28 Seconds: A House of Valentine Novella (18 page)

“I need a favor. You mentioned the sea glass you found in my pocket. Did you find my cell phone as well?”

“Yeah. It’s in the safe back at the house.”

“I need it.”

“Done.”

“And then I need something done quickly...and privately.”

“This is starting to sound more like a Valentine mission than a favor, Ariana.”

“Maybe,” I relented. “I don’t really know the difference, do I?”

“Okay, point taken.” He tucked one hand into his pocket and leaned against the railing. “How private?”

“If I had my way, no one but you three would know.”

“What kind of men?”

“Trustworthy, loyal.”

“Loyal to who?”

“You. Me.”

He nodded, accepting, but didn’t let the insinuation against my father hang in their air for very long. “Any special skills? Theft, hacking, kidnapping, extortion-”

“Interrogation,” I said and I could see him straighten, his eyes flashing toward the two men at his side.

“I’m rarely surprised but that,” he admitted, “was a totally unexpected request.” He was silent a few minutes, and I assumed he was going through a list of men in his head, judging and evaluating their abilities. “Where are Garrett and Joseph?”

“Brooklyn, I believe.”

“Get them in the air. Straight to the house. We’ll meet you back there in forty-five.”

The men were steps away making calls on their cell phones in seconds. Cole’s hand stitched to the small of my back, leading me toward the shore.

“Where are we going?”

“We are going to relax, listen to the waves, maybe make out a little under the stars, and then go take care of your business.”

“Is this to be our regular thing?”

He smiled. “It calms you. Gets you out of the chaos of the house and I get time alone with you. So, yes, it will be our regular thing.”

We didn’t go far, still within sight of the bodyguards hovering on the Boardwalk, but far enough that the ocean drowned out the other noises. He sank down, pulling me and tucking me between his knees. He wrapped his arms around my waist and dropped his head to the back of mine before letting out a long breath.

“You sound exhausted,” I murmured.

“It’s been a long week, yes.”

“Sorry.”

He chuckled. “Such a guilty conscious. I’d do it a hundred times over if it brought you back, Ariana.”

“So you are a Serrano?”

“I was born one, yes.”

“Are Tony and Al from other families as well?”

“Al is a lovable stray. No prior family ties. Teresa actually brought him into the family. Tony is heir to the Romano empire, although it would be war if he tried to take it.”

“How did he end up with the Valentines?”

“With us, you mean?” he asked, nudging me. “It’s legendary actually and not something he likes to talk about.”

“If he doesn’t want me to know-”

“No, it’s not that. Everyone knows. It’s just an ugly story. He told you the Gorettis were nuts, right? Well, he wasn’t lying. We joke and say it’s inbreeding but the truth is, they’ve been addicted to their own merchandise for a few generations now. They’re slowly killing themselves off. He was supposed to marry the youngest Goretti and tie the families together. He was sixteen, I think, and went to meet her for the first time.”

“This doesn’t sound good.”

“He walked in and found her in bed, naked with four men. One of which was her brother. They were all so fucking stoned they didn’t even notice when Tony called in the old men as witness.”

“I...I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

“Well, depending on your proclivities, I suppose, it wasn’t as bad as it looked. She didn’t actually screw her brother. Instead, he’d offered her up for a gang bang and doped her up enough that she was happy to oblige. Like he said, lunatics.”

“But, how did he-”

“End up with us? The three of us - Al, Tony and I - had been friends for awhile by then. When the kids sobered enough to tell their story, the old men demanded that Tony still marry her and fulfill his duties as the Romano heir.”

“That is so fucking fucked up,” I stuttered, my hand covering my mouth.

“He came to us, nearly suicidal...he couldn’t see any options left. We talked him down but still didn’t have much of a solution. We just wanted to kill them all. Your father found us hidden away, got the story out of him and then, in a matter of hours, got him fake papers which added a few years to his age. He married her in a midnight ceremony, and then enlisted in the Marine Corps the next day. When he left the service he came straight to Valentine, and he’s been with us ever since.”

“If you tell me that there is anything like that going on in this family, then I’m-”

“Going to run far away?”

“I was thinking cut off their dicks but sure, you’re idea works.”

“I don’t doubt you would,” he said, laughing. “But no, nothing so sordid on my watch. It’s why the boys make such a big joke of the-”

“Brother sister thing between us.” I shook my head. “Little shits, all of you. How does everyone know about the sex lives of other families anyway? I mean, why is that public knowledge?”

“Because every relationship can be either a threat or a solution, depending on the ties it creates. Franco, for instance, learned of our relationship from the Romanos.”

“So everyone knows you are in my bed?”

“You don’t realize it, but that’s a very important distinction. If I had taken you into my bed, it would have been an unequivocal sign that I was moving to take over control of Valentine.”

“But by being in my room-”

“You have the option to kick me out on my ass at any time. Valentine women are known to be fickle so it’s expected you eventually will. I’m the problem child, remember? It’s why our relationship has caused a stir, caused some anger, but hasn’t yet caused war.”

“Over a geographic choice,” I grumbled. “So ridiculous. What if I’d tried to seduce you on the beach?”

“You mean like you’re doing now?” he asked, taking my hands and removing them from their traveling path. “It’s not just that. It’s also the way I treat you in public. Deference, respect, supportive.”

“As opposed to me being servient to you. God, I am never ever gonna survive in this world. I’ll try to be nice and bring you a drink and end up starting a fucking war.”

He laughed and kissed my hand. “I won’t let that happen. Promise.”

“And what about you? Are you my enemy?” I asked, nuzzling his neck. “The evil rival family?”

“I am a pawn, just like you.”

Taking my hand is his, he flipped my arm over and tugged at the bandage. Now that the swelling had gone down and the wounds were clean, it was easy to make out the letters carved into my skin. Or maybe it was just because I knew what to look for now.

“When you received this, I thought you understood. I should have known, of course, that you knew nothing of the family history but I was so fucking angry that I never put that together. You are so clever that I couldn’t understand why you didn’t recognize it for the considerable threat that it is.”

He traced the cuts, just above the skin to keep from hurting me. First the “m” and then the “s”. “My birth joined the Marciano and Serrano families. As a male, I have the right to claim either family.”

“Like Tony.”

“Yes. It would be war but if I succeeded, I could claim both. The “v” is more ambiguous. It could be because of my allegiance to this family or it could be concerns of what a relationship between you and I would mean. Considering the mark was placed on you, I tend to believe the latter.”

“My father as well?”

“Yes. We are, shockingly, in agreement on this.”

“So, do I get to know what it would mean?”

He tightened my bandage back down and kissed me, quick and sweet. “Other than my happiness and the promise of endless orgasms?”

“So arrogant, “ I said with a soft laugh. “And that redirection? Not very smooth, Cole.”

“You unite Bianchi and Valentine. I unite Marciano and Serrano. Together, our union would unite four of the six families. With Tony at our side-”

“It would unite all six.” I sat back, considering. “Yeah, I suppose that’s pretty fucking monumental. I can see why people are so edgy.”

“That’s all?” he laughed. “There are hundreds of men that don’t sleep at night worrying about it and you act as if I just told you breakfast was going to be served a little late.”

“Ah, hence the redirection. You thought I was going to have a meltdown.” I touched his cheek, letting my fingers drift over his lips. “It’s not my war. One day it may be. One day I may see a grand vision that would result in peace for everyone instead of constant threats. But right now? Right now, I have my own battles to fight much closer to home.”

“You’re absolutely right and, no matter what happens, I’m already so fucking proud of you.” He kissed me hard on the lips and pulled me out of the sand. “Come on, we’ve got to head back. They should be there by now.”

“So I don’t get to know how you ended up a Valentine?”

“The quick version only,” he smiled and headed us toward the house. “My parents were married to bring the Marcianos and Serranos together. With my birth that was accomplished. There was a huge war going on at the time between all the families. From what I understand, it was a bloodbath and my parents were in the dead center of it. It was making the news and everyone - police, feds, locals - was starting to notice and investigate. Your father made a deal that would settle the disputes and bring peace.”

“Well, that sounds smart. What was the deal?”

“He killed my parents.”

I stopped mid-stride but he pulled me along to keep us moving. “Cole-”

“Your mother was devastated. It destroyed her to have to stand beside him as he made the decision to orphan a child even if it resulted in peace and security for everyone. She threatened to walk out, but she loved your father more than life and, when he begged her to stay, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. So they made a compromise.”

“She got you,” I whispered.

“Yes.” He squeezed my waist as we stepped onto the porch. “And now that I’ve thrown you in an emotional whirlpool, it’s time to do some business.”

I nodded, straightening, and he gave me a wink of approval.

“These guys are some of the best and I’d trust them with my life but they are not Al and Tony. You are their boss. You don’t ask. You order. No explanations. Just the facts they need and nothing more.”

“Okay. Got it.”

“I’ve got them here for you, Ariana. I don’t know why-”

“I would’ve-”

“Told me, I know. If I’d asked you would have. I didn’t ask because, frankly, I think whatever you tell us is going to make me want to storm off and kill someone but I also know, I have no desire to leave your side.”

“You’re letting me take the choice out of your hands.”

“As is your birthright, Ms. Valentine,” he said with a mock bow. “Now, grab a whiskey and let’s do this.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

I stepped into the den that was my favorite and, thankfully, someone had thought to open the windows already. Tony and Al were leaning against one wall, totally relaxed, but the two new men were all business and standing a the edge of the desk.

Cole greeted them with warm hugs and then motioned to me. “Ariana Valentine, I’d like you to meet Joseph and Garrett.”

I shook each of their hands in turn.

“We’re glad to have you back, Ms. Valentine.”

“Did I take you away from something?”

“Nothing important.”

I nodded and stepped behind the desk, scooping up my phone. I clicked it on and hesitated. On the main screen, set to autoplay, was the video from the bonfire. I glanced to Cole, holding the phone up his direction, and he frowned.

“I’ll get that removed, Ms. Valentine,” he promised. “It is down, I assure you. We just didn’t consider you had a copy-”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, brushing him off to continue sweeping through the photos. I finally found the series I was looking for and slid the phone across the desk to Joseph and Garrett. “I need you to find this man. Unfortunately, there’s very little to go on. He was last seen on Carova Beach in North Carolina, but he will have run already. He has a few distinguishing marks which you can see in the photos.”

“Can we forward these to our phones?”

I nodded and watched as they clicked several buttons before handing it back. “His real name is even in question at this point.”

“We’ll start with some identity databases and then go from there.”

“It’s going to take awhile with this little to go on.”

“I understand.”

“And once we find him?”