“She’s the best woman I’ve ever met. She’s kind, and funny, and beautiful, and loyal… and brave.Sobrave. She risked everything for me. But I was a coward.”
I barely heard the rest, I was crying so hard.
He loves me!
And he’s willing to risk EVERYTHING for me!
I was about to burst out of the confession booth –
When I heard something that froze my blood.
“Isabella’s not a virgin anymore – because I raped her.”
I recoiled in horror.
What?!
No –
That’s IMPOSSIBLE.
IknewValentino.
He wasn’t like that.
He’d been a player, and he was an incurable flirt –
But raping a woman?
No.
He was incapable of it. I believed that to the very core of my soul.
He waslying.
Why, I didn’t know –
But I immediately found out.
119
Valentino
As soon as I saidI raped her,Don Vicari sprang to his feet and pulled his gun.
He wasn’t fast enough, though.
Lars was already on his feet, his gun out and pointed at Vicari before the motherfucker could aim at me.
“STOP!” Lars roared.
From there, it was a chain reaction.
Rocco, his brothers-in-law, and the foot soldiers were on their feet, reaching for their guns.
At the same time, Dario, Adriano, Niccolo, and Roberto leapt up and pulledtheirpistols –
And behind me, Massimo dropped his cane and pulledhis.