Page 58 of Wicked Rivals

I wondered for a moment what would have happened if I hadn't sent him that letter, if I hadn’t abandoned him too. Would his life have turned out differently?

It didn't really matter anymore, I supposed.

What had happened had happened. No amount of daydreaming in a post-sex haze was going to change it.

“Is that who’s after Enzo now?” I asked.

“I don't know. It’s possible, but it doesn't make much sense. I’ll do everything I can to find who’s targeting you two, but right now I just don't know. I explained to Enzo that being my son comes with risks. He was amenable to taking precautions to protect not only himself but you as well.”

I nodded. That sounded like Enzo.

Stefano let out a deep chuckle.

“You know, that kid sees more than most people. When I told him about that, he asked me if that's why I didn't have a wife and any legitimate children.”

“Is it?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I wouldn't have agreed to marry Benedetta if she didn’t agree children were off the table for us.”

The reminder that he was engaged to another woman hit me like a bucket of ice water.

The soft warmth of our afterglow disappeared, and I remembered I was lying naked on a man who didn't belong to me.

“Could it have been her?” I wondered aloud.

“What?”

“Your fiancée. I know you said she didn't want kids or whatever, but could she be lying about that? Maybe she thinks things will change between you two, and with Enzo in the picture… that makes him a threat.”

“It’s not her,” he said.

“But are you sure? Are you sure she's not looking for a way out of your engagement? I mean, that's what the note demanded, right? Given your position, I'm assuming she's a mafia princess, so she didn't really agree to this wedding. She was informed. Could she be trying to get out of it?”

“No, I don't think so.”

Still reclined on the sofa, he reached out and tried to pull me back into his arms, but I was already on my feet, then pacing the room, my mind going a million miles an hour.

I grabbed the robe—another woman's robe—and slid it over my naked body.

“Look, this was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened.”

“Val, calm down,” Stefano said, sitting up.

“Calm down? You’re engaged to someone else, and I’m not a home-wrecker. I’m not this kind of person. Please forget this happened between us. Just find out who’s after my son and take care of it.”

“Our son,” he corrected.

“God, just find out who’s trying to kill him, Stefano. You can start with your fiancée and anyone else who would benefit from your wedding not happening.”

I turned on my heel to leave him.

Again.

CHAPTER 12

STEFANO

Val had gone from the blissful state of a freshly fucked and satisfied woman to a neurotic banshee in seconds.

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