Page 98 of The Hidden Heir

“Our children.”

Peace settles between us. It’s soft and fuzzy, tingling to the touch and filling my head with nothing but golden light. Being in this man’s arms, finding comfort and love in our closeness, it all carries a poetic beauty I never imagined I would experience for myself.

“The Camorra gathers tomorrow for the grand council,” Luca says, shifting into another important subject. “It will be a difficult one to go through, given how many of the votes I needed were murdered during Gamberetti’s gala.”

“What will you do then?”

He exhales sharply. “Roll with the punches. Hope that Victor and I can persuade the remaining dons to pay close attention to what Mauro has been doing. What happened that night was in violation of every peace treaty we ever signed. It’s a most heinous crime, and it needs to be treated as such, not as a cautionary tale to those who support me.”

“Do you think my stepfather did it?”

“I think he’s trying to use the old book in a new world, Valentina. The mob today isn’t what it was when he was first coming up in these streets. We’ve all changed, evolved. That iron fist he’s trying to shove down our throats won’t take him as far as he’d like. Gamberetti’s gala was a dangerous and most likely self-destructive gamble. I just hope I can get the others to see it, too. I hope I can stop them from falling into his trap.”

I appreciate how the Camorra works to retain a certain code, a sense of order. Ultimately, it’s a self-governing organism that has developed over more than a century and has undergone several defining periods. The Italians survived countless recessions, wartimes, lush periods, and seemingly endless limbos. They survived numerous investigations, RICO stings and federal raids, gang wars, and God knows how many assassinations that shifted the entire map in one direction or another.

“I know what I have to do, though,” Luca says after giving it some more thought. “About us, about our family, the future. You deserve better, different, and safer, Valentina. And I promise you, I’ll get us that.”

“I’m also aware it may just be a nice dream,” I reply. “As long as we stay together, as long as we find refuge in one another, I think we can figure everything else out.”

It’s his turn to take a deep breath, and he looks at me in a way that both exhilarates and unsettles me. He wants to say something else, something he’s working up the courage to say.

“What is it, Luca?” I ask, my voice low. I’m almost worried.

“You and Victor were right,” he replies.

I feel the punch in the gut, but it doesn’t hit as hard as I thought it would. I know what this is about, and frankly, I’m more disappointed than I am relieved. For a second, I wonder if that makes me a bad person.

“Stefano is alive,” Luca adds. “Mancuso is keeping him under heavy security at a private residence in Mayfair. Victor and I saw him today.”

“I see.”

He gazes at me, a little surprised. “I think I was expecting a more dramatic reaction.”

“In what sense?”

“You and my brother have a child together, after all.”

I shake my head slowly. “No. Luca, no. Let’s not rewrite history out of some misplaced respect for the rising dead, okay? Stefano lured me into a romantic affair. He got me pregnant, and then he tossed me to the side like an old shoe. I have zero emotional connection to him.”

“I can’t blame you.”

“Why is he under my stepfather’s protection?”

Luca shrugs. “We’re not sure. Caroline swears she had no idea he was alive. We’re inclined to believe her since she’s the one who turned us on to Mayfair in the first place. But I promised I wouldn’t take any action until I checked the place out. Stefano didn’t seem to be unhappy there. Yet I’m not sure if he’s a prisoner either. I’ve got Solomon watching the house 24/7 to establish some patterns.” He pauses and gives me a worried glance. “If this changes something between us, I understand⁠—”

“It changes nothing!” I snap and snake my arms around his neck. “You stubborn, dangerous, gorgeous bastard.”

He chuckles softly, and we kiss, our lips soft and warm and deliciously reassuring.

“Good, because it would’ve killed me to lose you,” Luca says.

“I married you and we’re about to have a child together. You’ve kept us safe, and Lord knows, I love you. I never loved Stefano. I wanted to. I was ready to give myself to him wholly, but he chose to mock and dump me. I owe that man nothing, not even visitation rights for his son. Hell, I don’t even consider Michael to be his son, not beyond the gene pool anyway.”

“It’s a complicated situation.”

“No, as far as I’m concerned, it’s simple. I’m glad Stefano is alive for your sake, but he never had and he never will have any room in our lives, mine or Michael’s. And I want you to know, I never want to be near him again.”

He nods once and kisses the tip of my nose. When he’s tender like this, it does a different number on my brain. It brings out the fiery Valentina, the ravenous Valentina, who feels safe and adored enough to open up, to lose control, and to claim this man as though he was a part of me.