Page 40 of Bad for You

I watch from afar, ensuring she’s okay.

She thinks I don’t care.

But it’s because I care that I do what I do.

Gianna adopting us was never by chance. She trained us to be her lapdogs because she is waging a war, and that war…Gianna Ricci is the biggest drug lord this side of the world has ever seen,and her competition is Aldo Cattaneo, the man who Valentina said was coming to “save” us.

Gianna got to us before he could. If he wanted us, then she believed us to be valuable, no doubt. She didn’t adopt us out of the goodness of her heart. She did so because her enemy wanted us.

The question to all this, however, is why?

For years, I’ve been trying to find the answers, but the world’s biggest drug lords do not leave paper trails. They don’t set a foot out of place.

They have people like Valentina and me doing their dirty work.

We’re nothing but pawns to them, which is why I have to be careful.

I am a one-man army because I can only trust myself. I cannot go to Aldo just yet. I need to earn his trust, and the only way I can do that is to betray Gianna. But if I do that, then what happens to Valentina?

So Gianna was right—love does indeed make you weak, but as I look at the beautiful angel in front of me, I would happily surrender to it all because all that we have is love.

“Let’s go,” I say, gesturing with my head that we’re to bounce.

She looks disappointed but nods.

I don’t hold her hand.

I step over the corpse, not bothering to conceal the crime. I feel sorry for the poor asshole who has to clean this up because my girl made a mess.

Valentina stops to look at her handiwork with a smile. She curses him out in Italian before following me out the door.

The hallway is empty, but from the ruckus downstairs, the party is still in full swing. When I feel Valentina tug on my wrist, I ignore the fire burning in my belly and yank my arm from her grip.

She appears wounded by my response.

Good.

I turn to look at her, but she catches me off guard as she stands on her toes and reaches up, wiping her thumb across my cheek. I watch as she then smudges a bloodstain down a cherub statue’s face. I cleaned her up but failed to do the same to myself.

I see the significance of this because it’s something she’s done before.

She’s done this tomyface before.

The bloodlust between us is a heady feeling, and I instantly feel myself getting hard.

Seems we’re just as fucked up as the other, but it’s all we’ve known.

Once she’s done, she gestures I’m to lead the way.

We descend the stairs and are greeted by drunken bodies, laughing obnoxiously, oblivious to the reality in which they exist.

Gianna is not one of these people, however. She sees us before we do her. She’s always two steps ahead. And that’s why I’m careful.

Without a doubt, she’s done her research on us. She knows where my brother is, and it’s why I have to play nice when, in reality, I want to bring down her empire and save Valentina from burning alive.

Valentina’s bravado simmers when Gianna gives her a knowing look. This is why I need to stay. Gianna is the marionette and Valentina her puppet.

Valentina is Gianna’s secret weapon.

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