Page 59 of Valentino

“A few hours.” I walk around the bedroom collecting my things, I open the bedside drawer, grab my Glock and put it into the back of my jeans.

“Why do you need a gun?” She frowns.

“I told you, I’m going to work.”

“To shoot someone?”

Not just someone.

“It’s just precautionary, go to bed, Anna.”

I walk out into the kitchen to get a glass of water and she follows me like a puppy. “I don’t want you to go out this late, Valentino.”

“Lucky you don’t get a say in what I do then, isn’t it?” I walk to the front door and still she follows me.

“I’ll wait up for you.”

“Don’t bother.”

“Val.” She grabs my arm and pulls me back to face her. “Are we okay?”

“We haven’t been okay for a long time, Anna.”

“Oh.” She visibly recoils. “Since when?”

“Since you fucked him.”

Her eyes hold mine.

“Go to bed.”

I turn, walk out the door and stride up the corridor.

I’m so done.

Gun drawn, I crouch down and stealth into the backyard. I twirl my finger to signify the coast is clear.

There are no guards.

Stupid, but also could be genius.

While we’ve turned the world upside down looking for Carlo and his men, there is one place we haven’t searched. It was too obvious, too easy and with no guards one would assume he most definitely isn’t here.

His home.

We silently break the lock on the cellar door and make our way down the stairs into the underground of the house. The six of us creep around and tiptoe up the stairs that lead to the inside of the ground floor, they come out just beside the laundry room.

He wouldn’t even be on this level, but we can’t be too careful. He’ll be armed.

I slowly turn the door handle and it opens…. I narrow my eyes.

“Trap,” I mouth.

Romeo nods. “Yep.”

Nobody is this stupid to leave an internal door unlocked…. But then, it is Carlo so who fucking knows.

Single file we walk in and slowly creep through the bottom floor. Guns drawn, heart pounding, and retribution so close I can almost taste it.