The Agreement (Complete)

~ Chapter 13 ~

                    Valentina swallowed hard and looked up at her father before looking back at Vinny, who stood at the doorway, with his arms crossed over his chest and a murderous glint in his eyes.  His eyes took notice of the cut on her lip and on her arm, but also of the hands prints.  But before she could say anything, the doctor came in and checked out her wound, shooing everyone but Rafael and Vinny out.

                “De Luca, can you excuse us please?” Vinny asked as the doctor finished bandaging the arm.  Rafael glanced at her and slowly he shook his head.

                “I’m very disappointed, Val.”  And in all her years she had never felt so small.  And it wasn’t like she made a habit of it.  In fact, she was the one attacked!  Vinny hunched down and she stared at his jean clad legs, not wanting to look at him.  “Do you want to know how I found out?”            

                “My dad?” she offered.

                “No, Dante texted me.  Said he had his hand on my fiancé and it was him who was protecting and saving her, MY fiancé!”  Valentina flinched as he punctuated every word with a voice that kept getting louder and louder as he stood up.

                “It wasn’t like that!”

“Cristo, Valentina, quale parte (Christ, Valentina, what part)?  Because from where I stand, you have cuts on you because someone was hurting you and me, nor my men, were there!”

                “Okay, yes, he was in the right place at the right time, I can’t deny that.”

                “Do you have any idea what might have happened to you if he hadn’t stepped in?”

                “Yes, she probably would have cut me up a lot more.”  Vinny paused in his pacing and turned to look at her, a question in his eyes as he moved in front of her again.

                “She?  She who?”  Valentina licked her lips as she stared at him.  Dante hadn’t told him who was attacking her; why?  “Valentina, who?”

                “Celeste.  I was at the mall with a friend and Celeste happened upon me with three of her men, no one I had seen before.  One held my friend while the other two held me.  I was trying to reach for my knife but they got to me before I could.”  His jaw clenched as he slowly stood up.  And other than the hard glint in his eyes or the twitch of muscle in his jaw, there was no way to tell this man was furious.  He had a silent anger and that was scarier than dealing with her dad’s loud anger.

                “Come,” he said, holding out his hand to her.  She looked at it before she looked up at him.  She knew that whatever was going to happen, she had only herself to blame, so sat her hand in his and he helped her up and led her out to his car.

                “Wait, my dad…”

                “Knows what I’m doing and where I’m going.”

                “How?”  Giovanni lifted a brow at her as he held the passenger door open.                        

                “Because he would do the same thing.  You are mine, Valentina; it’s my job to protect you.  It’s also my job to let you know when you do something that is f****d up.  Now, please get in the car bella (beautiful).”  Valentina looked back at the front door as it opened and watched as her dad stood there.  Fine, she knew she was in the wrong but she felt like everyone was making a big f*****g deal over nothing.  She tossed her hair over her shoulder and got into Vinny’s car.

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                He knew, as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, that she didn’t get why this was bugging him.  It wasn’t just the lack of guards, it was the fact someone got close to her.  And the fact that someone else did what he should be doing.  For men like him and his job, this was a new level of disrespect.  And outsiders would say he couldn’t protect his own woman, then how could he run his family, his streets?  And people would start to distrust him and challenge him.

                And add in the fact that this was Dante, the son of a rival family.  He could gladly make this so much worse; he could put the challenge out there.  And the final note, Dante had always wanted Valentina, his Valentina.  And the fact that he touched her, was not sitting well with me.  He knew, as much as he hated it, that all those parts were bad and he needed to take care of it, but what pissed him off the most as that he touched her!  And he got that it made him sound like a little kid, but he wasn’t caring about that at this moment.

                “Where are we going?”  He shot a glance at her and saw red again, but for a whole other reason.  He saw it the first time he saw her sitting in the chair and he saw the cut on her lip.  He was furious that someone dared attack her.  And when he heard, he wanted to kill them but hearing it was Celeste, this was going to be a different ball game.

                “I am taking to you my house, innamorato (sweetheart).”

                “Am I to be a prisoner there instead?”  She crossed her arms and the bandage pulled tight, but she made no indication that it hurt.

                “You aren’t one, Valentina, and you will never be.  But, my house is safer.  No one goes in or out without my knowing.  It isn’t meant to keep you in though, it’s meant to keep stupid stronzi (assholes) out.”

                “Stronzi (assholes), like Dante?”  He let out a breath as he glanced at her and reached for her hand.

                “You aren’t stupid Val, you know that man wants you.  And you know you are on his radar.  He could have kidnapped you today and didn’t.  I just have to make sure he can’t do it again.”

                “Do you really think Dante would do that?  Wouldn’t that be starting another all out war?  But rather than one family, he would be fighting two?”

                “We are mafia, we fight, its part of what we do.  So yes, he would take that risk.  The chance to take down two major families in one swoop is amazing and the power behind that would be great.”  Val kept her eyes outside as she watched the passing scenery.  He could tell the wheels were turning in her head.

                “I…I never thought of it like that.”

                “I know you didn’t innamorato (sweetheart).  And truthfully, it shouldn’t be something you were every worried about.”  She slowly turned and looked at him, a smile appearing on her lips.

                “I am sorry.”

                “I know.”  Even though she was, and he knew it, it still needed to be shown.  He never wanted to hit her and he hated the thought of spanking her, but he did need to do something.  He had to let her really know why this was bad; make her see that something like this could never happen again.  “Now, I’m curious how my staff will take to you.”

                “What do you mean?”  Her brows crinkled in confusion and he was starting to find that look way too damn cute.

                “You would be the first woman I have ever brought in, let alone live.  My family has been here, but outside of them and the staff, you will be the first,” he turned into his drive as he smiled at her, “and the last.”