The Hitman's Secret

Ch. 5: No Man's Prey

VALENTINA

Two days later, Matteo still hadn't taken Val back to the soldier's warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

He remained distant, no doubt still shaken by their run-in with Girardo Mazza at the engagement party, but Val couldn't help wondering if their encounter with Sebastian Allesi had impacted him as well. Despite their hostile conversation, she knew that Matteo still cared for his childhood companion. Bastian's words hurt him, even if Matteo refused to admit it himself.

Regardless, Val didn't get the chance to talk to him about it. The night that they returned from the warehouse, her father ordered Matteo and Adriano to handle a business meeting with the Chicago Outfit regarding their new truce with the Russos.

She'd spent the last two days dodging phone calls from Ezra, who left voicemails asking Val to make an appearance with him at the Metropolitan later that week. As part of their contractual engagement, she couldn't easily avoid those affairs. Instead, she pretended like she wasn't receiving his calls.

"Wanna play poker?" Luca offered from his seat beside Val at the kitchen bar. He'd been mindlessly shuffling a deck of cards for the better part of ten minutes while Val mindlessly scrolled through her phone and snacked on a basket of grapes.

She glanced sideways at the handsome bodyguard. Hope glimmered in his warm brown eyes. He hated waiting around the mansion almost as much as she did, but Matteo had been explicitly clear when he ordered her not to go anywhere without him.

Val sighed, setting her phone on the marble countertop and popping a grape into her mouth. "I'm no good at poker."

"That's why you need to practice," he quipped, bridging the deck of cards like a dealer from Vegas.

A small smile pulled on her lips as she shook her head. "I need to practice shooting," she countered, glancing at her phone in hopes that she'd received a text from Matteo, telling her that he'd be back soon and she could begin her plan to win the hearts– and loyalty– of Bastian and the soldati.

Luca narrowed his eyes. When she'd told him that Matteo was teaching her to use a gun, he'd been skeptical. In truth, ever since he'd nearly caught them in the garden, Luca appeared wary of even the mention of the hitman.

"I still don't understand why you need to learn to shoot a gun yourself," he mumbled, hesitation evident in his voice. "It's not like you're ever alone. Matteo or I are always with you."

Val bit a grape in half and shook her head. She knew that Luca didn't like keeping their training from her father, but he hadn't spilled the truth yet. "Because I'm going to be the boss of the Romano famiglia. And there are quite a few men who want to prevent that from happening," she drawled, matter of fact.

"Fine. If that's the case, then why don't we go out to the training center and practice?" Luca challenged, cocking a brow.

Val pursed her lips. "Things weren't exactly friendly between me and the soldiers at the training center when we left. I'm afraid they wouldn't take kindly to my presence without Matteo there."

Luca laughed once. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to, Val? I may be stationed at the Romano house, but I'm still a soldier, same as every man at that warehouse. Some of my closest friends train there every day."

Despite the logic of Luca's argument, a part of Val still hesitated. She promised Matteo that she'd stay at the mansion while he worked for her father. And yet, how could she ever hope to gain the approval of the soldati if she hid behind Matteo for the rest of her life?

Luca crossed his arms behind his head, a wide grin spread across his lips. "Trust me, you're better off going there with me than the big, bad hitman."

"Alright, soldier," Val teased, twisting in the barstool to directly face her friend. "Let's see if you're a better teacher than Matteo Costa, shall we?"