Page 35 of My Solemn Vow (The Mafia Arrangement #1)

ANTONELLA

THE GUN RANGE

After a trip to visit Captain, Kerrianne leads me back through the house. She was so pleased I thought he was handsome and that I wasn’t afraid of him.

We find Valor in the kitchen, furiously typing something on his phone. But he’s quick to tuck it away, putting it out of sight and out of mind. His face lights up as he looks at Kerrianne.

“Antonella likes Captain and thinks he’s handsome.” Kerrianne yawns and looks up at Valor.

I’ve seen them together throughout the morning and early afternoon, but I can barely get over the family resemblance between them. It’s much stronger than I had noticed originally. It’s no wonder Berto was able to see it.

“Can I take a nap?” she asks in the cutest voice.

Kerrianne is beyond the normal age you’d anticipate a child wanting a nap, but Valor doesn’t argue with her, and I don’t question his parenting choices. He clearly knows his daughter, and I think I might have overstepped with talks of school.

Valor takes her upstairs for a nap. I love how glued together they are.

A sad longing for the absence of that feeling pains me.

I take my time to observe the living room as a distraction from the sharp sorrow at the loss of my own parents. The large fireplace has a few family pictures posted on each end, and I move closer to them.

The first must be last year’s Christmas photo as they’re all sporting festive clothing.

Another of Kerrianne’s kindergarten graduation.

Another of her and her pet tortoise, Captain.

I’m guessing the day they brought him home, and the last one catches my eye.

Valor is sitting in a recliner. His feet up, he’s leaning back, and a baby is curled up on his chest.

Tears prick at the corner of my eyes, and I blink them away.

It’s the kind of photo a mother takes of her family.

One where she’s seeing the beauty of their lives together, and knowing that Valor has raised her on his own for a long time.

.. It’s possible his mother took it, but I don’t think she did.

“It’s from the night Holly died.” Valor’s voice is low and quiet behind me. “She took the photo before she went out to the Christmas market. I got a call from the pharmacy that the photos were done a few days later. We still can’t prove Berto and Gregorio killed her.”

I turn to face him; he’s standing almost directly behind me, but I didn’t even hear him come down the stairs, let alone get that close to me. “I’m so sorry for your loss. If I knew the answer, I would tell you.”

“Thank you.” His response is automatic. “I’m a little frustrated that you’d tell my daughter she’s going back to school on Wednesday. It’s given me the difficult task of hiring her a bodyguard before then.” He takes a step back from me and motions to the sofa.

I take a seat, and I assumed he’d take the recliner across from me, but instead, he sits down beside me.

His statement didn’t give me a lot to work with beyond drumming up a bland apology, so I try to add value to the conversation.

“Well, we live in a bit of a different world. The truce is in full force, and I’m qualified to protect Kerrianne.

I’ve no doubt I could keep her safe. However, it was a discussion that could have been had, you’re right. ”

Whatever I said was wrong. Valor sets his mouth in a hard line and raises an eyebrow. “I know you pulled the gun on Berto, but point-blank is much easier than anything long range or with multiple assailants.”

I don’t know if he’s trying to be condescending, but it comes out that way.

I take the condescending tone and give it back to him.

“Well, I know I’m just a little old Mafia wife now that I’ve been married off, but my skills lie far beyond making pasta.

Which is it, Valor? Did you want the perfect and docile Mafia wife or not?

Tell me which woman you want, and I’ll force myself to fit that mold even if it hurts, but I can tell you right now that I’m stronger than I look.

I can protect Kerrianne, and Berto was afraid that I would shoot him because despite the hallway being close range.

.. He knows I’m a better marksman than he is. ”

Valor’s jaw clenches, the muscles twitching under his short beard. He rakes his eyes down my body slowly, in a calculating way, not in the lustful way like yesterday.

“Alright.” Valor pulls his phone out of his pocket and punches in his code before poking the screen a few more times. “Kerrianne’s asleep. Let’s get down to the range.”

“The range?” I shake my head at the absurdity of it.

“Yes?” Valor doesn’t seem as amused as I am, but he does nod. “I never gave you the tour. Let’s do some of that on the way down, I guess.”

I explored some of the upper level when I looked for Kerrianne’s bathroom, so escorted to see the rest is more formal.

“Alright.”

I’m positive Valor is underestimating me. It’s not the first time someone has in my lifetime, but it’s wholly unexpected.

I get a tour of the house — main floor with an open-concept eat-in kitchen to the living room, which I’m already familiar with.

There’s a formal dining room and formal sitting room back toward the front door.

Off the garage is the mud room with a washer-dryer stack and the tortoise room with the adorable Russian tortoise.

Back by the stairs, Valor opens the door to the basement.

He leads the way down the staircase, turning lights on at the bottom.

There’s a game room with expected game tables, a decently equipped gym, and a movie-theater-style room, and then he opens a large, thick metal door at the end of the hallway.

Valor doesn’t hide the code as he punches it in, and then he places his hand on the scanner next to the door.

“I’ll get you programmed in the system; you’ll be able to open the hidden exit, the panic room, this vault, and the small one in my closet upstairs.” He slides the door back and steps inside.

It’s a marksman’s wet dream. Racks of guns, ammunition, targets, and other explosives. I poke my head in behind Valor, taking it all in. “Holy smokes.”

He laughs. “We have an arsenal, but what did you really expect?”

“Well.” I hesitate. We don’t talk with outsiders about the family business, but business and my family have changed drastically.

Yet, Valor is actively sharing things with me, so I go for more honest than maybe I normally would have.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that the D’Medicis’ weapon suppliers aren’t as good as the Cavanaghs’.

Mercenaries and marksmanship are kind of the Irish’s calling cards. ”

“I suppose you’re right.” Valor selects a small handgun for me. It’s one Berto gave me a while ago that I hated. Part of me doesn’t want to say anything, but Valor pauses briefly, looking at my face while loading the magazine. “Do you... have a preference?”

“Well, when you say it like that, I sound like a snob.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, tipping my nose up, pretending to be pretentious.

“In the nine-millimeter, I prefer a compact over a subcompact. I’m not opposed, but the thirty-two and twenty-five are my preference over the thirty-three. ”

“Damn. Say that again slowly.” Valor’s eyes have that warmth to them again like at the restaurant last night, only different.

The lighting must be playing tricks on me because it’s almost like they’ve changed color completely.

“May I have a thirty-two, please?” I give him a wry smile.

Valor unloads the thirty-three and then moves to the wall behind him. He selects a thirty-two and moves to a different rack. “Have you ever used one of these?” I shake my head, and Valor huffs. “No, of course, Berto prefers one, so that’s all you’d be exposed to.”

“Well, in his defense, he didn’t want to do this at all, but it was my —” I hang my head and stop myself from defending him. What Berto did was inexcusable, and Valor has every right to be pissed off at him. “It doesn’t matter. What’s happened has happened. I’d be glad to try anything.”

“I’m sorry.” Valor loads two guns and sets them on the table in the center of the room before grabbing holsters for them.

As he undoes his belt to fit a holster, he surprises me.

“I know you called the truce. I know that of everyone, I benefited the most from you calling the truce. But I’ve wanted justice for Holly.

For so long that part of me is mourning the ability to finally catch Berto and Gregorio vulnerable. ”

“I . . .” There aren’t words for this conversation.

Valor walks around the central table and picks up the gun he hadn’t holstered, bringing it over to where I am at the door. He offers it out to me, and I visually inspect for myself that it is, in fact, loaded and ready to be fired before flipping the safety back on.

“Start you with something you’re comfortable with, but I have a feeling you’ll like this other one better.” He gestures for me to turn back to the firing range.

I move to the preparation table closest to the shooting line. Valor approaches with earmuffs, plugs, and safety glasses.

“No lecture about how these aren’t something I’ll have the time to put on before I pull the trigger?” I set my gun down before slipping my safety glasses on.

Valor uses his middle finger to push his up the bridge of his nose, the cheeky fucker smiling. “Nah. But I’ve got excellent hearing, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“So, when you pretend to not hear when I ask you to take the trash out?” I narrow my gaze at him.

“Won’t happen.” He assures me. “I’ve been properly...” He laughs, a single chuckle to himself. “Domesticated once before. I don’t play the game boys do, nor am I looking for someone to mother me. We’re a partnership.”