Page 341 of Valentino

I get in and put my seat belt on, annoyed. “Subtle.”

“Shut up.” He starts the car and it roars like a jet engine.

“Shut your car up,” I whisper angrily. “Could it be any more fucking attention seeking.”

“My fucking God.” He pulls out slowly and we drive in silence for a long time.

Eventually we get out onto the highway and he looks over at me. “Where did you get the blow from?”

“Romeo.”

His eyes flick between the road and me and back again. “Romeo put you up to this?” he explodes.

“No,” I fire back. “Romeo gave me a backup plan.”

“Anna,” he cries. “Do you know how fucking dangerous that was?” He punches the steering wheel. “He could have killed you.”

“He killed your father, Valentino, and he was going to try and kill you next. I couldn’t let that happen,” I cry back. “And if I died saving your life then so be it.”

His elbow rests on the door as he glares through the windscreen, his jaw is ticcing in anger as another question eats at him. “Did you….” His eyes glance over as he swallows a lump in his throat.

“No.” I screw up my face. “Eww no. Kissing him was bad enough.”

“You kissed him?” he spits.

“I think we have a bigger problem than me fake kissing someone, Valentino.”

“How could you put yourself in danger like that? What if something happened to you? What if he killed you?”

“It was my choice,” I fire back. “And I was prepared to make that sacrifice because I don’t want to live in a world without you in it.”

He glances over at me.

“Because we’re a family.” I cross my arms. “And families look after each other.”

He shakes his head in disgust.

Ring, ring…his phone rings through the car speaker.

It’s Giuliano.

He hits answer. “I’ve got her,” he answers.

“You do.”

“Turn the team around, Carlo’s dead.”

“What?” he fires back. “Are you sure?”

“Positive, turn them around. Do not go near the site. Stay away at all costs.”

“Okay.” He stays silent for a moment on the line. “Is Anna okay?”

“Yeah.” Valentino looks over at me. “For now.”

“Where are you going now?” he asks.

“Back to my place.”