Chapter 3 Unravelling Secrets

Valentina's POV

The planet seemed to be squeezing in on me. The hard truth Luca had just dropped revealed the raw reality under layers of my life like a dagger slicing through them. Father's past? Romano Family? It felt like the life of someone else rather than mine. Still, all that was genuine-too real.

Luca's keene eyes fixed me, as though he were deciding whether or not I would buckle under strain. The same calm, under control gaze he always wore-that which had comforted me-now seemed far and frigid. Throughout, he had known all along. Protecting me, he had kept me in the dark. But in falsehoods what defense was there?

"What do you mean, my family?," At last, the words crawling out of my throat came out. I asked. "What did my father do to make me a target?

Luca inhaled and his jaw tightened. Like he often did, he was considering what to say. He was computing. I wanted to scream at him to give me the truth straightforwardly without hiding it under caution, to stop him from playing his little games. I was not fashioned from glass. I was not in need of coddling.

"Your father... he was a trusted man in the inner circle of the Romano family," Luca said, his voice calm but heavy with what he was not saying. He broke them. Years ago, before you were born at all. Walking away from them, he grabbed something belonging to Enzo's father. Enzo believes he is due now.

Not ready to believe it, I shook my head. father? Someone I hardly remembered, someone who had disappeared from my life when I was still a small child? Was he part of this dream? "That does not make sense." He left throughout my early years. He participated in nothing like this. Your boyfriend is the incorrect one.

Just for a second, Luca's eyes softened; then the hard mask came back. "I wish Valentina I could tell you it's a mistake." But that is not the case. Just before we-that is, over the past months of your family-found out about

"Just before we got married," I said to him, resentment into my voice. "That is what this is, not otherwise. Marital union. That was a means of self-defense. To keep me under cover from Enzo.

He ignored it; silence was sufficient proof. I started to become sick in my throat. All that had been a lie. Every look and every touch-our whole relationship was based on dishonesty. Like Gianni has said, I had been a pawn in his game.

Needing to go away to clear my brain, I pushed by him; Luca caught my arm, his grip strong but not hurting. "Valentina, stop." You must comprehend-"

"Know what?," asked. I snapped and yanked my arm free. "That in some mafia conflict I didn't even know existed I have been nothing more than a bargaining chip. That you have been controlling me from the beginning?

"I have been keeping you safe. His voice was louder than normal, a fracture in his otherwise under control façade. His dark, piercing eyes focused on mine with a force that caused my breathing to stop. "Do you suppose Enzo would have let you live knowing your name? Valentina, you would already be dead without my intervention. Possibly worse.

His remarks' unvarnished honesty struck me like a gut-tender blow. Luca was right for all his defects and dishonesty. Living in a fantasy where none of this occurred, I had been blind. Perhaps perhaps, just perhaps, his actions-twisted as they were-had kept me alive.

But that made swallowing much more difficult. Still burning in my chest was resentment. "What then?" My voice was softer, but still somewhat angry when I asked. "Do I just wait for Enzo to come for me here? Given your lies to me over the past several years, do I trust you to keep me safe?

Luca moved forward, his enormous presence directed down at me. His hand lifted, and for a moment I felt he would be comforting me by touching my face. Still, he stopped himself and dropped his hand back toward his side. His voice low, he replied, "You don't have to trust me." But you really do need me. The only person separating you from Enzo is me.

That fact hovered between us, unspoken but clearly present. I despised it-hated that I needed him, hated that my life had turned to this. Deeply though, I knew he was correct. No matter how much I hated the circumstances, if I wanted to survive I had to rely on Luca.

At that moment, the door knocked-loud, forceful. Luca stiffened, his brows narrowed as he waved for me to keep back. His hand already reaching for the revolver hidden under his jacket, he hurried quickly toward the door. As the tension rose, I experienced a flash of terror and felt my heart hammer in my chest.

Luca opened the door just enough to see out, his body separating me from whoever stood outside. Silence fell for a moment; then a low, smooth voice flowed into the room.

"Come in peace, Luca."

Though I could not identify who it was, Luca's posture suggested he was not expecting them. He widened the door to show a man I had never seen before. Tall with dark hair slicked back and eyes that appeared to sparkle with laughter. He was dressed sharply, his suit perfect and immaculate, but something about him made me shiver.

"Dante," Luca said, his voice chilly and harsh.

Smiling, Dante entered the room as though he owned it. "Is that any approach to welcome an old friend?"

Closing the door behind Luca, he said, "I didn't realize we were friends." His body was stiff, coiled like a spring almost about to break.

Dante turned to look at me, his smile broadening. "Ah, this had to be the gorgeous Valentina. You have been mentioned so much.

I stepped back involuntarily, stiffened beneath his examination. His attitude to me seemed predatory, as though I were prey and he was choosing how best to capture me.

"What do you wish, Dante?," Luca asked, obviously running short in patience.

Dante turned his eyes away from me and back toward Luca, grinning sloppily. "I'm here to offer you.

Luca crossed his arms, his look incomprehensible. "I have no interest.

"You haven't heard the offer yet," Dante remarked, his voice light yet tinged with danger. "You see, Enzo is growing rather irritable. He is bored with waiting for you to turn over Valentina. But I am a sensible man. We should be able to agree.

The mention of Enzo made my blood stop cold. This was it, everything down to this. Me personally. My life, my safety, exchanged like money between guys who considered me as nothing more than tools to a goal.

"What sort of agreement is this?" With a harsh voice, Luca asked.

Dante's smile came back, more broadly this time, as though he had been waiting for that inquiry. Enzo lets you retain whatever you have created after you give Valentina. Not a conflict or any bloodshed. Everyone walks away content.

The quiet that ensued felt stifling. Looking at Luca, waiting for his reply, my heart thumping in my chest He failed. He only stared at Dante, his face insensible. I had a flutter of uncertainty for the first time-a worry that perhaps Luca would accept the contract just maybe.

"Luca?" I murmured, my voice hardly heard.

He cast no glance at me. His jaw tightened and he fixed Dante squarely. His voice was like ice, he murmured at last, "Get out."

Dante's smile stumbled, but only momentarily. Luca, you are erasing a mistake. Enzo will not be so giving the next time.

"I told you to get out."

Dante backed toward the door with his hands in imitation submission. "Good, good." But avoid claiming I failed to warn you.

That meant he was gone, the door closing behind him. The room's tension remained unchanged. If anything, it just got heavier, the weight of Dante's words hanging around.

My heart in my throat, I glanced at Luca. "What happens now??"

Luca turned to face me, his face austere, yet under the surface lurked something worse. "Now we get ready for battle.

Valentina finds herself further in the perilous realm of mob politics than she has ever known as Enzo looms and the mysterious Dante arrives. Valentina's struggle to trust the man who has misled her has set the stage for a lethal confrontation since Luca's determination to give up forces her to face the terrible realization that her existence might depend on his darkest inclinations.