must feel me tense up because he leans down and places a smoldering kiss on my mouth.

“I promise you,” he whispers, slipping his hand under the blanket and running it along my naked curves, “I’ll give you all this and more one day. You just need to be patient with me.”

“Enzo, no…” I whisper, knowing how hard he worked to get to where he is now.

I didn’t mean he has to give up his lifestyle for me. Although when I imagine my future, it most definitely includes him.

“Promise me?” he begs, kissing his way down my neck and chest. “I want to give you the life you deserve, the one you always dreamed of, not the life you were forced into. Promise me you’ll be patient?”

“I promise,” I say happily, settling into his touch.

I don’t deserve this man, but somehow the universe made a mistake and connected us, so I’ll take it and run with it.

After a sweaty, lust-filled morning where we almost broke the kitchen table, we finally make our way to the main house for breakfast.

Lux is perched at the wooden dining table, cutting up pancakes for Rosie. Matilda is happily shoveling pancakes into her mouth like she hasn’t eaten in weeks.

“Morning, lovebirds!” Lux sings when we troop inside, shaking the snow off our hair.

“Love birds?” Matilda pipes up with a mouth full of pancake.

“Remember we discussed ‘figurative’ and ‘literal’ this morning?” Lux reminds her.

Alfonso chuckles behind a two-week-old newspaper he managed to dig up somewhere.

“We also had a grand old time talking about pine trees today.” Lux grins, spinning around to wink at us. My face flushes with horror again, but I force myself to move on and pour a cup of coffee. “And Matilda’s birthday!”

I groan internally. With all the shit The8 has been throwing at us, I completely gave up on planning Matilda’s birthday.

Thankfully, my parents managed to throw her an early West Coast birthday party while she was visiting. I was hoping that might be enough to tide her over, but seeing her happy little face now, I quickly realize I failed at mom duty.

“I’m gonna be six,” she proudly announces. “And Mama said we can ride a pony, watch princess movies, and eat a pink cake for my birthday.”

“Oh, honeybee,” I start, walking over to the table. I’m about to give you the saddest news ever. Lux catches my eye and nods gently to the living room.

“Bestie?” she calls, whirling around to search for Enzo. He looks up from a giant stack of pancakes he’s been quietly eating at the kitchen counter. “Feed Rosie, will you?”

She shoves the fork at him, gives her baby girl a kiss on the cheek, and drags me out of the kitchen. I feel like I’m about to get “Lux’ed,” as Enzo lovingly calls it.

“Listen, I know you’ve had a lot going on, so a birthday party is probably the last thing on your mind, right?”

I sink into the overstuffed sofa and let out a deep breath. I’m such a bad mother.

“I mean, I started planning it,” I say quietly, waving my hands around helplessly. “Before all this shit happened.”

“I know.” She plops down beside me, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. “And you’re probably thinking you’re a bad mother, and if that’s the case, stop it right now or I’m withholding wine and swirly straws for the foreseeable future.”

“Thanks.” I laugh, shaking the gloomy thoughts away. “Maybe we can do something small for her here?”

“Small?” Lux asks, her voice dripping with shock. The gleeful twinkle in her eyes scares me for a second. “We don’t do things small in the Romano household. Listen, we’ve got three horses, a projector, and I’m a Michelin-star baker. We can do this.”

“Are you really?”

“No, but I once dreamed I was.” She laughs. “So, if I can just channel that energy…”

Enzo busts into the room at that moment, interrupting us. Rosie waddles behind him, laughing and clapping her hands.

“She got me in the eye!” he screeches in fake horror. “Watch out, we have a sniper-in-training on our hands!”

Matilda skips in after them, giggling maniacally, holding a spoon full of strawberry jam. She cocks the spoon back like a catapult and Enzo drops to the floor.

“Duck! Everyone duck!” he yells, making her laugh so hard she drops the spoon on the floor. As much as I’m enjoying the cute little father-daughter scene, I’m also acutely aware just how much jam is ending up on Lux’s polished hardwood floors.

I lean in to apologize, but to my surprise, Lux springs up and bolts across the room. Her golden hair trails behind her, making her look like a Disney princess.

“I’ve got her!” she cries, fake-tackling Matilda to the floor. They roll around giggling, getting jam all over their clothes and in their hair. “The suspect has been apprehended!”

Rafael wanders in to see what all the fuss is about and simply shakes his head. He picks his way across the living room, stepping over bodies and avoiding jam puddles.

“It’s hard being the serious one sometimes,” he says with a long-suffering sigh, nodding at the scene. “Especially when the two golden retrievers get together.”

I can’t help but laugh, partly because Enzo and Lux do have golden-retriever-like tendencies, but mostly because I haven’t felt this happy and carefree in ages.

This is it. This is the life I want for my daughter. Peace, laughter, magic—I may not have half the whimsy of Lux or the childlike wonder of Enzo, but I can make that happen for her.

“Hey,” Rafael clears his throat, shifting into business mode. “Valentina, Enzo, can I speak to you in my office?”

Lux immediately understands and rounds up the kids, herding them upstairs with promises of magical bubble baths.

The three of us head to Rafael’s office, a perfect antithesis to the rest of the house. While the main living spaces are soft, pastel, and full of oversized furniture and plants, the office is dark, moody, and manly.

“I just got some news,” he declares, ushering us inside and shutting the door. Alfonso is already inside, his fingers steepled, a thoughtful look on his face.

Enzo and I share a glance, and I wonder if they have located The8.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on everything,” Rafael announces, settling in at his desk. “When you switched cars at the truck stop, the sedan kept tracking the Cadillac. Our guys managed to lead them to a secluded location and get them all turned around. When they inevitably stopped, we were able to capture them.”

“No fucking way,” Enzo breathes, jumping up from his seat. “Was it the redhead?”

“No, two men,” Rafael says, pulling out his phone and passing it over. “Russians.”

We flip through the photos, staring at the strangers. They don’t look like regular mafia. In fact, they look like college students.

“These guys?” I ask, shocked. “They look like kids.”

“They’re not,” Rafael confirms. “But they’re not mafia either. Absolutely no defense skills or anything. We got them without a fight. Our guys are keeping them at the warehouse upstate right now.”

“Have they been questioned?” Alfonso asks. My eyes snap back to Rafael as my breath sticks in my throat.

Information. Maybe they don’t have the redhead, but they might have information.

“Not yet.” He chuckles. “Thought you three would like to do the honors. I’ll come as backup, of course, but my wife will divorce me if I come home with even a drop of blood on me.”

“Let’s fucking go,” Enzo whoops, pumping his fist in the air. I stifle a laugh, even though I’m terrified of what we’re about to find out.

Although I’m more terrified we won’t find anything and end up back at square one.

“This guy.” Rafael grins, pointing at Enzo. “How far you’ve come. I’m so proud.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Enzo throws a grin over his shoulder, jogging out of the room.

“Are you sure this man is capable of leading your family?” Alfonso asks, shaking his head, even though I spot laughter in his eyes.

We pull away from the house just as a car of the Romano boys pulls up. Although Rafael assured us the house is secure, he called in extra hands as a safeguard.

I breathe a sigh of relief and relax into the plush leather backseat. Knowing the house is being patrolled by some of the toughest men in the country settles my nerves about leaving Matilda.

The drive to the upstate warehouse takes us back along the coast, and we spend the next few hours discussing who The8 might be. Rafael and I are convinced it’s an ex-girlfriend but Enzo’s still torn. Either way, we’re finally one step closer to finding out her identity.

By the time we reach the abandoned-looking building, I’m a bundle of nerves. Enzo notices my twitchy hands and rests his on top. I flash him a grateful smile.

“Where’s your little poetry book, Lenny?” he whispers, laughing silently at me.

“Shut up,” I huff. “It’s very grounding. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Yeah, he’s a space case,” Rafael interjects as he parks the car. “He knows nothing about the ground in general.”

“Ha ha ha,” Enzo mocks, punching him hard in the shoulder. “Dad made a funny. Did you hear that, Lenny? Rafael decided to grace us with his sense of humor today.”

“Shut up, both of you,” Alfonso moans, rubbing his temple. “Get your head in the game and let’s do this.”

We instantly sober up and climb out of the car. We need to present a united front and intimidate these assholes until they give us what we need. We form a rough game plan before strolling into the empty warehouse.

One of the Romano men hauls himself up from a stack of pallets and greets us.

“Jack.” Enzo nods at him. “Where are they?”

“In the freezer.” Jack grins, gesturing over his shoulder. “We thought they needed to cool down a bit.”

A few of the Romano men loitering around the freezer door chuckle. That’s pretty fucked up, honestly. I’d never think to shove my victims in a freezer before interrogating them.

Enzo takes a deep breath, puffs out his chest, and flings the door open. I watch in fascination as he slips into a character so unlike him that it’s almost like watching a stranger. I plaster on my bitchiest face and follow him inside.

Two scrawny guys huddle in the center of the freezer on a pile of pallets. They sit up straighter when we enter, putting on a brave face.

Enzo stops in his tracks so suddenly that I almost slam into him. Alfonso manages to catch me from behind, saving me from face-planting on the cold floor.

“Ivan?” Enzo says, shock and confusion dripping from his voice. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Ivan? He knows this guy?

What the hell did we just walk into?