28 Seconds: A House of Valentine Novella (17 page)

“No sampling the merchandise without me present, agreed?” Tony asked. “I’ve seen some of these in action and, with your system, there’s no telling how it will react.”

“Agreed.”

“Actually, I want all of us present,” Cole interrupted. “I want no question, no doubt, between any of us as to who knows what.”

“The recipes…” I began but Cole shook his head.

“Are to remain in your head. Unless you have a bad reaction that requires you to tell us the ingredients, then I don’t want to know. I’m not a god and I never want to be.”

“Ditto.”

“I’d be a god or even like a half god. That Hercules kid got all the girls.”

“When you’re up to it, we’ll play around in the lab and craft up some antidotes or overdose treatments...whatever you biochem freaks call it. It will protect the men whenever they get side-swiped.”

“Or their women,” I added. “Kristina or whoever else...they deserve to be safe as well and not caught up in this Valentine madness.”

Al nodded his appreciation. “She’ll be glad to know someone is finally worrying about her safety. Other than me, I mean.”

Tony grinned. “Are you going to be our moral compass, Ariana Valentine?”

“If the family has strayed so far from protecting those they love, then somebody sure needs to be.”

“Are you volunteering?”

“I think I’ve volunteered for enough lately.”

“She’s right,” Cole agreed, “but if war is coming, we’re going to need all the protection we can get. For everyone.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I swirled my wine the glass, toying with my mother’s rosary. She had taught me the manners to get through a meal like this, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about propriety any longer. The wounds on my arm fresh in their minds, Cole and my father had refused to leave my side. Even though they barely spoke to me through dinner, they were inches from me suffocating me on both sides. I knew it wasn’t intentional, they were merely on high alert for safety, but it made the whole affair nauseating.

With our “private” dinner over, most of the men were now swirling around the other families in the restaurant, making deals or accepting condolences or whatever the hell they were doing. Tony and Al were stationed beside me, both holding whiskeys that they pretended to drink.

“You two notice just about everything, right?”

“One would hope since that’s our job,” Al said, nodding.  “Why?”

“When did my father start carrying around my mother’s rosary?”

“Cole asked us the same thing.”  Tony frowned.  “That’s not coincidence, is it?”

“I find few things are in this household,” I grumbled.

“The Feast of the Assumption,” Al answered.  “We rarely attend mass together but we attended the Feast as a group.  He definitely had it then and every day since.”

“We asked around but no one could remember him having it before then.  Doesn’t mean he didn’t, of course, just that no one remembers it.”

“And before you ask, it’s 20 days.”

“What’s 20 days?”

“The time between the Vigil of St. James and the Feast of Assumption. Cole wanted to know that as well.”

I nodded.  So, my parents had seen each other within the last month.  I suppose she could’ve mailed it to him but that wasn’t very likely for a family heirloom.  Why had she given it back? Or had he just taken it?  And why didn’t I know a damn thing about it?

I glanced around the room, irritated by everything. “Is it against the rule to tell me who these people are?”

“Of course not,” Al smiled. “Want a crash course?”

I nodded, just to keep my mind occupied, and listened for a good twenty minutes before having to stop him. There were too many names, too many faces, too many marriages and births that intermingled the families.

“I change my mind. Cole promised me a chart. Charts work for me.”

“Here.” Tony sank down beside me and pulled out his phone. “Will graphics help?”

He scrolled through folders of photographs until he found what he was looking for. “Six families, six symbols.”

“Much easier to start with,” I nodded.

“Valentine, the scroll work letter “v” and is always branded. Romano, a chained infinity tattoo although their women are marked by jewelry not tattoos.”

“Because women aren’t considered permanent in their family,” I guessed.

“Very good,” Al said, smiling at me. “They are one of the oldest families and still pretty set in their ways.”

“Skip Goretti,” I grumbled. “No need to see a gunshot scar, thanks.”

Tony chuckled and moved to the next photo. “Marciano tattoos a black flying eagle, the Serranos use knives to carve their initial-”

“Wait, Serrano...like Cole?”

“Yes,” Al frowned. “You didn’t know he was a Serrano?”

“No, I know he is Cole Serrano. I didn’t know there was some rival family named Serrano.”

Tony chuckled. “Guess he’ll have some explaining to do before getting lucky tonight. And, last, of course, Bianchi. They use a dove, usually a white ink tattoo but also branded on occasion.”

I glanced at the mark...soft, feminine, almost dainty, and so damn familiar. “Why…”

“It’s why your brand is slightly different than ours,” Cole said, appearing behind me and slipping a glass of whiskey into my hand. “Your ‘v’ has wings.”

It took a few sips of the whiskey for me to put it together. “My mother was a Bianchi. Her marriage to Franco was to unite the houses. It’s why the Bianchi dove was added to the Valentine rosary.”

“Close,” Al said with a smile of apology. “Their marriage was in
hope
of uniting the houses, but-”

“Me,” I sighed. “I united the families just by being born. You people are so fucking medieval.”

Cole chuckled and motioned Tony up so he could take his place. Even without words, he and Al were moving paces away to give us privacy.

“Don’t go far,” Cole ordered, “we’re leaving in just a second.”

“You allowed me whiskey in public which means you are steeling my nerves for something,” I accused.

“Guilty. We are ready to leave and your father is demanding to walk the Boardwalk with you. It’s something the two of you did every Sunday after mass.”

“This evening just keeps getting better and better.”

“Ariana, he’s likely to mention memories...memories you don’t have.”

“There’s nothing new there, Cole.”

“He’s charismatic as hell. He can get information out of people without them even realizing it.”

“Cole, I’ve been entrusting my life to you. Now, it’s your turn to trust me. I will say nothing to endanger you or your men.”

He gave me a patient smile. “I don’t doubt
that
, Ariana. I’m worried about you.”

“If there’s one thing I do know, it’s that my mom taught me how to navigate a man like Franco Valentine.” I touched his leg under the table. “Besides, you promised you wouldn’t doubt me again where he is concerned, remember?”

“Ariana-”

I stood up, putting my glass back in his hand. “Cole, I can’t do much these days it seems but this? This I can handle.”

“It’s your confidence that frightens me,” he admitted.

“Well,” I smiled, “if my confidence is misplaced, we’ll find out soon enough won’t we?” I glanced to my father who was grabbing our coats and motioning me his direction. “Stay close. Promise?”

“You need never ask, Ariana.”

I nodded and offered my father the best smile I could manage as I took his arm. We walked in silence for what seemed like ages and it took me several minutes to realize he was waiting for the men to put space between us and give us privacy. When they were finally a whatever range he deemed appropriate, he finally offered me a smile. It was unnerving.

“I heard Cole had to send Marco away. You know, your mother couldn’t stand his presence either. She never explained why.”

It was a question veiled as an observation, but I couldn’t give him an answer even if I wanted to. “You don’t trust Cole’s judgment?”

“Of course I do.” He patted my arm. “But I trust yours and your mother’s even more.”

“Was he…had he been with you long?”

“There’s no need to make small talk about Savatini, child. The last thing I want is to bring more nightmares to life for you.”

Interesting. So he had been told about my reaction to Marco.

“Your mother, my Teresa,” he grew quieter, “can you tell me about her last moments, Ariana?”

“I’m sure you already heard the tale.”

“I know of Donovan’s video. I know that men came for you before Valentine men arrived. Cole, well, he was too emotional to tell me much else.”

I frowned. There were so many things wrong with his words that I couldn’t even process them all. That stupid video. And Valentine men, including Cole, had arrived first. And Franco had described her death in detail while fighting with Cole. His words made no sense at all.

“Ariana,” he murmured, “I’m not trying to trick you. I only hoped you’d trust me enough to share. I know Cole feels like he needs to protect you, but I’ve heard the men talk-”

“Oh.” My thoughts finally threaded back together. “One of the men, another family…I had to…well, I shot him. He was going to kill us-”

“You need make no excuses to me. I’m sure you did what needed to be done and, at least from the gossip, you did a damn fine job of it.”

“Then why-”

He sighed. “You feel guilty. It’s the only reason Cole wouldn’t have mentioned it…to protect you. I just want you to understand there’s no need. I respect what you did. It brought you back to me.”

“But not my mom.”

“That was an ending never in your hands to change, Ariana.”

“And my mom? How would she feel about it?”

“Your mother would do anything to protect her family. She has proven that many, many times throughout her life.”

Another non-answer.

“You know, Cole, Tony and Al are back there in the shadows.”

“Yes,” I nodded. “With about two dozen others.”

“But it’s only them that give me pause. You’ve grown so attached to them so quickly.”

“They are good men.”

“Yes. I can’t deny that. Cole has always had a special spot for you, ever since you were children. Do you remember?”

“Yes.” A lie of my own.

“He has grown into a man I admire and respect. He’s fearless and reckless and has a temper that could split the heavens in two. I even find that a somewhat endearing trait, if I’m honest.”

“But?”

“But, his history with women, Ariana-”

“Seriously? That’s where you’re going with this?”

“Teresa would expect me to give you guidance even if it embarrasses the hell out of both of us.” He frowned. “He rampages through women and you, as my daughter, are a coveted prize to many men.”

“A prize?” I hissed. “Did you just call me a fucking prize?”

“In their minds. Not mine.”

“This conversation is over.”

“So like your mother,” he chuckled. “Getting to know you all over again is going to be a lively adventure. I’ll be by tomorrow morning so we can all head to the church together.”

Despite my anger, I couldn’t help but feel abandoned…again. “You aren’t coming home?”

“There are some people with things to answer for.” He touched the bandage on my wrist with the lightest of grazes. “The men will leave you to your thoughts. When you’re ready to go home, just raise your hand and they’ll be by your side.”

He kissed me on the top of the head. “Be safe, Ariana. You and Cole are all that I have left.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Everything all right?”

“Fine.”

“Are you sure? You look-”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Reckless.”

“Defiant,” Al corrected.

“It’s the same one you and the old man get,” Tony chuckled. “The men even have a name for it. Valentine resolution.”

“No matter the outcome, the decision is made,” Al agreed.

When it pertained to me, reckless and defiant were clearly not words Cole liked and he dropped his voice. “What happened with Franco?”

“Nothing important,” I waved off the question. “Asked about how she died, the man I killed, waxed poetically about how your temper could destroy the heavens and warned me about how you rampage through women. That’s even the actual word he used.”

Tony and Al were laughing but Cole’s eyes narrowed.

“I do not-”

“I may be reckless, Cole, but his taunts don’t phase me.”

“Damn glad to hear it. So, what then?”