Page 31 of Don't Break My Heart
Her piercing blue eyes meet with mine, sending a wave of goosebumps over me. “Please, Sloane, just leave it.”
I suck in a breath, trying to get my anger under control. Then I stride out the door, leaving her alone. This won’t be my fate, and I won’t let it be hers either. She just gave me another reason to fight.
I walk past Onyx and down the stairs to join the others. I take the glass of wine Orlando hands me, gripping it so tightly I think the glass might just break under my fingers.
He dips his head so his lips brush my earlobe. “You okay?”
“Just fine,” I snip back, throwing back the contents of my wine. It’s not enough. I scan the impeccably set table for something stronger and am bitterly disappointed when my search comes back empty.
“We eat,” says their ma when Daisy joins us. She looks me over, and I feel her disapproval. This isn’t the family I would have chosen either.
Orlando slips his hand in mine and leads me to our spots at the table. It’s all very formal for a family meal. I have Onyx off to the other side of me and Romeo and Reef directly across. Valentine has taken the head of the table with Daisy to his side and his ma to the other side. He gives off don vibes already, power-hungry, evil, masochistic. His eyes find mine and my glare intensifies. He might have his wife manipulated, but I see right through him. Our plan might have been to leave him in charge and get out of here as quickly as possible, but there’s a little niggling feeling deep down inside of me that tells me there is no way I can do that, not after what I learned about this family business yesterday and now knowing what he’s doing to his wife.
He throws back his head in a chuckle as he holds up his wine glass. “To the family,” he toasts, his eyes not leaving mine. I keep my eyes locked on his, not scared of him and making sure he fucking knows it.Eventually he breaks our standoff. Turning toward his wife, he kisses her cheek. I see the way she stiffens; she hates him. Her pretty eyes flick to me, and she knows I can see it.
A plate of food is placed down in front of me, the smell of fresh basil hitting my nostrils. It finally draws my attention away from them. An appetizer of bruschetta al pomodoro sits on my plate, making my mouth water.
“So, Ava, will you be joining Orlando at our mama’s charity ball?” Valentine asks.
I glance at Orlando. This is the first I heard of it.
“We will make an appearance,” Orlando answers for me.
“What about you, Romeo, do you want me to hook you up with a date? I know some beautiful women who could keep you company for the night.” Valentine’s words make me cringe for so many reasons, because he’s a cheating asshole who sleeps around on his wife and because he’s running a fucked-up trafficking organization on top of his brothels. Is he offering a paid date for Romeo or a girlfriend of his? Either way, he disgusts me. My eyes bore into his head. It’s right now I wish I had superpowers; the ability to burn him alive with just a look would be my power of choice.
“I have my date sorted, thank you, brother.” He grins at Reef, and he gives him a little nod back. Then his eyes come to me, and he offers me a slow sexy smile in a way that melts me into a puddle all over the floor. Fuck, he knows it as well.
“I see,” Valentine says, and I can tell by his tone he’s not impressed. But he doesn’t have to be. The four of us couldn’t give a shit if we have his approval for our non-conventional relationship or not.
We eat and drink, a heaviness lingering around the table, everyone on edge just a little more than normal. I can see Onyx’s hands balled into fists as he watches every person at the table. He despises Valentine;he’s not even hiding it, and it’s causing tension between him and the twins. They share a look that tells him to back off, but Onyx couldn’t care less, and I already know if Valentine so much as lays a finger on me, he’s dead.
Two men in dark suits approach from across the lawn. One of them holds a briefcase, and Valentine stands to greet them.
“No business at family dinner,” their ma cries angrily, waving her hands around.
“Some business can’t wait, Ma.” Valentine kisses her forehead as he makes his way over to join the approaching men.
I raise a brow in Orlando’s direction, not liking the look of this.
He shakes his head, giving me a look like he doesn’t know who these men are.
They approach the table together. “Dear brothers and Ava, join me in papa’s den.”
Onyx stands at my side, and Reef joins him. They may not have been invited, but they’re not sending me into the devil’s den without protection. Daisy watches me, her pretty eyes wary, like she doesn’t trust me with her husband. I know her secrets, but I would never use them against her. Only as ammunition against the awful man she is married to.
Orlando’s arm snakes around my shoulders protectively, and he leans in. “They must be the lawyers,” he explains.
Romeo turns back, giving a nod as if he agrees. He would know more than Orlando, since he got shot, and Romeo has taken over all the dealings with both our and Valentine’s legal teams.
“That was fast. You haven’t even buried Emilio yet,” I say, not expecting to deal with this shit tonight.
“Valentine wants this dealt with just as fast as we do,” Romeo says. And after our conversation last night, I have to wonder if this is goingto end in a fucking brawl. Romeo made it pretty obvious they’re not giving him everything he wants.
We gather in Emilio’s den. Even though the furniture is all leather and dark oak, and the walls are lined with images of happy family members, the room is cold in a way that sends a shiver over my arms. I think it’s because I can picture Emilio sitting behind his large desk, barking out orders. The deals he would have made sitting right in that chair, the blood he would have spilled. The thought is sickening.
Valentine takes a seat in the large chair behind the desk, taking papers from one of the suited men. He looks the part, every bit as powerful as his papa was. And that idea makes me want to puke. “These are our dear papa’s legal team, and they have joined us here today to go over the arrangements of his last will and testament.” His eyes shift to me. “Please take a seat, Mrs. Moretti, this won’t take long, then you and my dear brothers can make your way home to the States.” He grins in that same evil way his papa did, one that tugs at the sides of his lips but never makes it to his eyes.
I smile back, grinning wider than I intend to, but there is this almost insanity inside of me that this man brings out.
