Page 12 of Trapping His Assassin

He’d started hinting at arranged marriages when I took my first life, but I’d ignored him, thinking it was a Brotherhood thing. I had told him I wasn’t ready, that I needed to train harder, and for longer. He’d laughed me off, and said it wouldn’t be until he found a suitable bride from the right bloodline.

He’d glanced at Sloane, as though they had argued extensively about something. Why would they care about my marriage, if they didn’t want me to align myself with one of their children? It was gross, but no one asked me. I’d asked for him to wait until I was of age to sign the paperwork, so it would be my choice.

But I guess he was growing impatient. He wanted his alliances forged in blood on his timeline.

But that would be a conversation we would have once I dealt with the Italian bullshit. I had to focus on the task at hand. Dealing with Alexie would come later. On the outskirts of San Gimignano, there was an old stone villa nestled amidst the rolling hills, and vineyards.

The Bratva owned this place. It had Viktor’s style all over the property. The villa was a luxurious retreat, isolated enough to provide privacy, but close enough to the town to be accessible. Adjacent to this villa was a tall, narrow home, that blended seamlessly with the Tuscan architecture.

This would be a nice spot for us to base at, if we opened larger operations in Italy, for sure. My mind raced, as the car stopped at the top of the winding driveway. I climbed out and waited for the driver to grab my bag.

I took my bag and walked up to the front door, noting a nameplate in gold; Castle Fuego.

I sent a text to some of my local spies to keep an eye on the area. I trusted no one.

As soon as the driver pulled off, I grabbed my gun from out of my jeans, needing to make quick work of clearing the property. I swung my bag on my shoulder.

Underneath the golden plate was a keypad. I pressed my thumb down on the scanner, and waited as it turned green. Thankfully, my information was already updated, so I didn’t have to contact Viktor for access to the property.

My mind went to work as I walked slowly into the entryway hall. The villa was large enough to house over ten guests. It grated on me because of the size. It would take a long time for me to go through the five bedrooms, the pool, and the private veranda. That didn’t include the kitchen, living rooms, and play area. However, as soon as I rounded the corner of the entryway, an open layout met my eyes, with stairs winding into the right-hand corner.

I let out a small sigh of relief, grateful that the downstairs area would be much simpler to clear than the upstairs. It took me three hours to thoroughly check the entire place. Once I was certain that I was the only one there, I spent another forty minutes re-checking every entrance and exit.

By the time I walked into the primary bedroom, I was wired, but still exhausted. I took a brief shower. While I dried, I shied away from my scars in the mirror. I wasn’t that abused street kid any longer, but I wasn’t sure I recognized the young man staring back at me.

My eyes showed the darkness of the world long before Alexie had found me.

Shaking off the memories, I threw on a pair of boxers, and went to the veranda with a bottle of vodka. I swung it back alone since I couldn’t trust anyone. This would be the last drink I would take on this mission. I had to keep my wits about me. I should treat all these men like they were out to murder me. I had to fake sipping on everything at the meeting, because someone could poison me.

Meeting Tiffany made me realize that trust is a fragile thing, and no one can be relied on completely, not even those who seem the most innocent. I brought the bottle to my mouth and tilted it towards the sky, desperately seeking solace in its contents, to numb the pain a little bit.

A crack sounded in the dead of night. A gunshot. Pain clawed into my neck, and water fell on me as if I were in a rainstorm. I reached up to slap at my throat, and in the moonlight, my hand was drenched in red.

I blinked a few times at my hand. My mind was woozy and confused. “W-what?” I stumbled backward into the primary bedroom, clutching my shoulder as I fell back onto the king-sized bed. My eyelids shut even though my mind was screaming at me to stay awake.

I needed to take a short break and rest. I closed my eyes, knowing that I needed to get back to preparing for the meeting. One more moment of closing my eyes.

But suddenly, everything went dark.

CHAPTER FOUR

Valentina

Tuscany, Italy

If you do this,I will tell you about your mother, and let you leave the school. Bring you into the fold..

The meeting with my uncle echoed in my mind. I shuddered at calling that man my relation. However, he was nice enough to me - which immediately made my paranoia increase drastically. After spending most of my life with the man who was supposed to care for me, but chose to hurt me, I didn’t have much faith in my dear old uncle giving me my freedom.

I’d negotiated for life in servitude with the syndicate, as long as I got to reform The Academy. I wouldn’t be the headmaster, but I would hold all the power, which would save all the girls within the walls. I shook off thoughts of home, and focused on my task at hand.

I stared at a distant photo of Roman Petrov, my target, coming out of a bodega in New York City a few weeks prior. I’m unsure how Don Ricci managed to get this close to him without Roman knowing, but the man was gorgeous.

A little young for the rumors about him being a genius.

My mission was simple. Hang at the vineyard closest to his home and wait. He would approach me, and all I would have to do is seduce him, drug him, and help him back to his villa. Once he was dead, I could call the cleaners.

It seemed so tame. I preferred my knives.

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