Page 303 of Valentino

“Valentino has asked me to apologize to you.”

“For what?”

“Apparently….” His voice trails off. “There are things that I’ve done to upset you in the past.”

“You threatened to kill me, Romeo,” I snap. “Not just a little thing.”

“There’s that.” He nods. “Not my finest moment.”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to apologize to me.” I roll my eyes. “I don’t need to be friends with you.”

“I would like us to be friends.”

“Well…I wouldn’t.”

He glances down and frowns.

Shit.

I curl my hand closed, I forgot about my ring.

“You’re engaged to be married?”

“Shh.” I glance around. “It’s new.”

“So….” He frowns as his eyes hold mine. “You’re serious.”

“I love him, Romeo, so yes. It’s serious.”

He exhales as he looks out over the lake. “It was nothing personal.”

“Threatening to kill someone is personal, Romeo.”

“You know, I just.” He stops himself. “He worries me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just knew back then that if things turned bad that he wouldn’t….”

“Wouldn’t what?”

“Defend himself.”

“What does that even mean?” I scoff. “He never needed to defend himself against me. You put that stupid idea into his head.”

“Not you,” he fires back. “Why do you think Valentino didn’t shoot to kill in your bathroom that night?”

“Because the police arrived.”

“Nowhere close.”

“What do you mean?”

“Val has spent his entire life protecting Carlo from harm.”

I stop walking.

“He’s never going to hurt him, Anna.”