Chapter 4 A Dangerous Gamble

Valentina's POV

I hardly noticed the soft glow the early light seeped through the curtains over the room. My pulse was still throbbing from the events of the evening before, my thoughts were racing. Dante's arrogant smile tormented me, his words whirled in my head. The next time Enzo won not be so accommodating.

Sitting on the side of the bed, I tried to hold the bits of me together with my arms tightly around myself. Luca had been up for hours, navigating the house with his customary measured diligence. Now, down here, I could hear him softly talking with Matteo. Their faint voices did not provide any consolation. There was nowhere to flee the violent and dishonest environment I had been forced into.

Pushing my palms to my temples, I hoped the headache pulsed there would pass. How had my life veered so far from control? I was merely another student at university, hiding from my background, attempting to start over for myself only a few weeks ago. Now I was wed to a mafia prince, caught in a lethal game I grasp.

The door creaked open, and Luca came inside with his usually enigmatic expression. His black eyes swept over me, lingering momentarily before he moved across the room to settle next to me on the bed.

His voice low, he said, "We need to talk."

I nodded, not knowing whether I could be ready for whatever he had to say.

"Dante's visit last night was not a coincidence," Luca said. "Enzo has long been organizing this. He views you as his path in; he wants rule over the city. If he gets his hands on you--" He paused, his jaw closing. "It is over if he gets his hands on you. for each other as well.

I drew hard, his words weighing me down like a heavy blanket. And Luca, what then are your preferences? To shield your kingdom or me?

His eyes locked on me, a flutter of something-probably anger-crossing his face. "Neither," he answered at last, his voice icy. "You are now part of this, whether or not you want it. I won't let Enzo take you from me either.

At his possessiveness, a chill shot down my spine. His comments lacked warmth and no hint of affection. Like always suspected, I was a pawn to him. But there was also something deeper and more perilous there.

And what if I want not to participate in this? My voice just above a whisper, I asked.

Luca's jaw tightened, and for a split second I thought he might go off. Rather, though, he got up, his back to me as he talked. " Valentina, it makes no difference what you desire. Your birth was into this life. One cannot get away from it.

My heart pounding in my chest, I glanced at him. Right was what he said. Though I wanted to believe I could easily leave this dream, the reality was I was imprisoned. Enzo would not stop haunting me. And Luca would refuse to let me leave.

The quiet was broken with a knock at the door, and Matteo's voice emerged from the other side. "Luca, we have a dilemma.

Luca's eyes hardened, then he walked to the door opening just enough to glimpse Matteo's gloomy face.

"What is it?"? Luca asked with a harsh voice.

Matteo looked at me momentarily then turned back to focus on his brother. "Men of Enzo." They are living in the warehouse.

Luca's hands curling into fists, he swore beneath his breath. "How many?."

At least a dozen, perhaps more. They carry a lot of weapons. We cannot put things off for very long.

As I listened to their conversation, a cold horror cluttered my heart. Here it was. The conflict Luca had cautioned me about started here. And I sat exactly in the middle of it.

Luca turned back toward me, his face austere. Stay right here. Leave this room not at all. Do you see?

Though I had no intention of staying put while bullets were flying, I nodded. Luca lived in a terrible environment; I could not simply sit on the sidelines if I was going to survive in it.

Not waiting for a reply, he followed Matteo out of the room, the door softly clicking behind him. I sat there, my heart pounding and my head whirling with all that had just happened for a second. Then, though, a flood of will surged through me.

I would not be a victim moving forward.

My hands shaking, I got up and reached for my jacket to slide on. My head ran with all the possibilities. While the men around me battled and bled, I had to figure out how to be of assistance and engage in different activities than hiding. I possessed something Luca or Enzo lacked, not strength like theirs.

I was sure how to vanish.

Hurrying fast, I left the chamber and descended the rear stairs, dodging the main hall where Luca and his men were probably getting ready for the encounter. Running from danger and hiding from the shadows of my past had dominated most of my life. I might try it one more time.

But this time I wasn't fleeing. This time I was going to seize control.

As I stepped outside, the cool night air enveloped me as the far-off sound of gunfire echoed. Though my pulse accelerated, I forced myself to remain cool. I had to organize and consider. Although Enzo's men were attacking the warehouse, they would not stop there. They would next be visiting Luca's house. And when they did, they would come upon me waiting.

Though I knew how to outsmart them, I was not a fighter. People who engaged in this deadly game, those who knew how to control, fool, and survive had surrounded me growing up. And the finest had taught me as well.

Perhaps it would be appropriate to apply their teachings.

My thoughts racing with a plan, I moved across the garden staying low and out of sight. I intended not to face Enzo's troops squarely. Suicides would be included in that. I could, however, provide a diversion and give Luca and his troops a fighting chance.

I saw an old maintenance shack when I got to the edge of the land. My heart jumped within my chest. Great. Though not much, it would have to do. Moving fast, I broke the latch with a rock and slid in. Tools, used gasoline cans, and other equipment crowded the shed. exactly what I required.

Working fast, I steadied my hands to rig the gasoline cans to produce an improvised bomb. Though it wasn't much, it would be plenty to get Enzo's men away from the main house and provide Luca's men time to reorganize.

A weird peace came over me as I retreated to appreciate my work. Though it felt right, I had never done anything like this before. I sensed some control for the first time since all of this began.

Still, control remained a brittle concept.

The first yells from Enzo's men as I set the fuse and sank back into the darkness-they saw the flames. Watching them dash, leaving their spots to handle the fire I had ignited, my heart hammered in my chest.

Then, though, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Rising from the shadows, a towering and terrifying manager. My blood stopped cold as I identified him.

Enzo here.

He was not here for supposed. He was not meant to be this near. I stopped, my breath caught in my throat as his chilly eyes fixed on me. He grinned, a slow, perilous smile that chilled my spine.

"Well, well," he remarked with a satisfied tone. "Looks like I found you after all, Valentina."

My head racing, I backed off but it was too late. His smile broadened as he reached for me, he was already squeezing in on me.

Whispering low and scary, "Luca won't save you this time," he said. "You're mine right now."

A gunshot tore through the air just as his hand touched my arm. Enzo's hold relaxed, and his eyes grew startled. Clutching his side, blood leaked between his fingers as he staggered back.

My pulse thumping, I turned to find Luca standing there, his rifle still burning.

Luca snipped, his voice lethal, "Get away from her."

Enzo's face turned into a snarl, but he lacked time to react. Another gunshot sounded, and this time Enzo collapsed to the ground.

Luca was next to me, his arms encircling me to draw me near. Though his hold was almost too tight, I didn't give a damn. My heart was pounding, I was shivering but safe. right now.

"Are you ok??" With a low, scratchy voice, Luca asked, his hands softly brushing my hair back from my face.

I nodded, not sure I could talk.

His expression softened as he drew back just enough to meet my gaze. "You did great, Valentina."

I felt, for a moment, that his eyes revealed something more than the cold, deliberate mafia prince. But it was gone as fast as it had shown, replaced by the hard, heartless mask he wore every day.