“He’s said this to you?”
“No, but I’m a decent judge of character, and I hear things. I observe a lot.”
I had suspected as much. I think Valentina may be the key to all this. I want to ask her about the cartel and if she knows the extent of Dom’s involvement, but I need to know something else first. “Has Cesco hurt you? Touched you?”
She shakes her head. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like? What was going on at dinner last night?”
She sighs heavily, reaching for her wineglass as she slides off my lap. Her troubled eyes pin mine in place. “I’ll need more wine if we’re going there.”
20
VALENTINA
Fiero pours the dregs of the wine into my glass before heading into the kitchen to grab a fresh bottle. It gives me time to sort through my thoughts and decide how much I can tell him. My gut is telling me I can trust him. That I should tell him everything and he’ll protect my family, but I just can’t do it. I’ve known this man a few days, and it’s not long enough to prove this is all true.
Fiero is an older, experienced made man and one of the most powerful, most dangerous men in our world. This could be an elaborate ruse to get me to confess everything I know so they can take Dom down. He could discard me when he gets what he wants, and I’ll be the one left paying the price.
No, I can’t tell him everything.
There is too much at stake, and I just can’t risk it.
I’ll stick to my personal story as that’s the safest, and I’ll play dumb if he asks me about anythingmafiosorelated. That is the best way to protect myself and my family.
After he returns, he pours more wine into both our glasses before reclaiming his seat. I snuggle up against him because I love being close to himand distracting him with intimacy and sex is the best tool in my arsenal.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” he says, curling his arm protectively around me again.
“Cesco first hit on me when he was fourteen. I was nineteen, and Dom was away on a business trip. He wasn’t forceful, and he backed off when I told him it was inappropriate, but I knew it wouldn’t stop there.” I gulp back a large mouthful of wine.
“I told Dom when he returned, and he hit the roof. He beat Cesco black and blue and warned him not to touch me again.” I bark out a laugh. “My husband is such a hypocrite. It’s okay for other men to touch me when it suits him to play that card, but his son is not allowed go there because it’s disrespectful to his father.”
Tension instantly bleeds into the air, and I stare off into space as I wait for him to ask it.
“He lets other men touch you?” he chokes out.
Looking toward the boats bobbing at the dock, I slowly nod.
“Valentina.” His touch is feather soft as he directs my face to his. “I need you to look at me, honey.”
“It’s hard to speak about this, Fiero. The only person who knows anything is my cousin Nina. Are you sure you want to hear this? You might not feel the same way about me again.”
“There is nothing you could tell me that would change the way I feel about you.” He hugs me tight to his chest and his warmth seeps into my body, heating my suddenly icy bones. “Don’t be afraid, and don’t be ashamed,” he adds, tilting my face up to his. “Whatever happened is not on you. I already know you’ve done what you had to do to survive. There is no shame at all in that.”
Pressure sits on my chest, and tears prick the backs of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I’ve done enough crying in front of this man, and it’s embarrassing. After this past year, I thought I had shed every single tear I had to give, but it seems I was wrong.
“Dom has a gambling problem, as you know. He was already broke by the time I arrived, and things haven’t ever been better. You saw the stateof the house, the car, the clothes I was wearing. Any time he gets money, he gambles believing he’ll double or triple it, but he always fucking loses. It’s an endless vicious circle.”
“I’ll let that slipup pass this time.” Fiero cautions me with his eyes, and I can’t help smirking. “Miami is one of our wealthiest territories. Dom gets his fair share of the profits, so what the hell is he doing with it?”
“He blows most of it on parties. It’s his way of keeping thecaposandsoldatiloyal to him. Everyone knows to show up on Fridays at our place—the men, Dom’s friends, contacts, and people he’s trying to network with. Dom provides the drink, drugs, and the hookers. All bought on his dime.” Hatred toward my husband rages inside me. I worry my lower lip between my teeth and work up the courage to say this next bit. “They play cards, big money stakes, and if my husband loses and he doesn’t have the cash to pay up, he offers me instead.”
The wineglass slips out of Fiero’s hand, dropping to the stone patio floor and smashing upon impact. “It’s okay,” Fiero says into empty space. “We’re okay.” He stands, carrying me in his arms, and walks us over to the other couch. His entire body is rigid with tension, his jaw taut, eyes flaring with dark anger, his mouth pulled into a grim line. He puts me down and sits beside me, resting his elbows on his knees and cradling his head in his hands. Tension simmers in the air, and pain pulverizes my heart.
“Told you you’d feel differently,” I whisper before knocking back my wine.
“No, baby.” Fiero’s tortured eyes land on mine as he moves in closer to me. He leans in and kisses me. “That’s not it. I’m furious with Dom and with myself.” His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. “No wonder you hate me. I’m no better than him or any of those men.”
