Matteo pipes up. “Valentine’s specialty is an old recipe from Nonna, crumbed steak and dauphinoise potatoes.”
She hums softly. “Actually, that sounds better than risotto. Is that okay, Dante, if Valentine makes us dinner tonight?”
“Pretty sure I told you not even a minute ago, baby—anything you want, I’m good with.”
Valentine spends a fair bit of his time on his phone, reading Nonna’s recipe on how to make dauphinoise potatoes again, while juggling texts from Legos and Leon. I suspect, once Layne is tucked in bed, we will be meeting with our closest allies to figure out our next move, but she doesn’t need to be involved. She’s done more than enough today.
I turn the radio on low. The sound of the latest hits is background noise at best, but I also hope the catchy tunes keeps Layne out of her head. And it works for a while.
Layne sits up suddenly. “Was anyone hurt at the shop?”
“Not badly,” Valentine answers, stopping me before I even opened my mouth to answer her. “I also offered to pay for any damages.”
“Thank you,” she says softly.
Valentine gets another call; he ignores it, although his mood drops again. He holds up the screen for everyone to see. It’s Diego, and the call rings out before he tries again right away.
“Return his call when we get home,” Matteo suggests as he rubs his face on her shoulder.
Valentine grunts an agreement, then turns to face Layne. “After dinner, Dante, Matteo, and I are paying Diego and Rosa a visit. Legos and Leon will be guarding the door, the dogs will stay on alert, and we will have the security system on, but you are in my bed.”
“Sounds perfect to me. Besides,” she pipes up, “I’m not going tomorrow without my engagement ring.”
42
Layne
Pulling onto the ramp for the garage under their building, I feel giddy with relief. By the time Dante pulls the Escalade to a stop in front of the elevator, I’m literally shaking.
I squeeze Matteo’s hand, stopping him from getting out of the car, but Valentine and Dante are out, checking we’re secure before I can even say a word.
They both do a sweep of the garage before returning to let us out of the back, but I wasn’t planning on getting out or letting Matteo out just yet. I need something from him first.
Dante pops an eyebrow at me, asking me to get my ass out of the Escalade.
“We’ll be up in a sec,” I say quickly.
A mask of frustration falls over Valentine’s features, and I nearly give in and put what I need on the back burner until Dante helps me out.
“Don’t be long,” he says, before clicking his fingers for the dogs to get out. “Val’s going to start making dinner and makea hundred phone calls. I’ll draw your bath. Nice and hot, with plenty of bubbles.” He shuts the door, giving me a wink.
Valentine, though, is torn. He’s still locked in being overly protective. I can see it in his glare. From the way he looks at me, I understand completely what’s going on in his head, and I’ll be dealing with him soon.
In truth, he’s not in the right frame of mind yet, and really, if I ran at him needing what I need, it wouldn’t be right. Valentine needs to soothe his own beast, and by speaking with Dante, and the rest of their most loyal, while making me dinner, he will do just that.
“I’m locking the building down, so if there are any fucking alarms going off, it’s not a great sign. You’ve got your gun?” His bark is impossible to ignore, and the harsh challenge in his eyes has me dropping mine.
I start nodding before he finishes speaking. “We won’t be long, Valentine. And you know I’m as safe with Matteo as I am with you. So, go do all the things you need to, without me distracting you.”
He scrubs a hand down his face, taking some of the tension with it. His command for the dogs to be on alert is like a bark. Even though we’re safe and back together, his designation is riding him harder now we’re home.
“Five minutes, and I want you upstairs.”
“Of course,” I say, leaning over, so I can catch him before he storms off. I reach up for a kiss, and he makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat, but he kisses me so softly I nearly cry. “I’m safe, Val. We’ve got this.”
He leaves without another word, and I pull the door shut as the elevator doors open. By the time they start to close, I’m shimmying my way into the space between the front and back seats, but I have to. I have to deal with how I felt crammed in the van before the horror spreads.
And I know Matteo will help me.
